The Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva has signed off on the transfer of the ‘Utukalongalu market lease in Vavaʻu back to government.
The government property was leased out to Pacific Properties Limited (PPL) after it was sold by tender in 2007.
The Government paid TP$1.1 million to PPL as part of the new agreement. PPL lease was supposed to end in 2057.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries now is in charge of ‘Utukalongalu.
Deputy Speaker of the House Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu has told Parliament he is shocked by child marriage in Tonga.
He said that in the past three years 183 child marriage had been recorded in Tonga.
From 2013 to 2015, 17 children aged 15 had married.
He would not give the exact years of their marriages because he wanted to protect the “dignity” of these young ages.
Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu questioned the effectiveness of the law of the nation, which he said was meant to protect the children.
He said the Parent Consent Act 1926, which gave parents power to allow their children to marry, was “embarrassing.”
The law stipulates that parents had to give their consent to the marriage of their children if they were underage.
He said society needed peace and good relationship.
Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu made the statements while reporting to Parliament about representing Tonga at a conference on child marriage in Nepal on March.
The conference was held in Kathmandu and was attended by 13 countries from the Asia Pacific Region.
The conference discussed the importance of designing and implementing laws and policies to promote accountability and accelerate collective efforts both nationally and sub-regionally for ending early, forced and child marriage.
Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu said he raised his concerns about the situation in Tonga in a paper he read to the conference.
The paper was titled “Engaging men and boys in ending child marriage and promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment”.
Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu told the conference Tonga’s legal framework required marriage to be at age 18 and over.
“The level of drop-outs at the high school level is acute, and creates vulnerabilities to child marriage,” the Deputy speaker said.
“Girls giving birth are still at risk of health complications during childbirth.”
Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu said although child marriage was not a serious issue in Tonga, women faced “discrimination in accessing land and property rights through biased inheritance laws.”
Article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) explicitly prohibits early and forced marriage.
However, the Tongan government has shied away from the Convention in the face of opposition from conservative groups.
According to the Royal Commonwealth Society, health and education are directly and adversely affected by early and forced marriage, with infant mortality rates double for mothers under 20 years old, and 58% lower for mothers with more than seven years of education.
There was also a direct correlation between early and forced marriage and poverty, with girls from poor families more than twice as likely to marry before they reach 18 years old.
UNICEF defines marriage before the age of 18 as a fundamental violation of human rights.
“Many factors interact to place a girl at risk of marriage, including poverty, the perception that marriage will provide ‘protection’, family honour, social norms, customary or religious laws that condone the practice, an inadequate legislative framework and the state of a country’s civil registration system,” a UNICEF statement said..
“Child marriage often compromises a girl’s development by resulting in early pregnancy and social isolation, interrupting her schooling, limiting her opportunities for career and vocational advancement and placing her at increased risk of domestic violence.”
The main points
For more information
Child marriage is a violation of human rights, but is all too common
Global Coalition to End Child Marriage Launched
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
A new shipping route from the United States West Coast and Hawaii to Fiji, Samoa and Tonga has been launched in the South Pacific last week.
MV Islander arrived in Nuku’alofa this week after its maiden arrival in Western Samoa on Friday confirming a link that connects the three islands with the States in only 28 days.
The vessel, which owned by Matson, will leave Tonga to Fiji then back to Honolulu.
It was believed the new direct service was the first in the South Pacific.
Matson’s transportation offerings was “recognized as a leader in Pacific shipping” as “it continues to strengthen its ocean transportation services through fleet enhancements, industry leading on-time arrivals and award-winning customer service”.
A deal with a New Zealand car dealership to sponsor Tonga’s national rugby team has collapsed after the team’s marketing manager apparently demanded more money.
The Tongan sales manager at Henderson Cars in South Auckland, Vaʻa Taliaʻuli, said his company would no longer sponsor the ‘Ikaletahi team.
The sponsorship also involved a plan for the Siutaka rugby team in New Zealand to join the Aoniu tournament in Tonga next month so their players would have a chance to be selected for the ‘Ikaletahi squad.
However, that plan has now come to nothing.
Talia’uli said the dealership received a telephone call last week from a person who identified himself as Siaosi Faka’osi, the marketing manager for ‘Ikaletahi.
Talia’uli said Faka’osi wanted Henderson Cars to pay more sponsorship money, otherwise the ‘Ikaletahi would give the opportunity to another car dealership which, it was claimed, had offered more money.
Talia’uli said he then suggested Henderson Cars could provide $20,000 to sponsor a tournament for the rugby sevens and pay for all costs such as venues but Fakaʻosi did not accept it.
“It reached the point where I hung up the phone,” Talia’uli said.
Talia’uli, who is the vice president of the Siutaka club, said they had also received reliable information that the squad for the ‘Ikaletahi’s upcoming games had already been selected.
He said he thought Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva, who was aware of the original discussions, did not know what Faka’osi had done.
Talia’uli said he was surprised that this had happened as they had met with Hon. Pohiva about the sponsorship and he was happy with the arrangement.
He said they had also met with TRU Chair Fe’ao Vunipola, who also agreed with the sponsorship.
