Boy charged in 'horrific' attack

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 19-year-old visitor from Japan was recovering yesterday from burns to her arms and hands after her shirt was intentionally set on fire as she waited for a bus in Kailua on Sunday.

The woman suffered second-degree burns as she tried to put out the fire, police said. Police said the woman was waiting for a city bus about 4:35 p.m. near Macy's on Kailua Road when someone came up behind her and set her shirt on fire with a lighter.

A 12-year-old Kane'ohe boy was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, but he was charged yesterday with first-degree criminal property damage, police said. Hawai'i law prohibits anyone under the age of 14 from being tried as an adult and the boy's case will be handled by the Family Court, police said.

Meanwhile, the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i has offered to help the woman deal with the incident. Jessica Lani Rich, VASH president and executive director, said the woman "is in some pain," but was released from the hospital and was resting last night in a Waikiki hotel.

Rich said the woman was with other Japanese visitors in Kailua when the attack occurred. Rich characterized the incident as unprovoked and a "horrific act."

"This is a very brutal and a very mean-spirited act against a visitor, against anyone," Rich said.

She said her agency will meet with the woman today to determine what services she may need.

"Does she need housing? Does she need clothing? From what I understand is, her blouse was burned so she's short on clothing. Anything that she needs we will be right there for her," Rich said.

In addition to the pain and suffering to the woman, Rich said she was concerned about the negative publicity this incident will have in Japan.

"What I'm mostly concerned about is the message that this sends out to our visitors and our tourists that Hawai'i is not the safe place that they think that it is," Rich said. "Whenever we step in what we do is we turn a negative experience into an experience of aloha to let them know that there are a lot of people out there who really care about what happened to this visitor."

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8025.