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Mother and friend dispute over baby ends at Vavaʻu court

By
Kalino Latu
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A dispute over a baby emerged this week after a mother demanded her baby back from a friend who kept and intended to adopt it.

Kaniva understands a magistrate in Neiafu was expected to deliver his decision on the matter on Thursday.

According to Vavaʻu Police the baby, who was born out of wedlock, belongs to Tiueti Ngauamo.

Ngauamo agreed that her aunt Lita from Haʻalaufuli would take care of and adopt the baby after it was born, Vavaʻu Police Superintendent Netane Falakiseni said.

At one stage, a friend of Ngauamo known as ‘Alamita took the baby from Lita with the intention to take care of, Falakiseni said.

When Ngauamo heard about the news she confronted ‘Alamita and demanded her baby back, he said.

This had led to a dispute that ended up at the Police station.

Falakiseni said Police cannot interfere in cases of this nature unless there was an element of negligence or violence involved regarding the children.

Police then referred the case to the magistrate, he said.

Police search for robbers after store owner tied up and robbed

By
Kalino Latu
-

Police are looking for information to hunt down the men responsible for an aggravated robbery of an Asian shop in Nukuʻalofa on Sunday morning.

Police reportedly said the men entered a shop next to Night Club Noa on Taufaʻāhau Rd.

The suspects tied up the Chinese store owner and took several items before fleeing from the store.

The stolen items included tobacco and TOP$3,000 cash.

The victim, who was uninjured during the encounter later freed himself and contacted Police.

Police were appealing to the Public for information that may assist them in their investigation.

Tongan court dismisses PSA application to defer government new salary structures

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Supreme Court has rejected PSA’s application to restrain the government from implementing its new salary structures for the public service.

The new salary structures were recommended in Remuneration Authority reports of June 2014 and September 2015 and which it was said had been approved by Cabinet on 8 July 2016.

However, Lord Chief Justice Owen Paulsen said: “The pleadings are defective; The issues raised are not justiciable; There is no arguable ground advanced for review”.

“The most significant defect in the statement of claim in my view is that it does not clearly state what decisions are being challenged, the content of those decisions or the grounds upon which the challenge to those decisions is being advanced”, Mr Owen said.

PSA claimed the implementation of new salary structures approved by Cabinet on 8 July 2016 was a breach of a memorandum of understanding of 3 September 2005 between a Cabinet subcommittee on behalf of the Government of Tonga and a negotiation team of the Interim Committee of Civil Servants.

But Mr Owen said this argument has a problem.

He said Clause 7 says only that the 2005 salary review will be deferred for two years.

“It says nothing about future consultation on reviews of salary structures.

“Secondly, the memorandum is a political document which expressed a convergence of will of the parties but could not have been intended to create legally binding obligations”.

Disney withdraws Moana costumes as film sails into another storm of criticism

By
Philip Cass
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Two months before it is due to reach the big screen, Disney’s Polynesian epic Moana  has run into another storm of controversy.

This time Disney has pulled a number of children’s costumes depicting characters from the film.

The costumes had been attacked because, it was claimed, they would have made the children look as if they were wearing brown skin.

The film, which was partly written by Maori film-maker Taika Waititi, tells the story of a young girl who enlists the help of the demi-God Maui to help her family.

Moana is set for release in the United States on November 23 and in New Zealand on Boxing Day,

It was once common for Hollywood to depict people of other races by having white actors darken their skin and use makeup and wigs to change their appearance.

This process became known as putting on ‘blackface’ and by the 1970s was regarded as being extremely racist.

Critics of the Maui costumes have claimed they represent ‘brownface.’

The Huffington Post has quoted protestors arguing that Disney is trying to make money by persuading people to wear another culture’s skin.

Radio New Zealand reported this evening that Disney had said it had taken care to respect the cultures of the Pacific Islands that inspired the film, and regretted that the Maui costume had offended some people.

“We sincerely apologise and are pulling the costume from our website and stores,” Disney said.

Outrage

As Kaniva News reported in July, Moana had already caused outrage before it hit the screens.

When the trailer for the film was released, Disney ran into flak over its depiction of the Polynesian demi-God Maui.

A number of people complained because in the film Maui is extremely fat.

Tongan-born MP Jenny Salesa stepped into the controversy, telling her Facebook followers that “this negative stereotype of Maui is just not acceptable.”

