Hawaiians Want Army To Clear Bomb From Area Used For Ceremony

On the Hawaiian island of Oahu, community groups are holding a vigil outside the Makua Military Reservation, according to a press release today from Earth Justice. At issue is the delay by the Army in removing a 250-pound bomb left over from World War II discovered this month near Makua Beach Park. The Army has created an exclusion zone in the area for safety purposes. However the zone includes the area in which the Makahiki, the traditional Hawaiian celebration of the time of peace, had been scheduled. Protesters say that under a 2001 agreement, the Army should have long ago cleared this area of unexploded ordnance. The Army says it will make plans to remove the bomb once it completes a sweep of the area for other unexploded ordnance.