ADB protest message civil, peaceful

By Tanya Bricking
Advertiser Staff Writer

It was more of a parade than a protest.

Tadao Chino, president of the Asian Development Bank, speaks with Darwan Chantarahesdee of Thailand, who made an emotional plea to Chino on behalf of the people affected by a bank-supported water project in rural Thailand. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Outnumbered by spectators and police dressed in aloha shirts and orchid lei, marchers' chants of "The ADB is B-A-D!" and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the ADB has got to go!" were at times drowned out by the sound of a police helicopter overhead.

Protesters delivered their message to ADB President Tadao Chino, who left a luncheon session at the ADB's 34th annual meeting to go outside the Hawai'i Convention Center and accept a petition from protesters.

In it, they challenged him to make the bank and its programs more easily understandable, democratic and accountable.

The Manila-based bank distributes $5 billion a year in loans to address poverty in developing nations.

Yesterday's demonstration avoided the violence that rocked recent global financial meetings such as the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, and organizers said they simply wanted to send a message that the ADB is not the savior for the poor.

"We've had enough destruction in the name of development," Walden Bello, an economist and sociology professor from the University of the Philippines, told Chino. The bank president listened and said he would consider all concerns but committed to no specific action.

Demonstrators, made up primarily of Hawaiian sovereignty groups and members of local unions, including the Hawaii Teamsters and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, numbered far fewer than the 2,000 to 5,000 estimated by organizers when they applied for a permit to march.

Native Hawaiians led the procession, carrying Hawaiian Kingdom flags mounted upside down in the international sign of distress.

"I come on behalf of my ancestors, honoring the past," said Manukihapai Kauhi, who marched barefoot, clad in a robe and ti leaf hat. "I want to clear the way, spiritually, for the people."

Inside the convention center, few bank delegates stuck around to watch the demonstration. Those who did were neighborly in spirit, generally seeing the drama as an attempt by local people to add a degree of public pressure or to gain attention for their causes.

Some waved through the glass at passing friends.

"Before this whole thing started, we went out to aloha them, and they aloha'd us," said Patty Nishiyama of Maui, one of the more outgoing protest watchers.

But protester Darrow Aiona, a priest from St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Waikiki, said police kept marchers too far from the leaders.

"I think this is really token," he said. "There's no violence here. This is Hawai'i."

University of Hawai'i political science student James Stobaugh, who came to watch, wondered how many people outside UH's Manoa campus were paying attention.

"I think you're going to see more of these conferences if this goes off quietly," he said. "But you're not getting the housewives from Kapolei showing up."

Some spectators along Kalakaua Avenue expressed encouragement, others disgust. June Davies, a visitor from Australia, had never heard of the ADB before but was curious to find out about it. She said marchers and police had done a good job keeping the event peaceful.

While protester James Sheather was happy for the peacefulness, he was discouraged by the turnout.

"I don't think the right people are listening. I don't think they can hear the message at all," said the 16-year-old from Hawai'i Kai, who wore a cardboard puppet of a businessman with dollar signs in its eyes.

Business owners stood on the sidewalks, realizing they didn't need to board their windows.

"I should have sold hot dogs and got a cooler of water," said Jamieann Akiona, branch manager for Labor Ready, across the street from the convention. "It's a parade."

Next door at Tobaccos of Hawai'i, owner James Holeman said he thought the thousands of dollars the state spent on security was worth it.

"Crowds are so unpredictable, especially when they have energy or a cause or a torch to burn," he said.

Six ambulances and four Cushman three-wheelers manned by 24 Emergency Medical Service personnel were assigned to handle medical problems. Few problems arose. The teams treated only a woman in the march who complained of trouble breathing and was taken to the Queen's Medical Center, and two children participating in entertainment inside the convention center who felt light-headed.

The Honolulu Zoo briefly was a victim of the security precautions. It was closed, with police posted at several gates lest demonstrators seek refuge on its paths and meadows. But when no trouble developed, it opened at 3 p.m., attracting a fraction of its usual 900 to 1,200 weekday visitors. City leaders patted themselves and police on the back for handling the demonstration.

"Honolulu sent a message to the world today that it can be a great site for an international conference and that it can handle protests with aloha and good pre-planning," said Mayor Jeremy Harris who is working with Hawai'i senior Sen. Daniel Inouye to request reimbursement from the federal government to cover the costs of the enhanced security.

Police Chief Lee Donohue said between 100 and 200 HPD officers were involved in the operation at the convention center and that the total security cost for the ADB will be between $2.5 and $4 million. "It's not over yet, but I think we've shown by our performance that our police department can handle this type event," he said.

Two hours after the march, about 300 demonstrators and onlookers remained at Kapiolani Park, resting on park benches while a group called Butterfly Knife blasted metallic music. By 5 p.m., fewer than 100 marchers remained and by 6:30 p.m., the rally ended.

One protester, Jeff Gere, told Donohue he appreciated the respectfulness of police, some of whom joked that they were the "ambassadors of aloha."

Advertiser staff writers Johnny Brannon, Rod Ohira, Mike Gordon, Walter Wright, Curtis Lum, Glenn Scott and Robbie Dingeman contributed to this report.