Police have seized more than 17kg of methamphetamine (US$7million or TOP$16 million in street value) altogether at Vainī and Fasimoeafi in two separate raids last week and this week.
Nuku’alofa Central Police Station. Photo/Kalino Lātū
In a statement released today, the Police said its Drugs Squad conducted an operation at Vaini, where they seized over 12kg of methamphetamine on April 5.
A 30-year-old male individual from Vaini has been arrested and charged with the possession of the methamphetamine seized.
It also said that on Monday 8 April 2024, the Police received a report of a suspicious package hidden at a residence.
“As a result of the information received, members of the Tonga Police Drugs Squad conducted an operation at Fasi-moe-afi, where they secured and seized over 5kg of methamphetamine”.
A 43-year-old male from Kolonga and a 47-year-old male from Fasi-moe-afi have been arrested and charged with the possession of the methamphetamine seized.
“Tonga Police would like to encourage and thank members of the public for the ongoing support in combatting illicit drugs”.
The news comes after Tonga Police arrested a sister and a brother with more than 15kg of methamphetamine (over US$6 million in street value) in February in Nuku’alofa.
Tongan social media has lit up with outrage after Prime Minister Hu‘akavameiliku said he saw no problem with China offering to police the Pacific Leaders Forum in Nuku‘alofa in August.
A team from the People’s Republic of China’s Police & Security visited Tonga and paid a courtesy call to the Hon. Prime Minister, Hu’akavameiliku on April 3, 2024.. Photo/PM Office, Tonga
His announcement comes a week after Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka announced that Chinese police who had been based at police headquarters in Suva had been sent home.
In an attempt to justify why he was allowing a Chinese police presence when Tonga had several policing pacts with Australia and New Zealand, Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku said: “It is nothing new.”
“We have always worked with China and other countries as well.”
He fell short of confirming whether Tonga and China had previously worked closely in policing deals.
As we reported last week, Australia, New Zealand and Tonga have a Tri-party Partnership on Policing, a trilateral arrangement focusing on developing leadership and building an efficient and effective Policing service that has the trust and confidence of the community.
Tonga and New Zealand’s current Policing Programme (TNZPP) 2022 – 2025 was aimed at increasing skills, knowledge and capability to deliver policing services.
PM Hu’akavameiliku’s reaction had been described as “downplaying” Australia’s call for Pacific islanders not to allow China an opportunity to police in the region.
It comes after the Australian Pacific Minister, Pat Conroy, said: “We are aware that they [China] are seeking a greater security role in the Pacific and we have been consistent in our view that there is no role for China in policing, or broader security, in the Pacific”.
He said Pacific Island leaders had agreed at a meeting of the Pacific Island Forum regional bloc in 2022 to fill any security gaps from within the “Pacific family”.
Director-General of Security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, told Al Jazeera early last year: “They [China] are using espionage to covertly understand Australia’s politics and decision-making, our alliances and partnerships and our economic and policy priorities”.
Kaniva News reported last week that Hon. Hu’akavameiliku’s reactions did not sit well with many of the Tongan social media users.
One user on Facebook said in Tongan: “What s * * t is the Prime Minister thinking about …”
“This is friendship with a person who is liable at any moment to turn around and injure one at any time,” another user compared China policing in the kingdom to the Tongan proverb, “Popoto mo manufekai”.
A commenter also wrote: “We express our thoughts here for the Prime Minister to see while he is doing what he wants. But let’s not complaint when we face the consequences”.
A handful of posters on Facebook backed PM Hu‘akavameiliku declaring his comments “quite right” and “well said”.
However, the majority of commenters were opposed to his position, with one declaring it could affect Tonga’s long time relationship with Australia and New Zealand.
“It is the Communism that is now slowly coming to Tonga and its anti-Christianity,” they said. Another encouraged fellow commenters to “consider the fact that Tonga owed China a lot of money through government loans”.
Tongan and China’s Diplomatic Relations had been always described as “warm and vibrant”.
China and Tonga established diplomatic relations in 1998. The King and Queen of Tonga have paid state visits to China.
Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in 2022 that Chinse assistance to the kingdom during the Covid-19 epidemic and in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption had won “ wide praise and heartfelt gratitude from the Tongan people.”
Kaniva News has contacted the Chinese Embassy in Tonga for comment.
