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Tongan man guilty of murdering neighbour with a smashed beer bottle

By
International Media
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A Tongan man who killed his neighbour with a smashed beer bottle during an attack which lasted less than 15 seconds has been found guilty of murder.

The victim, Kelly Ventigadoo, who’d been farewelling his parents outside his home, bled to death in five minutes, Fairfax Media reported.

Sateki Siale, 26, had admitted causing the death of Mr Ventigadoo but pleaded not guilty to murdering him early on October 11, 2015, at Lakemba in Sydney’s southwest.

He claimed to have no memory of the attack and his barrister argued he was too drunk to form an intention to kill.

But a NSW Supreme Court jury on Friday found Siale guilty of murder after less than three days of deliberations.

Jurors had been told Mr Ventigadoo and his parents were talking a little loudly outside his home because his father was hearing impaired, when a drunken Siale approached them.

It was claimed Siale asked why they were talking so loudly and stated “this is my street” before fatally stabbing Mr Ventigadoo.

Siale pleaded guilty to assault causing death while intoxicated but denied murdering Mr Ventigadoo, claiming he never intended to kill him.

Mr Ventigadoo’s mother, Cynthia, told the jury she actually put a hand on Siale’s chest telling him to go home as they were leaving.

Ms Ventigadoo said the man was “angry” and “talking in a big voice” when he approached them.

“He took the broken bottle and … smashed my son,” she said.

She started to cry when recalling how her son “dropped” after being slashed across the neck with the broken beer bottle.

“When he fell he was holding his left ear because he was bleeding everywhere.”

When the victim got back up and asked Siale “why did you do that?” Siale hit him again and this time Kelly didn’t get up.

His father, James Ventigadoo, said the whole incident took 10 to 15 seconds.

Siale later told police he had had a “big night” before attacking Mr Ventigadoo about 12.30am.

Clinical forensic pharmacologist John Farrar estimated Siale had been drinking for more than six hours and would have had a blood alcohol content of between 0.23 and 0.36 when he attacked his victim.

Mr Farrar said if this was correct, Siale would have had to have consumed up to 17 bottles of beer and half a bottle of bourbon.

Five in custody after robbery at Henderson superette

By
Kaniva Staff
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(New Zealand) Waitemata Police have arrested five people following the robbery of a shop in West Auckland this morning.

Police were called to a superette on Henderson Valley Rd just after 7.15am.

Five males, disguised with scarves and face masks, entered the premises brandishing batons and bars, Senior Sergeant Tony Miller said.

Four of the offenders took cigarettes and the till, with money in it.

A fifth offender allegedly pointed an imitation firearm at the shop owner, who was subsequently kicked in the face.

While the victim was injured, fortunately he did not require treatment by paramedics.

A speedy response from Police to the scene and a rapid investigation by the Tactical Crime Unit has resulted in the arrest of five people and the seizure of a vehicle.

This was a solid piece of Police work, which included a foot chase by officers.

The five males, one 18-year-old, three aged 17, and one 14-year-old, appeared in court this afternoon, where Police opposed bail.

Police will not tolerate this type of crime, which targets people providing a vital service to our communities.

Tongan fruit picker dead after suspected heart attack in van at Hastings parking lot

By
Kalino Latu
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A Tongan man has died of a suspected heart attack in a parking lot in Hastings, New Zealand after authorities were alerted by a member of the public.

Siosifa Havili, 46, was found slumped over the wheel of the van he had been driving on Gordon Road last night Wednesday 9 at about 10pm, Tongan government RSE liaison officer Sefita Haoʻuli told Kaniva News this morning.

Havili’s death appeared to be medical but would be referred to the Coroner, Hao’uli said.

He said the deceased was admitted to Wellington Hospital six weeks ago where he received four stents.

He also had Type 1 diabetes and had regularly visited his doctor.

Hao’uli said the employer had checked the GPS of the vehicle and could tell Havili arrived at Gordon Road at 6.40 pm, and was found by a member of the public, at around 10 pm.

