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Governor’s letter demanding connection of water to convicted palagi raises residents’ ire

By
Kalino Latu
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A letter demanding the Pangaimotu town water supply be connected to the home of convicted Australian businessman Ian Jones has upset Vava’u 14 residents.

Jones was convicted on June 20 of illegally dumping human waste  in the mangroves near Pangaimotu.

He was fined TP$1000 and swimming and fishing in the sea near the mangroves has been banned.

Vava’u governor Lord Fakatulolo sent a strongly worded letter, which has been seen by Kaniva News, demanding the Pangaimotu town officer connect water to Jones’ residence.

Lord Fakatulolo said a herd of cows in Pangaimotu had damaged Jone’s water tanks.

He said Jones should have shot the cows.

A senior government officer in Vava’u raised local people’s concerns about the tone of the letter in e-mails sent to government ministers including the Acting Attorney General and some government lawyers.

The officer said some residents felt the tone of the letter refueled their disappointment after Jones dumped human waste.

It is understood the letter was sent on June 1 after the Pangaimotu authority refused to connect water from the island’s main water supply for Mr Jones.

The letter showed Lord Fakatulolo understood the dumping had infuriated the Pangaimotu residents, including people living in Toula, ‘Utungake, ‘Utulei, Talihau and Neiafu, for whom the sea around the mangroves was their only source of livelihood.

The letter greeted the town officer Tinitale Piukala, by saying this letter was to allow Jones to connect his water (“ngofua ke taki e vai ‘a Mr Ian Jones”).

The governor also warned (“fakatokanga”) Piukala that it could paint a bad picture between Tonga and their overseas donors if they knew Jones has been refused water from the island’s water supply.

Lord Fakatulolo also warned the town officer that the matter had been in court and that they should leave it to the court to handle.

He informed Piukala that he had told Jones to buy the necessary equipment so that his water could be connected.

He also told Piukala to charge Jones for any costs incurred for the connection.

“I am asking you and the Pangaimotu Water Committee to connect the palagi man’s water as soon as possible,” Lord Fakatulolo wrote in Tongan.

“I am concerned about our relationship with foreign donors not be affected,” he said.

He said it could be bad for them if overseas donors became aware they were not giving the palagi man water.

For more information

Vava’u residents react with fury at fishing ban as accused free to leave Tonga

Vava’u residents react with fury at fishing ban as accused free to leave Tonga

Mafi in custody following alleged assault of a Tongan teammate

By
Kaniva Staff
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The Melbourne Rebels’ player Amanaki Mafi is in New Zealand Police custody and will face charges following an alleged assault on teammate Lopeti Timani.

The alleged assault occurred on a night out after the Rebels suffered a heartbreaking 43-37 loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.

That defeat — coupled with the Sharks’ 20-10 win over the Jaguares in Durban on Sunday (AEST) — meant the Rebels missed out on qualifying for the finals for the first time.

A NZ Police spokeswoman told foxsports.com.au on Sunday that a “man has been charged with injuring with intent to injure following an alleged assault in South Dunedin last night.

“The man is due to appear in the Dunedin District Court on the 16th July 2018.

“The alleged victim… received moderate injuries following the incident.

“He did not require hospitalisation.

“The pair were known to each other.

“As the matter is now before the court Police are not in a position to comment further.”

The Rebels and Rugby Australia later issued a joint statement on Sunday night.

“Rugby Australia and the Melbourne Rebels are aware of an incident involving Rebels players Amanaki Mafi and Lopeti Timani in Dunedin overnight,” the statement read.

“Both players remain in New Zealand with Mafi currently in Police custody following an altercation between the two players.

“Rugby Australia undertsands that no other players were involved in the incident.

“As it is a Police matter, Rugby Australia, the Melbourne Rebels and the Rugby Union Players Association are unable to make further comment at this time.”

Added a gutted Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson: “I am bitterly disappointed that an incident has occurred at the end of a season where we have taken pride in our on and off field behaviour.

“We will respect the process and won’t be making further comments until all investigations have taken place.”

Mafi and Timani are both off contract with the Rebels at the end of this season and Mafi — a Japan international — was expected to move to the Sunwolves for 2019.

