Kava and food on planes from Tonga to Fiji require permit

Travellers carrying more than 2kg kava and other food items with them from Tonga to Fiji are now required to show permits.

Tonga’s Quarantine Division reportedly said that only yams are allowed into Fiji without a permit.

Travellers to Fiji can carry only 2kg of kava into the country.

For amounts of more than 2kg, importers must obtain a licence and a permit for each consignment of kava.

A Radio Tonga report this week quoted Senior Quarantine officer Peioneti Lui as saying: “There have been numerous complaints from Fiji about passengers not adhering to their import policies. We urge everyone to comply with these regulations to maintain good cooperation between our two countries.”

New arrival date for Cable ship

Alcatel’s cable ship CS Lodbrogis set to arrive in Tonga on Tuesday, 6 August.

 It was delayed in Fiji for over a week due to an issue with its right-hand propeller.

The Tonga Domestic Cable Extension (TDCE), which connects the main island of Tongatapu with the northern islands of Vava’u and Ha’apai, has been down since June 29.

Stan Ahio, acting communications director for the government of Tonga, said the drive shaft was damaged after a fishing net became wrapped around one of the ship’s propellers.

The new arrival date for the ship means a new repair timeline is set for mid-August.

Tongan authorities said the fix will depend “on how easily they can find the damaged cable, and also, they have yet to determine how big the damages are.”

Parliament pauses to mourn former MP Lord Matoto ‘O Tu‘anekivale

Members of the Legislative Assembly today observed a minute of silence in honour of the late Lord Matoto of Tu’anekivale, former parliamentarian and Minister of Finance, who passed away last month.

The Speaker of Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, also conveyed a condolence message and love to the family from the Legislative Assembly during this difficult time.

The late Lord Matoto was a civil servant, politician, and Cabinet Minister. He was the Minister of Finance during Lord Sevele’s government and administration from 2008 to 2011.

He was one of the first Tongans to be named a Life Peer in Tonga’s hereditary nobility by King George Tupou V.