His Majesty King Tupou VI has spoken about his concern about the recent increasing rate of deaths caused by the abuse of alcohol and prohibited drugs.
He said it was unfortunate that after Tonga survived tropical cyclone Gita without many fatalities, people had been killed on road accidents and alleged murder cases.
As Kaniva News reported, there had been 13 deaths in Tongatapu and Vava’u since February 4.
Of the 13 fatalities, six were suspected murder cases while seven had been deaths in road accidents.
One woman reportedly died in cyclone Gita.
Several other road accidents were reported on social media within this period.
The king said these incidents had affected all sectors of the Tongan community.
His Majesty’s statement was delivered live on air from Tongan Parliament in Tofoa by Lord Vaea.
He said if the community worked together to fight against these problems it would bring hope to the nation while it recovered from Cyclone Gita.
He said Tonga should appreciate the assistance from overseas countries and donors to help its people after the cyclone.
The main points
- His Majesty King Tupou VI has spoken about his concern about the recent increasing rate of deaths caused by the abuse of alcohol and prohibited drugs.
- He said it was unfortunate that after Tonga survived tropical cyclone Gita without many fatalities, people had been killed on road accidents and alleged murder cases.
- As Kaniva News reported, there had been 11 deaths in Tongatapu and Vava’u since February 4.
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