Mafi is an outstanding No 8 who was named Australia’s Super Rugby player of the season in 2017.

He was immense for tournament surprise packet Japan in the 2015 Rugby World Cup and was a major part of coach Jamie Joseph’s plans for the next World Cup on home soil next year.

But it is not the first off field drama for Mafi, who parted ways with English Premiership club Bath suddenly in 2016.

The Bath Chronicle reported that Mafi had an altercation with the club’s head of sports medicine.

The Rebels, who finished ninth of 15 teams in 2018, have lined up Brumbies powerhouse Isi Naisarani as a direct replacement for Mafi next season.

Loose forward/lock Timani, meanwhile, has played 12 Tests for the Wallabies but has not featured for the national team this season and has not been a regular in the Rebels’ starting lineup.

He is set to take up a new contract in France with La Rochelle.

–Foxsports

Tongan passport becomes more powerful in the 2018 Henley Passport Index

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan passport has moved up six places in a global ranking reaching the strongest position it ever has since the Henley Passport Index 13 years history.

The ranking has been released after the Index compared each nation for its ease of travelling around the world.

The Tongan passport is tied with the Marshal Islands’ passport in 41st spot on the list.

The Tongan passport can gain visa-free access to 124 countries.

You can view the list here

However, there were four Pacific island countries with stronger passports than Tonga.

Topping the Pacific islands spots on the 2018 list was Solomon Islands whose residents have access to 130 countries without needing a visa, followed by Samoa and Vanuatu in second position with 129 and Tuvalu in third position with 127 countries.

New Zealand has slipped down two places from being 5th with 172 countries in 2017 while Australia jumped one place up from being at the 7th spot  to 6th  with 183 countries this year.

Japan and Singapore share first place, with easy access to 189 destinations.

This is the first year in the index’s 13-year history that either Japan or Singapore has had the most powerful passport in the world.

Girl dies in hospital after allegedly being hit by passing vehicle in Tongatapu

By
Kalino Latu
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A young girl who was allegedly hit by a passing vehicle yesterday July 14 in Nuku’alofa has died in Vaiola hospital.

Hinemoa Mahoni, 12, was admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before she died today.

The details of the road accident and her death had not been officially released.

Fr Leonaitasi Leon Tongia of the Roman Catholic church who was working with patients at the hospital made an emotional Facebook post about Mahoni yesterday.

“One of my patients ,Hinemoa Mahoni, got in a horrible car accident this morning [July] 14 in Halaleva, she is in ICU and she’s not waking up.

“She is still in a coma but she twitches her eyes a little bit and moves her arm she has a trachea tube and I really need some answers.

Fr Tongia said being at the helm of other people especially in a difficult and stressful situation such as having a loved one critically ill in Intensive Care Unit was frustrating.

“It might take you a few days in order to get your head around of what’s being said and what you’ve been told if your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care,” Fr Tongia wrote.

This afternoon after Mahoni was announced dead Fr Tongia wrote he wanted to thank the Lord for He has given time for them to be with Mahoni.

“I really feel for the loss and I am asking you for your prayers. I want to send my love to the family and the supporters,” he wrote in Tongan.

“May she rest in peace.”

Former Tongan fireman performs CPR, saves stranger’s life in Hawai‘i

By
Kalino Latu
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A former Tongan firefighter is being praised for saving another man’s life by performing CPR in Honolulu, Hawai’i on Tuesday.

Takai Kapeli Takai was trimming trees at the Nimitz Highway when he noticed someone is reaching over a man in a car at a traffic light doing something to his face and on the phone at the same time.

The men were Robyn Preza and his 51-year-old father Ronaldo Preza. Ronaldo was driving Robyn to work at around 10.50am when he allegedly suffered a cardiac arrest.

Takai said he immediately knew something was wrong, so he rushed to help, Honolulu’s Khon2 reported.

The car was at a stop light at Kalihi St when the incident occurred while Takai was on top of a prune truck with some co-workers from Hala Toa Mui Contractors Inc.

“I opened the car and tried to put down the seat for him to lie back and I try do CPR inside,” Takai reportedly said.

