MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU –Governor Neil Abercrombie today ordered that the Hawai’i flag, at all State offices and agencies as well as the Hawai’i National Guard, are to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, in memory of the late King George Tupou V of Tonga.

The South Pacific nation will be holding funeral and burial ceremonies from March 26 to March 27, and has declared those days a national public holiday.

Governor Abercrombie expressed his condolences to the people of Tonga. He also recognized the king’s accomplishments stating, “King George Tupou V upon taking the throne in 2006 championed a more open system of government, advocating for technological improvements, introducing a more open economy, and pioneering a process of peaceful democratization.”

The proclamation ordering the lowering of the State of Hawai’i flag in honor of King Tupou is attached.