Havili’s employer was working with authorities to arrange for his insurance cover and organise flight so his body could be sent back to Tonga.

Havili came to New Zealand in February and worked for Mr Apple before he moved to Thornhill Contracting company on a joint ATR in May.

He was the leader of a group of 12 boys.

AG defends report that exposed fraud and financial disarray in ministries as “independent”

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga’s former Auditor General, Hon. Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, said the report which exposed fraud and financial disarray in government ministries was “independent”.

The report by the current Auditor General’s office revealed some tools belonging to the Ministry of Infrastructure in Vava’u had been sold in secret, while book-keeping at the Ministry of Justice created opportunities for staff to steal money.

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva welcomed the report and said it showed there was huge disarray in the government’s ministries and how they took care of the government’s possessions.

In Tongan he said: “…mahalo ko e lea ko ē ‘oku totonu ke ngāue’aki ki ai fu’u felekeu lahi pehē ‘a e anga ‘etau fakahoko hotau ngaahi fatongia mo e ‘ikai ke tau tokanga ki he koloa ‘a e Pule’anga”.

The Prime Minister told Parliament this was the first time the House had seen a thorough and very transparent report by the Auditor General.

Former Finance Minister ‘Aisake Eke said the report suggested ways for the government to improve the performance of ministries.

He told the House the “weaknesses” reported by the auditor should not be reported again after this financial year 2017/18.

Former Minister of Internal Affairs and Niuas MP Fe’ao Vakata said most of the problems reported by the auditor occurred due to “due process”.

Vakata was concerned at the amount of corruption the auditor had referred to in his report which occurred in the Ministry of Infrastructure in Vava’u.

He said the report should be followed closely by all MPs as it was designed to protect all of them, not just the government.

The report recorded failings in a number of ministries, ranging from records of revenue collected not being kept, over payment of daily allowances and delays in banking revenue.

Dr Eke said he was concerned that the Water Board directors were paid in advance and that the disorganised way the Ministry of Justice kept its record meant staff could easily steal the money it corrected from birth, death and marriage certificates.

He suggested the report should be passed on to the Finance Committee so it could pinpoint the issues the government most needed to improve.

He said in that way the report would then be make used practically and effectively.

The Prime Minister told the House the Ministers should take the Auditor General’s report back to their Ministries and resolve the problems with their CEOs and staff.

However, Lord Nuku argued the report had reported that there were “wrongdoings” and they should be addressed through the proper Parliamentary procedures.

He said it was wrong for the Prime Minister to tell his ministers to go back and try to correct the problems.

The Prime Ministers said the House could decide whether to pass the report to the Finance Committee.

He said it was important for the Ministers to do something about the problems so they did not happen again.

The history

Former Auditor General Hon. Pohiva Tu’ionetoa, who is now the Minister of Customs and Revenue and Labour and Commerce, told Kaniva News when he became Auditor General he was accountable to the Prime Minister, according to the law.

This meant no full report was made available to Parliament because the auditor’s report was made as part of the Prime Minister’s office annual report to the House.

This meant the Prime Minister had full control of what the auditor could put in the report, Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said.

He said as a professional auditor who had worked in the office of the New Zealand’s General Auditor office he wanted the auditor to work independently.

It was a difficult task because there were some cultural and traditional beliefs that had influenced how the auditor should be controlled, he said.

When ‘Akilisi Pohiva began pushing for a change to democracy he thought it was the right time for him to  push for the auditor general to be independent.

In 1984 the government passed a bill he submitted to change  the auditor’s title from Auditor for Government into Auditor General.

However, the government rejected his proposal to remove the auditor from the control of the Prime Minister and the cabinet and attach the post to the Speaker of Parliament.

In 2007 the Parliament finally passed a law to allow the Auditor General to come under the Speaker of the House.

In 2012 the House called a special meeting to sack him for allegedly making a false report regarding funding from Australia and New Zealand for Tonga’s political reform in 2010.

Parliament cleared Hon. Tu’ionetoa when it became clear his report was correct. This led to a demand from New Zealand and Australia for the Tongan government to pay back the amount of money the auditor said was unaccounted for.

