Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have obtained another part of Hawaiian land.
This is Zuckerberg’s second major purchase of land in Hawaii, after the first one provoked enormous controversy.
The new buying is for 600 acres of real estate with a value of around $53 million.
The land is described as composed of several properties and a ‘reef, sea, avian, flora and historical collections in their unaltered native habitat’.
Bought from the Waioli Corporation, the firm said of the buying:
“We know that this land will remain in their trusted hands and that Mark and Priscilla will act as responsible stewards of Lepeuli today and in the future.”
Earlier, a huge controversy has been raised over Zuckerberg’s first purchase of 700 acres of land, which in most part belonged to indigenous people who did not have formal title deeds and consequently did not legally own that land.
As an answer to the protests from the natives, Facebook’s CEO launched a series of legal challenges to overtake the homes from the families by making them sell their land at public auction.
Kapua Sproat, a Law Professor at the University of Hawaii who is originally from Kauai, said about the happening then:
“This is the face of neocolonialism. Even though a forced sale may not physically displace people, it’s the last nail in the coffin of separating us from the land. For us, as Native Hawaiians, the land is an ancestor. It’s a grandparent. You just don’t sell your grandmother.”
After enormous public complaints, Zuckerberg dropped the lawsuits and apologized for his deeds.
He has stated that he does not plan to evict anyone from the old land he owns or the new land. This is the statement he released:
“Waioli does essential work promoting conservation and cultural preservation and we are mindful of their legacy with regard to this land. We are committed to honoring the current ranching lease to Paradise Ranch and extending the existing agricultural dedication.”
Mark is a passionate surfer and has often visited the islands to surf in the world-famous waves off the coast of Hawaii.
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