Question: A minister has been leading mourners down to the edge of the ocean where he sprinkles ashes of the deceased. Mourners have also been throwing lei, still strung, into the sea. Is there not a law that a person’s remains have to be deposited at a certain distance from shore? About the lei: I know it is encouraged that the blossoms be removed from the string before entering the water, but probably not a law?
Answer: There are no laws prohibiting the scattering of ashes within three nautical miles of shore, but people are asked to do so discreetly and away from people who may be swimming, surfing or fishing. (See Kokua Line, Jan. 29, 2009 — bit.ly/1toN6Yh.)
There also are no laws restricting the tossing of lei into the water, but people are asked to remove the string before doing so to prevent any harm to marine life.
The question about sprinkling ashes into the ocean is one of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ frequently asked questions, said spokeswoman Deborah Ward.
DLNR looks to the state Department of Health’s Sanitation and Clean Water branches for guidance on this. Neither agency regulates this practice, therefore no permit is required, Ward said.
"They consider ashes to be inert products that do not pose a health hazard issue," she said.
However, as we explained before, permission should be obtained from the owner on private property, and, Ward said, "consideration of other people should be exercised while scattering the ashes, whether on land or at sea."
Regarding the tossing of lei, "out of consideration for marine life that could ingest the lei and strings, we suggest that loose flowers be used instead of strung lei," she said.
Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo echoed that advice, saying, "It is good to remind people to respect the ocean and marine life."
Question: I live on Pono Street in Aiea. Several weeks ago there was a large fire at about 3 a.m. One house was destroyed, and two neighboring houses received smoke and water damage. We did not see a report on the cause of the fire. Because of the inconvenience and trauma to the neighborhood — this was the second fire in the neighborhood — we were wondering what the cause was. Was it intentional and we need to be more aware as a neighborhood?
Answer: Arson is not believed to be the cause of the May 16 fire on Pono Street, which destroyed a home and injured an 82-year-old man.
The fire was officially classified as "undetermined," said Capt. David Jenkins, spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department.
However, the fire investigator noted the fire started near a number of electrical appliances, he said.
"There was no indication that the fire was intentionally set," Jenkins said — for example, that there were multiple ignition points or an unusual amount of accelerants, such as gasoline.
The previous fire on Pono Street, meanwhile, was officially classified as an accidental cooking fire with no connections to the May 16 fire, he said.
Auwe
To people who don’t obey no-parking signs. On Tuesday, May 27, with a graduation at the Blaisdell, it took me 45 minutes to go from Kapiolani Boulevard to King Street on Ward Avenue. King Street’s tow-away zone is until 6:30 p.m., but Ward’s is only until 5:30 p.m. But even before 5:30 there were about a dozen cars parked on Ward without any citation. That created chaos. Every traffic change, there were cars blocking the intersection. And the traffic into the Blaisdell’s parking lot didn’t help any, it was so slow. To make my day more miserable was when I, being a nice guy, let this girl change lanes in front of me. But you know what? She stopped because she wanted to park her car on Ward as well. I’ve never seen anything like it. So all the cars in back of me had to switch lanes again after passing the other 12 jerks parked along the way. Bachi to all of them, including the girl. — Anonymous
——
Write to "Kokua Line" at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
