Court ruling on burials gives rail opponents victory

A Hawaii Supreme Court ruling gives opponents of Oahu’s rail project a victory in a battle over rail construction and burial sites.

Native Hawaiian activist Paulette Kaleikini filed suit, saying the State Historic Preservation Division should have required all segments of the rail like to be surveyed for archaeological resources such as iwi, and that the city should not have been able to start construction without it. The city maintained it only needed to conduct an archaeological survey on the phase where construction is currently underway.

In the 82-page ruling, the court writes, "it is undisputed that the rail project has a ‘high’ likelihood of having a potential effect on archaeological resources in certain areas of Phase 4, which includes Kakaako."

The ruling puts the case back in the hands of the Circuit Court.

KHON2 is awaiting comment from both the plaintiffs and defendants and will have updates throughout the day on KHON2.com, and tonight on KHON2 News at 5, 6, and 10.