Hon. Tu’ionetoa said at the time he submitted a private bill through Dr Eke to remove the Auditor General from the Prime Minister and cabinet and bring him under the Speaker so he could do his job independently.

Parliament voted unanimously for the bill with great support from ‘Akilis Pohiva and the Democrats, he said.

“Therefore the independent report by the Auditor today, was the result of what I have explained above. If Eke and ‘Akilisi Pohiva and the Democrats had not supported the bill we could not have reached this stage of good governance where we see the Auditor had performed regarding auditing”, Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said.

In Tongans he said: “Koia ko e lipooti tau’ataina a e Atita ‘I he ‘aho ni, ko e ola ia ‘o e ngaahi liliu kuo u lave kiai ‘I ‘olunga. Kapau na’e ‘ikai kau kiai a e Minisita Pa’anga Malolo, mo e poupou ‘a Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva, e ‘ikai te tau a’usia a e tau’ataina ‘o e Good Governance ‘o e ‘aho ni, felave’i mo e ngaue faka’atita.”

The main points

  • Tonga’s former Auditor General, Hon. Pohiva Tu’I’onetoa, said the report which exposed fraud and financial disarray in government ministries was “independent”.
  • The report by the current Auditor General’s office revealed some tools belonging to the Ministry of Infrastructure in Vava’u had been sold in secret.
  • It said book-keeping practices at the Ministry of Justice created opportunities for staff to steal money.
  • Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva welcomed the report and said it showed there was huge disarray in the government’s ministries and how they took of the government’s possessions.

Baby kidnapped in Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
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At approximately 7am this morning Police received a report that an 11-day-old baby had been kidnapped from a residential address in Epsom.

Police launched an investigation and a large team have been making numerous enquiries throughout the day.

Police are pleased to advise that we have located the baby and she is safe and well.  She was returned to her parents at approximately 1.30pm this afternoon.

“The baby’s parents are obviously very distraught and have been through a terrible ordeal and they are currently with their baby.

“This has been an extremely harrowing time for the new parents of a very young baby.  We are relieved and thankful that the baby was not harmed and has been reunited with her parents,” said Detective Inspector Scott Beard.

Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances around the kidnapping, however Police are talking to two people who are helping with enquiries and no further details are available at this early stage.

The baby’s parents have requested privacy as they come to terms with the ordeal they have endured.

An update will be issued shortly.

Man arrested with fake passports as fraud investigation continues

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga Police have detained a 43-year-old Kolofo’ou man on August 2 for possessing two fake passports.

He was charged with two counts of knowingly dealing with forged documents.

The accused has been bailed and his case was adjourned to 16 October 2017, Police said.

Police continued searching for others who had been involved in the fraud activities.

“This is the second case where the misuse of the Ministry of Justice’s system to create false birth certificates [occurred]”, Deputy Police Commissioner ‘Unga Fa’aoa said.

Five other people who got involved in the case had already been sent to jail, he said.

“This is an important investigation to stamp out all fraudulent passport activities intended for locals and foreigners.”

“The Passport Taskforce is working closely with Ministry of Justice, Tonga Immigration and National Identity Cards Office in combating crimes of identity fraud.”

Trump vows to answer North Korea’s nuclear threats with ‘fire and fury’

By
International Media
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Donald Trump has vowed to respond to North Korea with “fire and fury” if it makes any more threats to attack the United States.

Trump’s comments came after Pyongyang threatened “physical” retaliation for new United Nations sanctions – and on a day fresh evidence emerged that the North Koreans have overcome one of the last major technical obstacles to being able to hit the US or western Europe with nuclear-armed missiles.

“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,” Trump told journalists at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “They will be met with the fire and the fury like the world has never seen.”

Experts on North Korea have warned that aggressive rhetoric could backfire on Trump, convincing Kim Jong-un that his regime is in imminent jeopardy and triggering what he sees as a pre-emptive attack.