Vunipola told Kaniva News he regretted what had happened.
He said it was unfortunate this had happened as it was important to obtain sponsors for the ‘Ikaletahi.
“I want to apologise to the manager of Henderson Cars for what had happened,” Vunipola said.
He said the incident had not been reported to the TRU.
He said he would investigate what was actually happened before releasing a formal reply.
‘Ikaletahi squad
Vunipola said the information that the ‘Ikaletahi squad had been selected was not true.
He said a “possible touring squad” had been selected, but the real team would be selected on September 30.
He said the TRU reviewed the possible composition of the team from time to time.
He did not say anything about the information given to Kaniva News that the Siutaka had withdrawn from the Aoniu tournament which was supposed to run from September 9 – 17 in Tonga.
Vunipola said work had been undertaken to enable a working partnership between the TRU, New Zealand Siutaka and the Australia Aoniu rugby.
Fakaʻosi could not be reached for comment.
The main points
For more information
Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva criticized over not visiting Tongan victims in Katikati
The Tongan couple who was arrested after they burglarised a 75-year-old woman in El Granada, San Mateo, California has infuriated some of the Tongans who worked as caregivers in the United States.
Antonio, 33, and Zorrana Mapapalangi, 38, were arrested by the sheriff’s deputies after forcing themselves into the victim’s house at the 200 block of Coral Reef Ave on August 14 and escaped with an unknown amount of money.
Det. Salvador Zuno of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed to Kaniva News this morning (NZ Time) the Mapapalangis are of Tongan origins.
The victim told deputies one of the intruders “placed a pillow over her head and tied her wrists together while one of them, whom the victim believed was a woman, demanded money.
“When she declined to reveal the money’s whereabouts, the intruders ransacked the residence”, a press release from the sheriff’s office said.
“Even though the victim couldn’t see the intruders, she heard at least two individuals in her bedroom. The victim believed she recognized the female’s voice as belonging to her caretaker.
“Sheriff’s detectives were able to identify Zoranna Mapapalangi and her husband, Antonio Mapapalangi as suspects in this home invasion. After obtaining a $500,000 arrest warrant for each of them, Sheriff’s detectives located and arrested Antonio, Thursday morning in San Mateo. Later in the afternoon, Sheriff’s detectives located and arrested Zoranna on in Daly City. Both were booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility on felony charges.
A Tongan woman by the name Fatafehi Toki who appeared to have been working in the United States as caretaker for years was infuriated by the Mapapalangis’ action.
She wrote on Facebook in Tongan, “sio hifo kihe kakai pehe fau mani eee talu eku i heni he 79 moe ngaue pehe au kihe eku nofo sea koeni teeki iai hato lekooti palaku pehe hoiiiiiii”. This could be translated into English as: “look at this oh my since I was here in 1979 I did the same work until I left without any such disgusting record”.
Some of the commenters who commented on Kaniva’s Facebook pages and groups when the news was first released over the weekend said the couple’s thoughtless action gave Tongan caregivers who were honest and working hard in the United States bad name.
In 2012 Selu Mataele, 30, and Ane Pailate, 55, were convicted of felony charges of theft after committing a $171,256 elder fraud in East Palo Alto, San Mateo County, California. They were sentenced to 11 months in jail and 5 years probation for defrauding the 82-year-old woman.
Anyone with information regarding the Mapapalangis’ case is encouraged to call Detective Pat Carey at (650) 259-2321 or e-mail him at; pcarey@smcgov.org or Detective Gaby Chaghouri at (650) 259-2314 or e-mail at him at; gchaghouri@smcgov.org. Those who wish to remain anonymous are encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip line at: 1-800-547-2700.
The search for the 20-year-old man from Houma who fell into the sea at the blowholes reconvened but still there was no sign of him this morning.
Police and locals were searching after Melekisēteki Fīnau fell into the sea at Houma Sunday 21.
A relative very close to the family, which we chose not to name, said the victim was the son of Faʻahivalu and Mele Fīnau of Houma.
The source alleged Melekisēteki was chased before he jumped into the rough seas.
It is understood the search was called off last night before the searchers returned to sea this morning.
Tongan flag bearer Pita Taufatofua made a well-oiled exit from the Olympic Games, jumping on stage for a few moments during the closing ceremony in Rio.
Instead of the black costume he wore in the opening ceremony, Taukatofua wore an outfit featuring the word ‘Tonga’ in red.
The taekwondo competitor joined Julia Michaels and Kygo’s performance of their hit “Carry Me,” dancing as rain fell on the Maracana stadium.
Taufatofua also joined fellow athletes with Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho, swimmer Yusra Mardini, representing the Refugee Olympic Team and Syria, Brazilian gymnast Arthur Mariano and runner Shaun Miller of the Bahamas.
Taufatofua lost his taekwondo match against Iranian medal favourite Sajjad Mardani on the weekend, but still managed to keep his fans cheering.
After the match he posted: “Felt soo privileged to get out on those mats and represent Tonga! There are no excuses, I started slow, got caught and lost to a legend of Taekwondo, a great opponent in Iran. Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn!