Chinese police in Fiji
The Prime Minister’s announcement about Chinese police at the Pacific Leaders’ Forum comes a week after Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said his government had removed Chinese officers who were embedded in the Fijian police force.
It will maintain a controversial contentious policing agreement with Beijing.
“I did not know how that came about and I was uncomfortable … because we have different legal systems and policing and investigating methods,” Prime Minister Rabuka said.
“Those officers working in our headquarters were repatriated. We have looked at that and there’s no need for us to have (Chinese) officers embedded.”
A court decision is expected this week on whether the power of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) should remain with the King’s Secretary, or be returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Viliami Malolo (L), PM Hu’akavameiliku.
It is understood the King’s Secretary, Viliami Malolo, sued the government after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Public Service Commission (PSC) re-established the chief executive position following a recommendation by the former chief judge.
It has been claimed that the restoration of the post automatically invalidated Malolo’s roles in the MAF, Kaniva News has learned.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) believed the Secretary taking over the role of CEO constituted a lack of legal capacity.
The Prime Minister confirmed the court case last week, but did not give further details.
The dispute appears to have stemmed from the fact that the PSC previously succumbed to a push from the king to give him the power to appoint the CEO of Foreign Affairs, a position subsequently held by Malolo.
The PSC then moved the power to appoint the CEO to Schedule 2 of the PSC regulations in which all Ministries listed there must be appointed by the Privy Council, including the Police Commissioner, Defence officials, the Auditor General, Ombudsman and Judges.
Kaniva News understands that MFA and PSC made the move to restore the CEO’s position after former Chief Justice Michael Whitten made remarks about it last year in a court case between MFA and its Deputy Secretary, Toakase Pālelei.
As Kaniva News reported at the time, the court overturned MFA’s dismissal of Pālelei for allegedly committing a serious breach of discipline.
In part of his report on that case, the Lord Chief Justice said the MFA sent an Executive Directive by e-mail to Palelei, who was then Deputy Secretary of the MFA, the Secretary of MFA and staff of the Ministry, for certain action to be implemented within the Immigration Division of the Ministry.
The PSC alleged that neither Palelei nor the Secretary responded to the Minister’s directive. The Minister later repeated the directive and required it to be implemented by 2.30pm that day. Again, neither the Plaintiff nor the Secretary responded. As a result, the Minister lodged a complaint with the PSC against the Plaintiff.
Although Pālelei won her case against PSC and MFA, the government took into consideration Mr Whitten’s remarks in which he said:
“Firstly, pursuant to s 13, the Commission was required to appoint a CEO. In breach of that requirement, it has not done so. Had it done so, it is reasonable to expect that that CEO would have conducted an inquiry in accordance with regulation 5 and produced the requisite report.
“Secondly, and alternatively, even if the Secretary could be regarded, for present purposes, as a de facto CEO, his decision not to be involved in disciplinary proceedings against the Plaintiff could easily have been addressed by the Minister appointing an Acting CEO pursuant to s 13C. For reasons which were never explained, the Minister has not done so”.
King and the Ministry’s saga
Kaniva News understands the King wanted to appoint the Ministry of Foreign Affairs CEO or make the Secretary for Foreign Affairs as CEO, believing that Clause 39 of the Constitution allowed him to do so under the provision for appointing his representatives in foreign countries.
The government insisted that the clause was only intended to allow the King to appoint his foreign representatives such as High Commissioners or Ambassadors. It claimed the clause did not give His Majesty any power to interfere with the office of the Minister, and that the power to appoint all the positions in the Ministry, including the CEO, lay in the PSC and Minister’s hands.
Clause 39 says: “It shall be lawful for the King to make treaties with Foreign States provided that such treaties shall be in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom. The King may appoint his representatives to other nations according to the custom of nations”.
As we reported recently relations between the Prime Minister and the throne have been tense since the king issued a memo last month saying he no longer supported Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku as the Minister for His Majesty’s Armed Forces and Hon. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Tourism.
The Prime Minister and ‘Utoikamanu finally resigned last month after the king’s Nobles responded by demanding that they resign immediately in order to assuage the king’s disappointment.
The news about the court case broke after the former Secretary for MFA Mahe Tupouniua was sacked after he allegedly disputed the king’s demand to fund the recently established embassy in Dubai.
