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Sport training for Games 2019 begins despite rift between Tonga and PGC

By
Kalino Latu
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A number of athletes and staff were expected to be at Teufaiva park today as Tonga began its preparation for the Games 2019 despite the impasse between the Tongan government and the Pacific Games Council (PGC) continues.

Tonga’s Sport Minister Feʻao Vakatā said sports such as netball, ping pong, taekwondo and table tennis began their preparation with team exercises and clinics.

He said the athletes used whatever sport facilities available at present until the new construction will be completed.

He said they were looking for funding so they could be able to send the athletes to overseas countries which have the latest modern sporting facilities such as PNG to train there.

When asked to comment on the government’s move to withdraw its suport for the Games if the PGC continues to endorse Lord Sevele ʻO Vailahi as head of the Games Organising Committee, the Minister said the law is clear.

He said Tonga is a sovereign state and if there is an issue with the PGC they should sort  it out.

He declined to comment further saying he has just arrived from Guam and would like to concentrate on his schedule and the first thing was today’s event to start preparing the atheletes.

PNG agents

Hon Vakatā said two agents from Papua New Guinea have just left Tonga yesterday Tuesday 31.

They were in the kingdom as part of following up works before they could release grants to fund Tonga’s preparation for the Games.

READ MORE

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Government would welcome losing 2019 Games if PGC supports Lord Sevele

First Tongan judge appointed in New Zealand

By
Alpha Latu
-

Judge Mina Wharepouri has been appointed District Court judge in Manukau, New Zealand.

His mother is Tongan and he comes from Kolomotu’a, Tongatapu.

Wharepouri  became the first Tongan justice in the history of  New Zealand after he was appointed to the district court today Wednesday 1.

He told media he was “a traditional, working class.”

“We were working poor before that became popular. My parents struggled to make sure there was a roof overhead and food in the cupboard.”

Judge Wharepouri did not forget his mother Melenaite Vaka.

“Were it not for your hard work and love I could have been sitting in dock of courtroom rather than here on the bench.”

READ MORE:

Tongan appointed as Acting District Court Judge in New Zealand

Claude Tupou signs contract as Education CEO following further negotiation

By
Kalino Latu
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Claude Tupou has signed his contract yesterday Tuesday 31 to officially become the new CEO for Tonga’s Ministry of Education and Training (MET).

This came after Tupou agreed to quit as acting CEO in March and became Deputy CEO for Secondary Schools, a  position he previously held.

The government announced at the time the shift was to allow further negotiations on Tupou’s contract agreement.

MET said this morning Tupou has signed “his contract yesterday, thus his contract as the new CEO for Education and Training was effective as of yesterday, 31 May 2016”.

“He will be stationed at the Ministry’s Head Office, Vuna Road as from today, 1st June 2016”, the statement said.

Government would welcome losing 2019 Games if PGC supports Lord Sevele

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet Dr Palenitina Langaʻoi has told the Pacific Games Council the kingdom would welcome being dropped as host of the 2019 Games

Dr Langa’oi’s comments came in a strongly worded letter, which has been seen by Kaniva News. It was sent in response to a warning by the Chair of the Pacific Games Council that Tonga could lose the competition if it sacked Lord Sevele-‘O-Vailahi as chair of the kingdom’s Games Organising Committee.

The letter said the government would stand by its decision to dismiss Lord Sevele.

It was dated May 20, just a week before the government removed him from his position.

Now the Tongan Government has told the Pacific Games Council it would stop financially supporting the Games Organising Committee if it continues to endorse Lord Sevele as committee chair.

Dr Langaʻoi said the government would welcome a decision  to cancel Tonga as the host of the next Games.

“The government of Tonga is prepared to withdraw all of its funding and support towards the operations of the OC should the matter at hand remain unresolved,” she said.

“The government of Tonga welcomes the PGC to withdraw the Pacific Games of 2019 from Tonga if you insist on your own unwarranted terms and conditions.”

Today the President of the Pacific Games Council, Vidhya Lakhan, hit back and told the Tongan government its move to terminate Lord Sevele’s office was “null and void.”

He said the power to terminate or appoint members of Tonga’s organising committee rested with the kingdom’s national sporting body, TASANOC and the Pacific Games Committee, not the government.

