The head of a Hawaiian sovereignty group was escorted off 'Iolani Palace grounds today by state enforcement officers after apparently violating the terms of her permit to occupy the palace grounds.

There were no arrests in the commotion.

Mahealani Kahau, who heads the group Hawaiian Kingdom Government, said she was told to leave the palace grounds or face arrest about 2 p.m. after earlier in the day going into the Friends of 'Iolani Palace building to ask for a letter addressed to her.

Enforcement officers told her that going into the building was a violation of the group's permit to be on the grounds. No other members of the group were asked to leave, and she said the group will be back tomorrow. She said she has been told not to return to the grounds until next week, when a new permit is issued.

Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of the Friends of 'Iolani Palace, said the events apparently were triggered when Kahau and some of her staff visited the Kana'ina Building where he and his staff are headquartered.

Chu said Kahau was apparently looking for a letter addressed to the Hawaiian Kingdom Government which she believed had been delivered to Kana'ina.

"According to their permit, they're not supposed to enter Kana'ina Building," Chu said. "And so that triggered the trespass warning, and so that's when DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) acted," he said.

Chu said he was only told about the incident, and that he later saw Kahau with about three or four of her security people at Likelike Mall, the lane between the Hawai'i State Library and the palace grounds, with state DLNR law enforcement officers speaking to her from within the palace gates.

The land where the building and palace are located is overseen by the DLNR, which has posted officers at the palace grounds since the Hawaiian group blocked the entrances to the grounds earlier this month.

DLNR executive director Laura Thielen declined comment on today's commotion.

"We're assessing the situation," was all she would say.

The group this week entered its third week of occupying the palace grounds.