Takai was unable to perform CPR with Ronaldo Preza in the car, so he called his co-workers over to help get him out of the car onto the ground.

“I do what I can do until they came. The firefighter came and they took over and then the ambulance came too,” Takai said.

Takai said he didn’t hesitate because he had been a firefighter at Tonga International Airport for seven years before he moved to Hawaii.

“I still have that feeling of saving lives anywhere I go. It only makes sense when you see if you think you can help, you help,” Takai said.

On Thursday afternoon Takai and Robyn shared an emotional hug as Robyn thanked Takai for saving his father’s life.

Robyn’s father went into cardiac arrest. Robyncalled 911, but said he didn’t know CPR.

“I felt helpless. I literally didn’t know what to do to try to save him. I was just calling out for help,” Robyn said.

The Prezas are forever grateful.

“He’s an angel,” said Vicky Preza, Ronaldo Preza’s sister-in-law. “Our family cannot thank him enough, because Ronaldo would not make it to the hospital if it was not for Takai, the company, his friends that helped.”

Vicky Preza said Takai is like family now. He not only helped save Ronaldo Preza’s life, he’s visited him in the hospital every night since the accident.

“He offered my sister help, offered her money, but she didn’t want to accept it. He left it there. That’s how great he is,” Vicky Preza said.

She said seeing what Takai did for her family is a reminder that there is hope.

“I want everybody to know that good people are still out here. We hear a lot of bad news, but there are good people still,” she said.

Ronaldo Preza is still in the hospital.

House saved from kitchen blaze in Vava’u

By
Kalino Latu
-

A family saved their house in Kāmeli after a blaze thought to have been started by a pot left on a stove this morning.

The family tried to extinguish the fire with water.

No injuries were reported.

Neiafu fire brigade was called to Halalele at about 1am this morning Sunday 15.

They arrived in time to help save the timber house from major damage, Neiafu Town Officer Vava Lapota said.

Lapota claimed Fusikata’s son was warming up food in the stove before the fire started.

Lapota said the house belonged to Sione Fusikata.

Australia’s coach wants Kangaroos-Tonga Test match

By
Kalino Latu
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Australia national rugby league coach, Mal Meninga doesn’t care where the Australia-Tonga rugby league Test is played, he just wants it to happen.

The Kangaroos coach is confident the historic match, which would see Cronulla star Andrew Fifita face off with his former national teammates, will go ahead later in the year.

Meninga suggested the game could be staged in New Zealand following the Kangaroos’ Test with the Kiwis in Auckland on October 13.

“I think everyone wants it to happen,” Meninga said in Canberra on Friday.

“It hasn’t been budgeted for within the game’s financials so they’re working through all options at the moment, what venues they are.

“But I’d hazard a guess, it’s definitely on, it’s just where.”

“There’s been talk about staying over after the NZ Test and playing Tonga over there, but the appetite for it is good.”

Suncorp Stadium looms as the most likely venue, but Meninga also floated Sydney and Melbourne as potential hosts.

Tonga are desperate for their first shot against the Kangaroos and they boosted their chances by defeating Samoa in front of almost 18,000 people at Sydney’s Campbelltown Stadium in June.

Fifita has been joined in the Tongan team by North Queensland star Jason Taumaolo.

The Sharks forward said that Tonga was ready to take on Australia.

“It’d be a massive game if we can get it on,” Fifita told AAP in June.

“Looking at last year I went and played for Australia and there was barely anyone in the crowd for Australia and New Zealand down in Canberra.

“Then I came here (to the Pacific Test at Campbelltown) and it was a full house.”

–Sport News

New cassava varieties displayed during Vava‘u Agricultural show

By
Kalino Latu
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New cassava varieties have been introduced to farmers during the annual Royal Agricultural, Fisheries and Tonga-Made show this week in Vava’u.

The new varieties were all named as Pelū or Peru since they were originated in Peru and South America.

MAFFF’s Deputy CEO Sione Foliaki said he brought the cassavas from Fiji in 2011.

They have been brought to increase our cassava diversity, he said.

“The more diversity we have the safer we are for our secure food base crops. We do not know any unknown diseases might show up at any time … differ cultivars differ tolerance to pest and diseases,” Foliaki told Kaniva News.