However, the Tongan government has defended its actions, saying it had acted in the best interests of the country. It said the government was bound by the Tonga Pacific Games Organisation Act of 2013, along with TASANOC and the Pacific Games Committee.

Last week the Tongan government demanded the Pacific Organising Committee’s Chairman Lord Sevele vacate his office on Friday, May 27 by 4.30pm.

The government also announced it had appointed Tonga’s Solicitor General Sione Sisifā as the Interim CEO and Chairman of the Organising Committee (OC) until further notice.

In a press release issued last Friday, May 27, the government said its decision to remove Lord Sevele was based on a significant downgrading of his role since the Government Facilities Committee took over most of the committee’s duties.

It said that as a sovereign state Tonga would not submit to the Pacific Games Committee when it came to deciding who to employ to facilitate the successful implementation of the Games.

Radio Australia quoted Lord Sevele this evening as saying the games belonged to Tonga and not its government.

The main points

  • Tonga’s Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet Dr Palenitina Langaʻoi has told the Pacific Games Council it would welcome being dropped as host of the 2019 Games
  • Dr Langaʻoi’s comments came in a strongly worded letter, which was sent in response to a warning by the Chair of the Pacific Games Council that Tonga could lose the competition if it sacked Lord Sevele-‘o-Vailahi as chair of the kingdom’s Games Organising Committee.
  • Last week the Tongan government demanded the Pacific Organising Committee’s Chairman Lord Sevele-‘O-Vailahi vacate his office on May 27.
  • It said Tonga would not submit to the Pacific Games Committee on who to employ.

Prisoner pleads guilty to “terrifying” attempted rape of Japanese volunteer worker last October

By
Philip Cass
-

Lopeti Talafekau Soafa has pleaded guilty to the attempted rape of a Japanese volunteer worker last year.

Soafa, 18, was sentenced to four years imprisonment by Hon. Justice Cato in the Supreme Court.

The assault occurred about 7.30pm on October 16 last year when Soafa tricked his way into the woman’s house.

In his report on the case, Justice Cato said the assault had been a terrifying  and  humiliating  experience  for a  young  woman  who   had  come  to  Tonga  on  voluntary  service.

She was flown home by the Japanese authorities after the attack.

“She does not accept the prisoner’s apology for what she described , in my view appropriately, as ‘these horrible crimes.”

Soafa was drunk when he assaulted the Japanese woman, who fought back and screamed for help.

Passers-by heard her cries and saw the pair struggling.  Soafa escaped  through  the bedroom window, but left behind some of his clothes and a mobile phone.

He admitted to the assault when he was arrested.

Hon. Justice Cato said he reduced Soafa’s sentence to four years and mitigated the last 12 months because of the prisoner’s youth, his early guilty plea and acceptance of responsibility and some attempts to rehabilitate himself by involvement with a church group.

Once released, Soafa will be on probation for 12 months, during which time he must not  make any attempt to contact the complainant in Japan and must attend a course on alcohol and drug abuse run  by the Salvation Army and a course  on  sexual abuse at the Woman’s Crisis Centre.

The main points

  • Lopeti Talafekau Soafa has pleaded guilty to the attempted rape of a Japanese volunteer worker last year.
  • Soafa, 18, was sentenced to four years imprisonment by Hon. Justice Cato in the Supreme Court.
  • The assault occurred on October 16 last year when Soafa tricked his way into the woman’s house.
  • In his report on the case, Justice Cato said the assault had been a terrifying and  humiliating  experience  for a  young  woman  who   had  come  to  Tonga  on  voluntary

New campaign shows harmful effects of secondhand smoke on children

By
Alpha Latu
-

A new tobacco control campaign was launched today in Tonga to warn people about the deadly effects of second-hand smoke exposure on children.

The campaign, known as Tuku Ifi Leva (quit smoking now) by the Ministry of Health says 46 percent of men and 13 percent of women smoking tobacco in Tonga are among the highest in the world.

“Up to half of these men and women can be expected to die as a direct result of their smoking habits”, the Ministry of Health said.

Dr Reynold ‘Ofanoa, Chief Medical Officer Public Health at the Ministry of Health, said today:  “We know that smokers will lose about 10 years of their life. That is ten years without children, families and loved ones. We believe all Tongans have rights to live smokefree”.

