State of Hawaii recognizes Nagorno Karabakh Republic

March 30, 2016 By administrator

209153 The House of Representatives of the U.S. State of Hawaii unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Armenian Embassy in the U.S. said in a Facebook Post.

The Resolution expressed its solidarity with the people of Nagorno Karabakh encouraging the international community to recognize the Republic as a free, independent and sovereign democracy.

The House will transmit a certified copy of the document to the President of the United States, and the majority leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Hawaii became the seventh state to recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh along with Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Maine, California and Georgia.

Hawaii1

Embassy of Armenia to the United States

State of Hawaii declares state of emergency over homeless problem

October 17, 2015 By administrator

Hawaii Governor David REUTERS/Toru Hanai –

Suffering from the worst homeless rate in the US, Hawaii has declared a state of emergency to encourage the quick construction of new homes for those without accommodation.

“We are making sure that we have options for those who are homeless to move into an emergency shelter, and the biggest deficit in the system is shelter space for families,” said Democrat Governor David Ige at a press conference. “So the emergency proclamation would allow us to stand up shelters for families in an expeditious manner.”

For a population of 1.4 million Hawaii has 7,260 officially registered people who are homeless – the highest rate in the country. The number has risen by 23 percent over the past year alone, as part of a long-term trend.

NEWS RELEASE: Governor Ige signs emergency proclamation to address homelessness statewide: http://t.co/15k0BbjZU7 pic.twitter.com/l4wIEwmwVo

— Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) October 17, 2015

A sum of $1.3 million has been designated for the construction of a new shelter, a site for which has not yet been chosen, and which will only be able to house 15 families at any given time. Recently constructed accommodation on the islands has often consisted of adapted shipping containers, with shared bathroom facilities.

A longer-term solution would be giving the homeless permanent accommodation in the private sector. A program called Housing First will give landlords incentives to offer housing to displaced persons even if they are suffering from addictions or mental disorders, and give them financial protection in case of potential damages.

Housing First follows in the footsteps of other such initiatives in Seattle and Salt Lake City, which showed that providing housing subsequently made it easier for homeless people to tackle their other problems.

Ige’s announcement comes just days after the state cleared up an unsightly makeshift encampment in Honolulu, known as Kakaako, which had existed for several years and had been home to almost 300 people.

The camp had been criticized for repelling tourists – one of the island’s main income streams – as well as posing a crime and health risk to the disgruntled neighbors.

However, the local UN agency criticized the state for the forcible removal, and while Ige boasted that more than half of the families have been placed in superior accommodation, the others have been forced to fend for themselves.

Many of Hawaii’s homeless are not indigenous, but travelers from the mainland, drawn by the region’s favorable climate, generous handouts and healthcare provisions, and high living standards.

Hawaii State Senate Recognizes #ArmenianGenocide

April 4, 2015 By administrator

Hawaii State Senator Will Espero (left) and Artur Artenyan with a signed resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide

HONOLULU, Hawaii—Hawaii’s State Senate last week unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and declaring April 24 as a day of remembrance and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

“The Senate joins the House of Representatives, Hawaii’s Armenian-American community, and all Armenians worldwide in recognizing and honoring those who were killed and persecuted during the Armenian genocide, and urging people throughout the world to never forget these horrific crimes against humanity,” the resolution reads.

Hawaii State Senators who introduced the bill, including Suzanne Chun Oakland, Donovan Dela Cruz, Will Espero, Breene Harimoto, Les Ihara Jr., Lorraine Inouye, and Russel Ruderman, were present with Armenian American community member Artur Artenyan at the signing of the resolution into law. The full text of the resolution is below.

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S.R. NO. 33 THE SENATE STATE OF HAWAII TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 MAR 1 0 2015
SENATE RESOLUTION DECLARING APRIL 24 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE IN RECOGNITION AND COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915.

WHEREAS, during the chaos of World War I between the years 1915 and 1923, approximately 1,500,000 Armenian men, women, and children living within the Ottoman Empire’s borders were killed in a brutal genocide; and

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forced to flee to foreign countries after being stripped of their possessions, national identities, and homeland; and

WHEREAS, documented as the first instance of genocide in the twentieth century, the Armenian genocide remains unacknowledged by the Republic of Turkey to this day; and WHEREAS, even though over 90 years have passed since these mass killings took place, present-day atrocities continue to resonate throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, it is every person’s responsibility to recognize the brutal slayings of so many innocent individuals, remember their suffering, and vow to help prevent future occurrences of genocide; and

WHEREAS, each year, Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished in the first genocide of the twentieth century, and the world community should join in recognizing and commemorating the Armenian genocide to ensure that this inhumanity is never forgotten; and

WHEREAS, with H.R. No. 192, H.D. 1, the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii declared April 24 as a day of remembrance in recognition and commemoration of the Armenian genocide during the Regular Session of 2009; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that this body declares April 24 as a day of remembrance in recognition and commemoration of the Armenian genocide; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate joins the House of Representatives, Hawaii’s Armenian-American community, and all Armenians worldwide in recognizing and honoring those who were killed and persecuted during the Armenian genocide, and urging people throughout the world to never forget these horrific crimes against humanity; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region.