As Kaniva News reported at the time, Tupouniua was reported to be at the centre of a clash after the king wanted to open the kingdom’s new embassy in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Kaniva News has tried to confirm this.
A passenger minibus had to be pulled from Tongatapu’s Ha’asini beach this afternoon.
Footage sent to Kaniva News showed a passenger minibus with Vaiola label in its top front destination sign partly stuck in the ocean.
The detail of the incident was still unknown.
It is unclear whether there were people in the bus when it got stuck.
No reports of injuries.
The Ministry of Infrastructure reported on Facebook that it received call for assistance and it sent staff there with one of its loader machines to tow the bus.
The incident was reported today Sunday 7 on Facebook.
It is illegal in the kingdom for buses to operate on Sunday unless operators got permission from the Police.
However, an onlooker had sent another photo this evening showing what appeared to be the minibus in question being recovered from the sea.
Prime Minister Hu‘akavameiliku says there are no grounds for concern after China offered to assist with hosting of the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting in Nuku’alofa in August.
A team from the People’s Republic of China’s Police & Security visited Tonga and paid a courtesy call to the Hon. Prime Minister, Hu’akavameiliku on April 3, 2024. Photo/PM Office, Tonga
His revelation last week comes after Australia’s Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said there should be “no role” for China in policing the Pacific Islands, and Australia will train more local security forces to fill gaps, after Reuters reported Chinese police are working in Kiribati.
Tonga’s Prime Minister’s office published a photo of the Prime Minister with a team from the People’s Republic of China’s Police and Security visiting Tonga last week.
“If it’s training and if the (Tonga) police deem it to be necessary, of course we will take up the offer,” PM Hu’akavameiliku told reporters.
Tonga’s Police Commissioner, Shane McLennan, told the ABC that the delegation of six officers came from Shandong Province and were “following up” the meeting China hosted with Pacific police ministers and chiefs in December last year.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) reported the Commissioner as saying that while the MPS delegation had a “broader” agenda on police cooperation, the main discussions were on how Chinese police could help Tonga host the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ meeting in August.
“At the moment it is totally focused on what assistance they can provide to assist us as Tonga police to deliver the PIF leaders meeting,” McLennan told the ABC.
PM Hu’akavameiliku said: “We’ve discussed the numbers of police motorcycles and supporting vehicles (to be handed over),” the ABC reported.
He also said that Australia and other nations had “no reason to be concerned”.
“If it’s training and if (Tonga) police deem it to be necessary, of course we will take up the offer,” he said.
He said China was also willing to donate police vehicles and motorbikes to Tonga – much like it has in Solomon Islands – to help ensure the event ran smoothly.
But senior opposition lawmaker Simon Birmingham said Australia, the wealthiest member of the Pacific Islands Forum, must offer all resources needed to prevent any Chinese security involvement at the summit.
“It is deeply concerning for any suggestion that security or other resources for the Pacific Islands Forum to be held in Tonga would need to be provided by any nation outside of the Pacific Islands Forum membership,” Birmingham told the ABC.
Australia, New Zealand and Tonga have a Tri-party Partnership on Policing, a trilateral arrangement focusing on developing leadership and building an efficient and effective Policing service that has the trust and confidence of the community.
Tonga and New Zealand’s current Policing Programme (TNZPP) 2022 – 2025 was aimed at increasing skills, knowledge and capability to deliver policing services.
The United States last month cautioned Pacific Islands nations against assistance from Chinese security forces, after Kiribati’s acting police commissioner Eeri Aritiera told Reuters that uniformed Chinese officers were working with its police in community policing and a crime database program.
“There are no Australian police in Kiribati, although Canberra has pledged to fund a new police radio network, police barracks and two maritime security advisors are supporting Kiribati police to maintain a donated patrol boat”, Reuter reported.
Pacific Island leaders had agreed in 2022 at a meeting of the Pacific Island Forum regional bloc to fill any security gaps from within the “Pacific family”, he said.
Chinese police have been deployed in the Solomon Islands since 2022.
Conroy said Australia would like to see police from Papua New Guinea, Fiji and other Pacific nations play a greater role in assisting island neighbours with security, as they had done for December’s Pacific Games in Solomon Islands.
China’s ambassador to Australia said last month that China had a strategy to form policing ties with Pacific Island countries to help maintain social order and this should not cause Australia anxiety.