He said 11 cassava cultivars were brought to the kingdom but only three were recommended based on their science of soil management and crop production.

The varieties were brought from the Pacific Community’s Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees in Narere, Fiji.

They had been bred and raised at the Vainī experimental farm before transferring to the open fields in 2013 for propagation of planting materials.

“[It] took us 3 years to select and continuously multiplying of the best ones I selected to best fit our Tongan taste and environment. [In] 2016 & 2017 plots of these new cassavas were ready & distributed to farmers of Tonga.”

Foliaki said the cassavas have been propagated for a while in Ha’apai and ‘Eua before they were first displayed at the Vava’u show this week.

The Vava’u Royal Show was opened by King Tupou VI in Neiafu on Friday, July 14 after it was first opened in Lifuka, Ha’apai on June 23.

The Niuatoputapu Royal Show will be next on July 18, Niuafo’ou on July 19, ‘Eua on July 25 before concluding in Tongatapu on July 28.

Tonga asks Pacific countries to soften up on bio-security and import tarrifs

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga has asked Pacific officials who were meeting in Samoa this week to reduce their import tariffs and soften up on their bio-security processes.

They asked the Australian officials to reconsider their import restrictions on kava.

Tonga also discussed certain bio-security problems including African snails, fruit flies, mould and fumigation requirements which caused long-term delays in clearing containers at Australian, Fijian, Samoan and New Zealand ports.

The long delays often caused Tongan produce to be damaged before they reached Pacific markets, it has been claimed.

Ministry of Labour and Commerce CEO Edgar Cocker, who was representing Tonga at the meeting along with Trade Director Pauline Siasau, said the freight service high costs have exacerbated the situation and he has discussed it with the authorities.

Pacific trade officials were meeting to discuss how to expand economic activities that are beneficial for the region.

They also discussed co-ordinating policies to strengthen regional trade integration.

Samoa has imposed 20 percent tariffs and 15 percent GTS on watermelons and produce from Tonga and Mr Cocker was expected to discuss it with them during the meeting.

Tonga told the meeting that prices of its export products should not be less than 40 percent of the prices charged on them locally.

Tonga also told the meeting the freight service costs on Tonga’s exportation was too high.

Mr Cocker said the meeting was important for Tonga because it provided an opportunity for the member countries to discuss regional trade agreements including PICTA – Pacific Islands Trade Agreements, PACER PLUS, Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) AND WTO.

“Discussing these agreements are significant for Tonga because they give us the opportunity to raise our concerns about the Pacific countries import tariffs and trade barriers and to discuss them with our Pacific counterparts,” Mr Cocker said.

He said Tonga has also lobbied to have the PACER Plus regional office established in Tonga during the meeting. Samoa and Vanuatu were lobbying against Tonga.

‘Ikale Tahi manager claims TRU has blown its budget and says “no sponsor will touch us”

By
Philip Cass
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‘Ikale Tahi manager ‘Inoke Afeaki  said late payment to team players had been caused by the Tonga Rugby Union exhausting its TP$400,000 annual budget.

He was replying to comments published in Kaniva News this week by TRU CEO Fe’ao Vunipola who said Afeaki was aware payment would be a few days late.

He said all players had received all their allowances.

In our Sunday’s story Vunipola claimed Afeaki had been highly critical of the TRU after Cyclone Gita, regarding Teufaiva and possible matches and games allegedly lost due to uncertainties within the Union.

Afeaki claimed money that was supposed to be used only for the Ikale Tahi had been spent on the Tonga A and Under 20s teams.

“World Rugby know our governance is a serious worry with the way it’s structured,” Afeaki said.

“No sponsor will touch us in its current form.”

He said nothing had been done to bring in any cash sponsors and the TRU could not keep taking money from tax payers.

There was no commercial and marketing arm at TRU even though one of World Rugby’s advice was to have one, he said.

He said he had explained many times at meetings what the issues were.

Afeaki alleged his instructions had not been followed on certain issues and this had led to problems and delays

For more information

UK supplier blamed after Ikale Tahi gear turns up late; CEO hits back in wake of pay saga

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