“It took me 20 years to get here, if it takes another 20 we will bring that Gold home! Thank you for the love, prayers and support without you all we would not be here! Malo Aupito, ofa atu.”
His coach, Master Paula Sitapa told Radio New Zealand they intended to keep going and push towards the Tokyo Olympics in four years time.
“What happened in this Olympics is just the beginning for us and we’d like to keep on going,” Sitapa said
“There’s a lot of things for us to do – especially raising up the next generation and see what we can do more to help and giving back to the communities and all the people that are supporting us.”
The main points
For more information
Tonga’s Pita Taufatofua Returns for Rio Olympics 2016 Closing Ceremony!
Sport: Tonga promises another surprise at Rio closing ceremony
Tongan flag bearer Pita Taufatofua got the coconut oil out for the Olympic Games closing ceremony
A driver has been charged with causing the death of a one-year old son in a crash in Veitongo.
The baby died in Vaiola hospital after the crash on Taufaʻāhau Road on 13 August 2016.
Paletili Afu, 20, of Vaini, has been charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
The baby was among eight passengers including his parents who were riding in an open pickup van which collided with the accused’s BMW.
Both drivers of the crashed vehicles including their passengers were injured and received medical treatment at hospital before they were released home.
The Tonga Forest company’s financial records were destroyed by former staff members, leaving TP$4 million unaccounted for.
Tongan Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva told Parliament the staff burnt the financial records and other company possessions before they left.
Hon. Pōhiva said the records of the government-controlled entity could not be recovered.
He told the House the Auditor General had spent five years trying to unravel Tonga Forest’s financial affairs.
Minister of Public Enterprise, Poasi Tei, whose ministry controlled Tonga Forest, said the government had complained to the Police who were investigating the matter.
However, Hon. Pōhiva said he had met Police Commissioner Stephen Caldwell and his Deputy ‘Unga Fa’aoa who told him nothing had been done so far.
The Speaker did not ask the prime Minister or the Minister to clarify whether there was an investigation or not.
Instead, he said the courts would have the final say.
Police Commissioner vs Minister of Police
However, Lord Nuku joined in and said the public believed no investigation was taking place.
Some MPs voiced their concerns over the fact the Minister of Police appeared to have no power over the force.
All the powers to run the Police rested with the Commissioner of Police who was elected by a Privy Council panel, according to the constitution.
The Prime Minister agreed with a statement by Lord Tuʻilakepa that the House should change the constitution so the Minister of Police could control the Police Commissioner and officers.
The Speaker reminded the House that it was they who voted to give the power to control the Police Force to the Police Commissioner and they had the power to alter that law.
2015 Statement
In June 2015 Hon. Pōhiva submitted to his cabinet a proposal for an inquiry to be made into the Tonga Forest company.
A government statement at the time said: “Financial records and accounts of TFPL from 2011 to May 2015 pertaining to the Tonga Development Bank (TDB) loan of $4.9 million could not be located on the premises of TPFL.”
The statement said it was believed the former Accountant and Financial Manager of Tonga Forest, Ms. Glenda Hiyao and former Chief Executive Officer, Mr. David Edwards handled the draw-downs and disbursements of the loan funds and would know the whereabouts of the financial records of the corporation.
In a statement released to the media at the time Mr Edwards said: “The allegations are politically motivated and such persons are using your good office and its independence to be involved in a matter which should be properly investigated, handed to the company’s privately legal officers and if verifiable with clear evidence passed onto the Police for further investigation”.
Tonga’s forest industry has recently been the subject of a rescue deal involving a Maori iwi headed by controversial businessman Roger Pikia, who was described by the New Zealand Supreme Court as having committed fraud.
The main points
For more information
Tongan forestry deal centres on controversial businessman; PM laments lack of due diligence
Tongan taekwondo competitor Pita Taufatofua didn’t win this weekend, going down 16-1 to his opponent, Iranian medal favourite Sajjad Mardani, but he still managed to catch the attention of the world’s press because of his attitude.
The New York Daily News reported that Mardani “demolished” the Tongan, but did so against a backdrop of fans chanting “Tonga!”
In an interview with leading American sporting magazine Sports Illustrated, he sounded as if losing was less important than making people aware of Tonga.
“To me, that’s what the Olympics is about, Taufatofua said.
“It’s about bringing people who don’t know each other and have different cultural and religious beliefs or views together as one. We’re all human beings.”
Taufatofua spent 20 years trying to be selected for the Olympics.
“I’ve had a tough life growing up, but now I’ve got a pretty OK life,” he told Sports Illustrated.
“But for me the important thing is getting out to the world our message, getting Tonga out to the world.”
The Brisbane-based athlete, who trained in South Auckland before the Games, posted a message before his saying he had sacrificed a great deal to get to Rio.
“The truth isn’t glamorous, it isn’t shiny. The truth is that I have had more injuries than I can count, that I have lost more matches than I have won, that I have gone through massive financial hardship and lost very close relationships in pursuit of the dream.”
The main points
For more information
Tonga flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua making the most of unexpected Olympic fame
Rio Olympics 2016: Tongan flagbearer shares his reality before taking to mat