The Lulutai Y12 aircraft breaks down shortly after landing this afternoon at Fua‘amotu Domestic Terminal, a reliable source allegedly told Kaniva News.
The Y12 breaks down shortly after landing. Photo/Supplied.
The Twin Otter, which arrived shortly after the incident, was ordered to stop and temporary parked on the runway while the Y12 had to be removed.
An aircraft tug was brought in to assist the aircraft before it was able to move.
It is understood, the Fiji Airways 737 aircraft taxing for take off from the international airport during the incident had to be delayed until the domestic runway was cleared, the source claimed.
It was unclear whether there were passengers in the Y12 when the incident happened.
Lulutai airlines could not be reached for comment.
The news comes after the Y12 plane collided with a tow – tractor after the tow-bar snapped during towing at Fua’amotu hangar in July last year.
That incident came shortly after the same plane experienced a runway excursion.at Kaufana airport on ‘Eua in which it veered off the runway during an attempted take-off.
Saab investigation
Meanwhile, the Tonga Civil Aviation Division has sought assistance from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for the investigation into the Lulutai SAAB 340B crash at the Fua’amotu International Airport in December.
As Kaniva News reported at the time that plane slid off the runway and hit a cement block causing significant structural damage to the aircraft.
The Tonga Civil Aviation said: “As the investigation continues, the Chief Investigator together with the ATSB will continue an assessment of the recovered components, review collected documentation together with all other relevant material to the investigation.
It said a final report will be released in due course at the conclusion of the investigation.
Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku has confirmed his resignation as Minister of His Majesty’s Armed Forces.
King Tupou VI accepts a request for an audience from Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku and members of the Cabinet on the remote island of Niuafo’ou on March 7. This followed weeks of political turmoil in the kingdom after the King withdrew his confidence and consent to the appointment of two cabinet ministers. Image: Dr Viliami Latu
He also confirmed the resignation of Fekita ‘Utoikamanu as Minister of Tourism and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ‘Utoikamanu is now the new Minister of Tonga Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC)
They resigned on March 28, the Prime Minister told the Parliament this morning.
The two Ministries in question were vacant and the Prime Minister did not provide any detail about it.
The new Minister of Tourism was Dr Viliami Latu Uasike who was also the Minister of Economic Development and Trades.
The Prime Minister’s Office has announced a press conference for this afternoon, probably for the Prime Minister to elaborate further on the news.
The news comes after relations between the Prime Minister and the throne had been tense since the king issued a memo saying he no longer supported Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku as the Minister for His Majesty’s Armed Forces and Hon. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Tourism.
The Prime Minister ignored the king’s memo.
As we reported earlier, the Nobles responded by demanding that the Prime Minister and Hon. Utoikamanu resign immediately in order to assuage King Tupou VI’s disappointment.
The Nobles circulated a letter which described the Prime Minister’s refusal to accept the King’s show of power as very concerning and intimidating the peace of the country.
Since 2010, when Tonga adopted its frail constitution, the kingdom has been a democracy, but one that has been constantly under threat as forces in the palace seeks to reassert their dominance over the country.
His Majesty King George V agreed to relinquish his executive to a government elected by the people.
Clause 51 (7) of the Constitution bars the king from making any interference in the daily operations of Cabinet, including nominating the Ministers for the king to appoint.
Two people have been arrested after a kidnapping in Auckland’s North Shore on Tuesday night.
Earlier, police had been on the hunt for three people they believed to be involved in forcing a woman into a car from a house in the suburb of Beach Haven just before 7.30pm on Tuesday. She was later found injured in Greenhithe.
Detective Inspector Callum McNeill said two people were taken into custody after being found in central Auckland on Wednesday afternoon.
“Our investigation has been progressing throughout the day, and we have been speaking with the pair late this afternoon.”
Footage provided by Auckland businessman Leo Molloy showed two people were arrested in one of his bars – the Headquarters bar on Customs Street in central Auckland.
He said he was at home when staff rang him and told him about the arrests.
“Two people came in, took a seat in a quiet corner, a female walked over to the lobby shop to get Lotto tickets, before she got back the police swarmed the place.
Molloy said he visited the bar after the arrests to check on the other patrons and staff, but they were undisturbed.