“It is dangerous and reckless and counterproductive for Donald Trump to threaten the annihilation of North Korea,” said Daryl Kimball, the head of the Washington-based Arms Control Association. “What we need is a dialogue to reduce tension and avoid catastrophic miscalculation. We are currently on the road to a conflict and we have to get to the off-ramp.”

Clearly, North Korea believes it has a nuclear deterrent that can strike the United States,” said Kimball.

US intelligence agencies now believe, it was reported on Tuesday, the Pyongyang regime has succeeded in building a nuclear weapon small enough to put on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) – a conclusion supported by a Japanese government study. The US assessment also estimated the North Korean nuclear arsenal has now reached as much as 60 warheads, substantially more than earlier assessments.

After two ICBM tests in July, some weapons experts also believe the North Koreans have passed another hurdle, building a re-entry vehicle (RV) that can deliver a nuclear warhead through the Earth’s atmosphere so that it explodes on its target.

“I don’t have the slightest doubt that the RVs on these missiles are working,” said Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia nonproliferation programme at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. “That’s done. We’re there. North Korea can put a nuclear weapon on New York City.”

Other experts are more guarded about the North Korean capabilities, based on the July tests, stressing for example that it is unclear whether the guidance and control issues have been resolved.

As the missiles were tested with much steeper trajectories than would be used in an attack, and because the weight of a warhead is hard to predict, it is hard to estimate the potential maximum range of the weapons. But there is general agreement that if Pyongyang is not already a full nuclear-weapons power, it is advancing rapidly towards that goal.

Before taking office, Trump vowed that North Korea would not develop an ICBM during his presidency. Now that it has happened, the Trump administration has sent mixed messages over how it would respond.

It won a diplomatic victory on Saturday when the UN security council approved a new sanctions package, but the impact of the measures will depend heavily on how far China is willing to go to enforce them.

While the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has said the US has no interest in pursuing regime change, the national security advisor HR McMaster has said that the administration is weighing all options, including a “preventative war”.

Lewis argued it was already too late for that.

“The pre- in preventative means ‘before’,” he said. “If you start the preventative war after they have the nuclear ICBM’s, it’s just a regular old nuclear war.”

The US assessment that North Korea has mastered the miniaturization of nuclear warheads was revealed in an internal Defence Intelligence Agency report dated 28 July, according to the Washington Post, which was the first to report on its existence. The report was subsequently confirmed by NBC News.

“The IC [intelligence community] assesses North Korea has produced nuclear weapons for ballistic missile delivery, to include delivery by ICBM-class missiles,” the assessment stated, in an excerpt that was read to The Washington Post.

Lewis believes the flash occurred far above the densest layer of the atmosphere and could have been caused by a reflection.

“There is nothing in that video that I can’t see in a successful re-entry test done by the Russians,” he said. He said the streaks observed coming from the missile, were “a normal thing to see with a re-entry vehicle.”

North Korean state media did not claim the re-entry vehicle survived in the 28 July test, but after the 4 July, it claimed the vehicle “accurately hit the targeted waters without any structural breakdown at the end of its flight”.

The Diplomat online site quoted one source as saying that the re-entry vehicle on the first test survived to an altitude of one kilometre, low enough for an airburst warhead to have a devastating impact over a city.

Scott LaFoy, a Washington-based imagery analyst focusing on ballistic missile and space technologies, said the Japanese report reflected “an increasing belief that North Korea either has or is very close to having a nuclear warhead”.

Based on data and projections by experts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, LaFoy told the Guardian: “I lean towards believing North Korea is either in possession of a device, or the potential sixth nuclear test will be the practical test of said device.

The Japanese defence white paper doesn’t add much to this due to its expected government vagueness, but it is consistent with what I’m seeing.”

There is growing concern in Japan over the increasing frequency of North Korean missile tests since Kim Jong-un became leader in late 2011.

“North Korea’s missiles represent a deepening threat. That, along with China’s continued threatening behaviour in the East China Sea and South China Sea, is a major concern for Japan,” the country’s defence minister, Itsunori Onodera, told reporters in Tokyo.