This is not the first time Disney has drawn fire for its depiction of non-westerners.

Arab audiences were outraged by Aladdin, which was regarded as deeply insulting to Arab culture and to Islam.

Disney also fell flat on its face in China where Mulan, which took US$300 million worldwide, barely made US$30,000 when it was shown in Mulan’s home town of Hunan.

Many of those who saw it regarded it as showing a complete misunderstanding of Chinese culture and simply being an American film with a few vaguely ‘Asian’ additions.

And when Disney did have a chance to make a point about racism, it backed away. In the film Lilo and Stitch, which is set among the indigenous people of Hawai’i, a scene showing Lilo getting her own back on white, racist, tourists was left out of the film.

The main points

  • Two months before it is due to reach the big screen, Disney’s Polynesian epic Moana has run into another storm of controversy.
  • This time Disney has pulled a number of children’s costumes depicting characters from the film.
  • The costumes had been attacked because, it was claimed, they would have made the children look as if they were wearing brown skin.
  • Moana is set for release in the United States on November 23 and in New Zealand on Boxing Day.

For more information

Disney apologises for Maui costume

Disney Pulled That Offensive ‘Moana’ Costume. Here’s Why It Matters

Disney’s bulky demi-God enrages some Polynesians as Maui trailer released

Moana

Tongan boy, 2, dies after being hit by bus in East Oakland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A two-year old boy was killed after he was hit by a bus in East Oakland, United States.

Jeremiah Esera was killed just before 2 p.m. when he chased a ball into the street in the 2800 block of 35th Avenue at Penniman Avenue and was hit by an AC Transit bus, police were quoted by local media as saying.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A person very close to the family of the deceased who wished not to be named said the boy’s mother is from Kolomotu’a in Tonga but his father is Samoan.

Oakland’s East Bay Times reported that a relative said Jeremiah, his mother and his siblings were visiting another relative at a residence on 35th Avenue when the tragedy occurred.

“I’m just so upset,” the boy’s aunt, Latai Fatai, said Wednesday. “He was a very loving, caring little boy,” Fatai said. “He was always happy and he loved to dance and give hugs.

“You just never know what is going to happen,” the Times reported.

The Oakland police department started an online fundraiser for Jeremiah’s family that was nearing a $10,000 goal on Wednesday afternoon. The GoFundMe page, at https://www.gofundme.com/2q9j7z88, was prompted by officers moved by the family’s loss, Acting Capt. Nishant Joshi said.

“I met with Jeremiah’s family. Understandably, they were devastated,” Joshi said. “As a parent myself, I cannot imagine the pain they are going through,” the paper reported.

Authorities said the boy was hit by AC Transit bus 1323, which operates on the 54-line. It was going northbound on 35th Avenue headed to Merritt College when the boy was hit.

Police said there were no injuries to the bus driver, a 55-year-old man, nor to any passengers. The driver, who has worked for AC Transit since 1999, was cooperating with investigators.

AC officials said as part of their protocol, the driver underwent drug and alcohol testing and police said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in what happened.

The incident remains under investigation by police. Anyone with information may call traffic investigators at 510-777-8570.

Tongan mother dies in Utah crash laid to rest

By
Kalino Latu
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A 30-year-old Tongan mother who died after being ejected from a vehicle during a crash on S.R. 158 near Pineview Reservoir in Utah, United States, was finally laid to rest last week Saturday 17.

‘Alilia Fotofili, 30, of Ogden died after a crash happened shortly after midnight Monday, Sept. 12, Weber County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nate Hutchinson was quoted by Standard Examiner as saying.

Fotofili was driving a Dodge Caravan north on S.R. 158 when she hit a guardrail, causing the vehicle to roll, he said.

The first deputy to arrive at the scene performed CPR on the woman until paramedics arrived, Hutchinson said.

However, the woman was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Hutchinson said there were no passengers in the vehicle with the woman. The crash remains under investigation, Hutchinson said. The woman’s identity had not been released as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Her family and friends have shared their grief over her death on social media.

Tatakamotonga man charged with grievous bodily harm over attack on woman

By
Kalino Latu
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A 30-year-old man has been charged over an attack on a woman in Lapaha on Sunday morning.

A 24-year-old woman was assaulted and Police said she was taken to hospital for treatment on injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.

The accused received minor injuries.

Police have released information alleging the woman used a sharp object in self defence after she believed her attacker was trying to rape her.