A 32-year-old man from Dairy Flat is facing multiple charges, including kidnapping, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, commission of a crime using a firearm and burglary with a firearm.
A 28-year-old woman from Bayview has been arrested in relation with outstanding warrants, and also faces a charge of failing to carry out obligations relating to a computer search.
McNeill said further arrests could not be ruled out.
“The investigation will continue, and while matters are before the court, what I can say is that we do not believe this was a random incident.”
The pair will be appearing in the North Shore District Court on Thursday.
Police said the victim was recovering from her injuries in hospital.
“She will have a long road to recovery, and we will be looking to speak further with her around what has occurred.”
Police thanked those who have helped in their investigation, and they said staff would continue to be present in the Beach Haven area and provide reassurances to community.
Residents describe ‘scary’ situation
One neighbour, who RNZ have agreed not to name, was home when the situation unfolded in Beach Haven on Tuesday.
“There was a woman and a couple of small kids, primary school aged kinda kids, and very shortly afterwards a couple of teenagers ran out into the street, obviously all in a state of distress and confusion,” she said.
“They said people with guns were in the house, so I said ‘Right, you need to get off the street, come inside,’ took them all inside to my house, and we called 111.”
The neighbour didn’t see the kidnapping, which left a woman requiring hospital treatment after she was found in the nearby suburb of Greenhithe.
The residents who had fled stayed at the neighbour’s home until the coast seemed to be clear … but she insisted the children remain with her until they were sure it was safe.
“While mum and the teenagers where off dealing with what they needed to do and talking to the police and everything, the kids stayed with me,” the neighbour said.
She said the children’s father was able to make it through the police cordon, and stayed with them.
“We just waited until the police said ‘Yes, you can head on home now’.”
Martin has lived in Beach Haven for 40 years. He said he first heard a helicopter flying above the street last night.
“I got a phone call from my son who was trying to get home, he was telling me there had been a bit of a confrontation at the corner there and they’d blocked off the roads and he wasn’t able to get back,” he said.
“So he was sitting at the roadblock […] and waiting to come home.”
Another resident, Alexandra, said it used to be a quiet neighbourhood.
“I’ve been back in Beach Haven for just over a year now, and it’s got really bad, crime-wise it’s got really bad,” she said.
“It’s getting quite scary actually.”
She described the police response at the scene.
“There was about nine police cars, and they blocked off part of Sunnyhaven [Avenue] there, and there was armed police,” said Alexandra.
“That was quite scary, you know, when you’ve got police walking around with these great big guns.”
Alexandra said crime in the area was affecting her day-to-day.
“I’m getting to a stage where I’m not wanting to go anywhere, and that’s not good,” she said.
“Especially at night, I won’t even go to the shop at night.”
The neighbour who looked after the woman and children who fled the house praised the police officers involved.
“The police have been absolutely amazing,” she said.
“Really, big thanks to the police, they’ve done a great job.”
The neighbour said she was still trying to process what happened.
“This is the sort of thing you see on TV, it’s not something you think is going to happen in your street, or next door to you, or to people who’ve been your neighbours for a long time,” she said.
People are reportedly trapped under buildings in Taiwan after a 7.2 earthquake that has also prompted tsunami warnings in the region.
Media in Taiwan are reporting people have been trapped under collapsed buildings in the city of Hualien following the quake on Wednesday,
TV stations are screening footage of buildings that have collapsed and power is out to some parts of capital Taipei, witnesses say.
There is no tsunami threat to New Zealand, GNS Science and NEMA have confirmed.
Japan has also issued an evacuation advisory for the coastal areas near the southern prefecture of Okinawa after the tsunami warning.
Waves up to 3 metres were expected to reach Japan’s southwestern coast around, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Its epicentre was in the waters off the eastern coastline of Taiwan, according to the country’s Central Weather Administration.
A tsunami measuring 0.3 metres has already reached Yonaguni island, in southwestern Japan, NHK has reported.
Japan was rocked by its deadliest quake in eight years on New Year’s Day when a 7.6 magnitude temblor struck in Ishikawa prefecture, on the western coast. More than 230 people died in the quake that left 44,000 homes fully or partially destroyed.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about one-fifth of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
On March 11, 2011, the northeast coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest quake in Japan on record, and a massive tsunami. Those events triggered the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.