Japan has held several evacuation drills in recent months in preparation for a North Korean missile attack, while Onodera is among those who have called for the country to acquire the ability to strike North Korean bases if it is attacked.

Citizenship fundamental to Tongan system of land tenure, court told

By
Kalino Latu
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It was a fundamental tenet of Tongan land tenure that only Tongan subjects could hold a life interest in any town or tax allotment, the Lands Court was told this week.

The ruling was made in a dispute between a widower and the oldest son of her husband’s first marriage over ownership of land and a house.

The court was told that when Toakase Panuva’s husband Sionatapi died, she claimed and was granted his town and tax allotments as widow under section 80 of the Land Act.

Before his death her husband granted a lease of his town allotment to his oldest son, Tapu. However, the lease was not registered until after Toakase was registered as the holder of the town allotment.

Toakase asked the court to cancel the lease, while Tapu wanted her registrations of the tax and town allotments cancelled on the ground that Toakase was not a Tongan citizen when his father died. He also wanted a declaration that he owned the house on the town allotment.

Toakase was born in Tonga in 1948 and married a Tongan man in the United States in 1974. She became a US citizen in February 1982. She was divorced from  her  first  husband  in 1986.

Sionatapi’s first wife was named Ana. He had a town allotment at Haveluloto registered in 1989 and a tax allotment at Pelehake registered in 1996.

In around 1989 Sionatapi agreed  with his sons Tapu and Semisi to  build a house  on his town allotment. They borrowed the  money  to  build  the  house from the Bank of Tonga and agreed to share the loan payments. Ana died in December 1989.

On June 15, 1991 Sionatapi married Toakase in the United States   and brought her to Tonga  to  live in the house with  his children.   In August that year Tapu married and left the house to live elsewhere with  his wife.

Sionatapi retired in 1992 and in 2000 Toakase went back to the United States for work  until 2009 and sent her husband money.

In 2003, Sionatapi asked Tapu to help repay the bank loan in return for a lease of his town allotment.

In November 2004, Cabinet approved the lease, but it was not registered until 2015.

In 2009 Toakase returned to Tonga and lived with Sionatapi until he died in July 2012. At the date of Sionatapi’s  death she was still an American citizen.

Before making a claim for Sionatapi’s town and tax allotments as his widow, Toakase applied for and regained her Tongan nationality. Sionatapi’s town and tax allotments were registered in  her  name  in 2013.

Having considered previous rulings on the rules surrounding citizenship and land ownership, Judge Paulsen said Toakase was not entitled to claim Sionatapi’s tax or  town  allotment  because she was not  a Tongan subject on the date that he  died, the judge said.

Her registration must therefore be cancelled.

He said it was basic to Tongan land laws that the only people who could hold a lifetime  interest in town and tax allotments were citizens.

“It would be peculiar that a Tongan born male is, as a result of taking foreign citizenship prior to the 2007 amendments to the Nationality Act, deprived of his right to hold a tax  or  town allotment yet a widow who has similarly lost her Tongan nationality retains  that right,” the judge said.

“The Land Act created a unique system of land tenure in Tonga where all land is given by  grant  and not  sold for  money  and life interests  in land are reserved for Tongan people to ensure their welfare. The prevention of alienation of land to foreigners was regarded as a vitally important policy for Tonga’s future. Life interests in land carry cultural and customary obligations  which  non­Tongans cannot be expected and would not perform and thus were  reserved for Tongan subjects  only.”

The judge said he declined to  make a finding  that Tapu  was the owner  of the house or as to  the  validity or otherwise of the  lease.

The main points

  • It was a fundamental tenet of Tongan  land  tenure  that  only  Tongan subjects could hold a life interest in any town or tax allotment, the Lands Court was told this week.
  • The ruling was made in a dispute between a widower and the oldest son of her husband’s first marriage over ownership of land and a house.
  • Judge Paulsen said the widow was not entitled to claim the tax or town  allotment  because she was not  a Tongan subject on the date that he
  • Her registration must therefore be cancelled.

