Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Malaysian sentenced for smuggling aliens
A federal judge has sentenced a 61-year-old Malaysian man for attempting to smuggle two women into the United States.Kian Hua Tan, 61, also known as Tee Kui Thung and Kui Thung Tee, was sentenced Monday to three years in prison and a $1,500 fine for the offense of alien smuggling.
Federal prosecutors said Tan attempted to smuggle two women from Fuzhou, China through Honolulu Airport on a flight originating in Auckland, New Zealand.
Tan presented altered and counterfeit Singapore passports for himself and the two women to immigration officials who met the plane at the gate, prosecutors said.
All three initially said they were a family from Singapore traveling to Hawaii for a vacation. However the two women later admitted they were being smuggled into the United States by Tan and that their final destination was New York.
Commission to look at new power-supply ideas
The state Public Utilities Commission will study the potential impact of two new ways to supply electric power in Hawaii.The commission opened two formal proceedings yesterday on "distributed generation" and "competitive bidding for new generating capacity."
Distributed generation uses small-scale generators of electricity, such as fuel cells or micro turbines, located at or near the end-user. The commission will examine the distributed generation concept and develop policies and a regulatory framework for it, said a release from its chief legal counsel Kris Nakagawa
All regulated electric utilities in the state and the state Division of Consumer Advocacy will participate.
Any other interested citizens may request permission to participate by filing their intentions with the commission within 20 days. The commission office, at 465 S. King St., can be reached at 586-2020 or by e-mail at hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Big Isle man arrested in alleged mugging
Big Island police charged a 19-year-old Kamuela man for allegedly striking a woman and grabbing her purse earlier this week.Police said the suspect, Shadrach Keoni Unea, struck a 52-year-old woman as she was walking to her vehicle, which was parked along Kawaihae Road in Kamuela early Monday evening. The victim was later treated for a fracture and small laceration to her nose.
Police captured Unea a short time later, thanks to witnesses, and arrested him for suspicion of robbery and assault. He was also arrested and charged for an unrelated bench warrant for breaking into a motor vehicle on Aug. 27. Unea remains in police custody at the Kona cellblock in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
