The indictment of five Maui residents involved in an alleged Hawaiian sovereignty-related mortgage relief scam has drawn very little comment. I went searching through Google news, and through Google’s blog search, and there’s a surprising silence about the case. The group’s own web sites don’t mention the indictments, and there hasn’t been any new reporting on the allegations and implications for the ideological underpinnings of the sovereignty movement.

Then I ran across a story from Tonga that was picked up by the East West Center’s Pacific Islands Report, edited by my former Star-Bulletin cubicle mate Peter Wagner.

Around 400 people allegedly paid $85 each to obtain visas to the United States issued by the “Kingdom of Hawaii” or “Hawaiian Kingdom.” The Tongan government issued a warning that the visas are not valid and can’t be used to enter the U.S.

Assistant Police Commander ‘Unga Fa’aoa says the police have gotten passports with the stamps of these visas from the “Kingdom of Hawaii.”

“We’ve received complaints from people who are angry about this Visa Scam. They found out later that it’s a scam but they’ve already paid money to obtained the ‘Hawaiian Visa’,” said ACP ‘Unga Fa’aoa.

The US Embassy in Suva, Fiji has confirmed that visas issued under the ‘Kingdom of Hawaii’ are not valid.

“The U.S. Embassy confirms the information contained in the Government of Tonga’s press release regarding the “Kingdom of Hawaii” visa scam. Tongans are urged to be cautious and to avoid falling prey to schemes such as this.”

Initially, it wasn’t clear which of the several claimants to the “kingdom” was behind these visas.

Pacific Islands Report then published a press release from (straight face, please) the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hawaiian Kingdom (“Hawaiian Kingdom responds to visa fraud report“).

The press release is attributed to Leon Siu, who signs it as minister of foreign affairs. It’s bold fantasy world enough to make my head spin.

This confusion over visas arises because the United States government, after admitting in essence that it wrongfully occupies Hawaii, still refuses to vacate Hawaii and continues to violate international law by maintaining its superimposed rulership over Hawaii. Thus, in the Hawaiian Islands there exist two concurrent jurisdictions: one lawful (the Hawaiian Kingdom); and one not lawful (the United States of America).

The US Embassy in Suva claims the Hawaiian Kingdom visa is not valid for entry into the US. The embassy is correct! But we never said our visas were US visas. We are saying our visa is valid for entry into the Hawaiian Kingdom. Apparently it is the US embassy that doesn’t understand the difference.

We contend that in reality, it is the United States that is engaged in trafficking and profiteering in visas by forcing Tongans and other South Pacific islanders to bear the high costs to travel to the US embassy in Suva, Fiji to apply for US visas (which may or may not be forthcoming). We also point out that it is the United States government who is insisting on using our country as an entry point into the US, without our permission; and it is the United States government who is brazenly acting as the bully toll-gate-keeper refusing entry to those wishing to enter the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Siu’s Hawaiian Kingdom is actually a theocracy that “operates under Biblical authority (‘the laws of Jehovah God’),” according to the group’s self-description.

In another similar statement, posted at MaoliWorld, Siu wrote: “The issue in the Kingdom of Tonga is not over Hawaiian Kingdom passports, rather it is over Hawaiian Kingdom visas.”

I’m glad we cleared that up.

Then to add spice to the story, check out this next strange chapter in the saga.

Seriously, there’s a lot of appalling pseudo-history and mega-delusions of grandeur on the wingnut fringe of the sovereignty movement, isn’t there?

So it goes on Kamehameha Day 2011.