Authorities are investigating the suspected suicide of a prisoner in Tonga.
The Prime Minister said this afternoon during a press conference that the inmate died yesterday.
PM Eke did not provide details about the incident, and it remains unclear whether the inmate died in the hospital or in prison.
He said the inmate was admitted to Vaiola hospital on Tuesday.
He also said that the death led the Cabinet to make a decision today to establish a unit for addressing psychiatric issues.
PM Eke said funding for the new service will be included in the upcoming budget in July.
As Kaniva News reported, a prisoner died in the prison in December. In that case, the cause of death had been surrounded by conflicting allegations.
Media sources alleged at the time that the 39-year-old died of a heart attack.
Others, however, claimed that the deceased was a victim of foul play.
We contacted the Prisons’ chief executive, Sēmisi Tapueluelu, for comment.
Mr Tapueluelu did not deny our news or the identification we reported about the deceased prisoner.
However, he directed us to contact the police officer in charge of the nearest police station.
