Thirty Meter Telescope opponents pledge to hold steady as project's construction nears

The opposition to the Thirty Meter Telescope this morning vowed to stand firm against the cutting-edge observatory expected to begin construction atop Mauna Kea in the next few months.

In a news conference at the Honolulu headquarters of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the “protectors” of Hawaii’s tallest mountain called on the state, the University of Hawaii and the TMT International Observatory board of governors to stand down on a $1.4 billion project which opponents say will desecrate sacred land.

With more than 50 people holding signs and flags of protest, speakers complained of heavy-handed state tactics in removing Native Hawaiian structures from the mountain, including two ahu, or altars, which were built on the TMT site in 2015.

“We’re also here to voice our concerns over what looks like the state’s gearing up for the excessive use of violence when the protectors of Mauna Kea have only shown aloha in this struggle,” said Candace Fujikane, board member of KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance.

Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/06/28/breaking-news/thirty-meter-telescope-opponents-pledge-to-hold-steady-as-projects-construction-nears/