Conspiracy theorists claim solar eclipse will cause world to end

By
International Media
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The world is predicted to end in a matter of weeks if one conspiracy theorist is to be believed.

Christian numerologist David Meade has once again warned of the possibility that the giant mysterious planet ‘Nibiru’ is about to crash into Earth.

According to his bizarre theory, this month’s solar eclipse will signal that the planet, which has never been observed by scientists, is about to collide with our own.

Mr Meade uses several passages from the Bible to back his unusual claims.

Despite a lack of evidence for the hidden world, which Nasa has previously stated is an ‘internet hoax’, many people believe it is real.

Nibiru, and is sometimes referred to as Planet X, has been predicted to end the world several times since 2003.

Earlier this year, Mr Meade claimed that Nibiru would clash with Earth in October after being driven here by the gravitational pull from a ‘binary star’ twinned with the sun.

He said the star is difficult to spot because of the angle it is approaching Earth.

Now the conspiracy theorist has moved his date forward, claiming that the upcoming ‘Great American Eclipse’ will signal the planet’s arrival.

On August 21, just before the alleged apocalypse occurs, US sky-gazers will be treated to a total solar eclipse visible from coast to coast.

Following the eclipse, the huge planet will appear on the horizon and crash into Earth, wiping out humanity.

Mr Meade said the upcoming eclipse was a warning sign.

‘The Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017, is a major – huge – harbinger,’ he told the Daily Star.

The conspiracy theorist said that after the eclipse Nibiru will appear in the skies on September 23 before colliding with Earth.

‘The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.’

Mr Meade claimed that there are several coincidences involving the number 33 that also suggest the apocalypse is near.

His latest claims follow his original apocalyptic predictions, which came in January after he claimed a star, which he calls ‘a binary twin of our sun’, is coming ‘at us towards the south pole’.

Mr Meade, author of the book ‘Planet X – The 2017 Arrival’, said the star will bring with it ‘seven orbiting bodies’, including Nibiru, a large, blue planet that he also refers to as Planet X hurtling towards our planet.

Nibiru, sometimes referred to as Planet X, is a hypothesised planet on the edge of our solar system.

Conspiracy theorists believe the gravitational influence of the ‘rogue planet’ Nibiru disrupted the orbits of other planets hundreds of years ago.

Writing a piece for Planet X News in January, Mr Meade said: ‘This system is, of course, not aligned with our solar system’s ecliptic, but is coming to us from an oblique angle and toward our South Pole.

‘This makes observations difficult, unless you’re flying at a high altitude over South America with an excellent camera.

In his book,  he claims to put forward scientific evidence, but readers commenting on the book say the argument quickly develops into a religious argument.

One reviewer says: ‘on his website he focus on facts and science, astronomical ‘evidence’ to lure some readers into his material, but after a dozen pages it starts to get all religious for almost 40 pages, more than a 1/3 of the book, mentioning visions and dreams.’

He continues, the ‘author mentions several times how certain things are ‘facts’ just because ‘God said so on the Bible’, and then goes on and on over the rapture.’

The scientific community does not agree Nibiru exists.

‘Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an internet hoax,’ Nasa has said previously. ‘Obviously, it does not exist.’

NZ-based Tongan man electrocuted while attending his father’s funeral in Kolomotu’a

By
Kalino Latu
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A Tongan man who lived in South Auckland, New Zealand was electrocuted after he had arrived in Tongatapu to attend his father’s funeral.

‘Isileli Palu, 36, of Otara died on Thursday night, August 3 at his family residence in Kolomotu’a when they were erecting tents for the funeral.

Police said Palu touched a power cord as they were putting up the tents.

He died instantly from the electrocution at around 9:00pm, Police said.

As Kaniva News reported, a 52-year-old man from ‘Eua was electrocuted while using a washing machine at his house in early this year.

In March 2016, a mother of three who was also a teacher at Tupou college was electrocuted when she attempted to unplug a power extension cord outside her house.

Police were investigating the cause of Palu’s death.

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