The woman was drunk, Police said

Anyone with information that may assist Police in their investigation was asked to contact nearest Police stations.

Tuʻinukuafe receives New Zealand Minister’s Excellence Awards

By
Kaniva Staff
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A newly trained Corrections Officer who will work at Christchurch Men’s Prison has won the Minister’s’ Excellence Award, presented this week by Corrections Minister Judith Collins.

Graeme Tu’inukuafe joins the Department after 20 years in the workforce. Although originally from the North Shore in Auckland, Graeme and his family have called Christchurch home for the last 14 years.

Graeme was looking for a new challenge when he applied for the role.

“I feel  privileged and honoured to become a Corrections Officer, where I can use my skills and be someone who makes a remarkable contribution,” he says.

His instructors said Graeme, who is of Tongan heritage, “possesses what can best be described as moral-fibre and is a wonderful role model to both our Pasifika and Maori prisoners.”

Graeme was one of a group of 66 new recruits, including 22 women, who joined the Department just as it is embarking on a major campaign to recruit almost 600 new corrections officers by September next year. The new recruits will be based at prisons all over New Zealand.  It is seeking to hire people from a range of backgrounds, but particularly from the Maori and Pasifika communities, to have a more diverse workforce that can represent and attend to the needs of prisoners.

The 600 new recruits are needed because the prison population is expected to reach 10,000 by 2017. This increase is due to more people being held in prison on remand than previously. Legislative changes have also meant prisoners serve more of their sentence in prison, and there has been an increase in prisoners serving longer sentences for more serious crimes. Corrections also needs officers for Mt Eden Corrections Facility after resuming management of the prison in July 2015.

Corrections Officers play a key frontline role in prisons.

“Working on the frontline at Corrections means working face to face with prisoners every day,” says Corrections Programme Manager Recruitment Andy Langley, who has been seconded from his role as Prison Director of Manawatu Prison for the recruitment role.

“Getting the right people is important to us. We are looking for people who enjoy being a role model and demonstrate the highest levels of integrity and credibility at all times. It’s a team environment so they need to look after each other as safety comes first.

“Our focus on reducing re-offending means we are looking for people who have great communication skills, are calm under pressure and genuinely believe people can change.

“We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to reduce re-offending and keep the public safe. While it can be a challenging role, the rewards can be life-changing and that’s why the average length of time someone stays on our frontline is eight years.”

“Our people tell us their career at Corrections gives them the chance to work with a team of people who want to change lives. Recruits will get both career and personal growth, job security, a competitive salary, health checks and other benefits.”

New recruits will go through an extensive 16 week programme that combines workplace and classroom based learning. Recruits with previous experience may be able to take advantage of a fast-track process.

American man charged with murder of wife in Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
-

An American man has been charged with the murder of his wife in Vavaʻu two months ago.

A Tongan court has made the decision on Monday 19 after the accused was previously charged with manslaughter in connection to his wife death  on July 11.

He was expected to appear in Neiafu court on October 10, local media reported.

The body of his wife, a 56-year-old Canadian woman, was found dead in a yacht in Vavaʻu in June.

She was later buried at ‘Ahomatafolau Cemetery in Neiafu on July 29.

Tongan authority allowed the funeral services to proceed after a post mortem examination was completed in Nuku’alofa.

The deceased’s  husband from Florida, United States, remains in Police custody.

Police had seized and impounded the yacht – the Sea Oak.

The couple arrived in Neiafu on May 26.

While in Vavaʻu they were staying in their yacht and were expected to depart Tonga on August 21.

Tonga ratify Paris agreement

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Tongan government has formally ratified the Paris agreement.

The ratification was completed by the kingdom’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi PohivaWednesday, 21 September 2016 at the United Nations Headquarter in New York.

“The adoption, signing and ratification of the Paris Agreement are wonderful news but by no means the end,” stated Ms. Patricia Espinosa the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. (UNFCCC).

On Wednesday, 31 countries formally signed up to the Paris deal including Brazil, the world’s seventh largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Mexico, Argentina and Sri Lanka. Oil-rich United Arab Emirates also ratified the deal, as did nations considered particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, such as Kiribati and Bangladesh, the Guardian reported.

“The pledges mean that a total of 60 countries, representing 47.7% of global emissions, have now formally joined the Paris agreement. The deal aims to limit the global temperature rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels, with an aspiration of keeping it to 1.5C”, it said.

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