And to stand an even better chance of quitting, Tongan residents are encouraged to contact Health Ministry on its new  toll-free Quitline 0800 333.

The commitment by the government to help reduce smoking to minimal levels reached an important phase early this year  after Parliament passed  a new tobacco law  prohibiting smoking in bars, clubs, restaurants and a range of other places.

The Tuku Ifi Leva campaign was  part of The Tonga National Strategy to Prevent and Control Non-Communicable Disease 2015-2020 (The National NCD Strategy).

“Ongoing delivery of the National NCD Strategy, including the Tuku Ifi Leva campaign, is made possible through the support of the Australian Government, the Tonga Health Promotion Foundation (TongaHealth), and the World Health Organization”.

Judge describes “Jeckyll and Hyde” prisoner’s assault on wife as “callous and very cruel”

By
Philip Cass
-

A man who threw a pot of boiling water over his wife will serve four years in jail.

Siosaia Langi Naufahu was convicted by Hon. Justice Cato, who said the attack was pre-meditated and had left his wife mentally and physically scarred.

The attack occurred around daybreak on August 24 last year when the wife was preparing breakfast at their house in Sopu.

In his report on the case, the judge said Naufahu drank, was controlling and there had been domestic violence in the past. The couple had been married for 30 years and had nine children.

The marriage had deteriorated over the years, particularly since she returned from a course in Vanuatu in 2009. The judge said the marriage was unhappy and violent. The court was told that the wife had conducted a number of extramarital relationships.

Hon. Justice Cato said Naufahu  had at one time run a reasonably successful business. He said the prisoner appeared to present one image to the public, but was another person at home.

The judge described this as “a Jekyll and Hyde personality” and occurred “particularly…  where   alcohol   has  been  involved.”

As a result of the attack his wife received burns to 35-40% of her body and was on life support for five days. One hand and eye have been permanently damaged.

“A victim impact report states that she was in  hospital  for  a month after  that,” Hon Justice Cato said.

“She was obviously in great pain and the report indicates that not only she has residual physical effects from  the incident but she has suffered understandingly marked psychological  effects  as well.

“It must have been a terrifying experience  for her. Sadly, it would seem some of the children  in the large family  of  nine  seem to taken the side of the father despite the cruel nature of their father’s offending”.

The judge said the family still had four children who needed support. The wife has not returned home and plans to file for divorce.

Naufahu was sentenced to five and a half years in jail, with 18 months mitigated. He was also sentenced to 10 months for domestic violence, to be served at the same time as the main sentence.

The final part of his sentence was suspended on condition that he be of good behaviour for two years following his release, that he attend a course on drug and alcohol addiction run by the Salvation Army, that he attend a course on domestic violence run the Women’s Crisis Centre and that he have no contact with his wife unless she indicates to his probation officer that she is willing to see him.

The main points

  • A man who threw a pot of boiling water over his wife will serve four years in jail.
  • Siosaia Langi Naufahu was convicted by Hon. Justice Cato, who said the attack was pre-meditated and had left his wife mentally and physically scarred.
  • As a result of the attack his wife received burns to 35-40% of her body and was on life support for five days. One hand and eye have been permanently damaged.
  • Naufahu was sentenced to five and a half years in jail, with 18 months mitigated. He was also sentenced to 10 months for domestic violence, to be served at the same time as the main sentence.

For more information 

Women and Children Crisis Centre Tonga

Salvation Army Nuku’alofa

Public holiday announced for Tupou College 150 anniversary

By
Kalino Latu
-

The government of Tonga has announced June 22, 2016 a special public holiday to mark Tupou College’s 150th anniversary.

The oldest boys boarding school in the kingdom is celebrating its anniversary next month with the first event on June 17.

The six-day celebration will be concluded on June 24 with an evening prayer service organised by the college and representatives from Newington College in Sydney.

The two colleges have a long history of connection since the founder of Tupou College Late Dr James Eagan Moulton was a lecturer at Newington before he was approached by Late King Tupou 1 to come to Tonga and started the college in 1866.

Paying homeless to get out of town no answer to housing crisis

By
Kalino Latu
-

Paula Bennett’s offer of $5,000 to get homeless families out of Auckland is just a cynical, desperate ploy to look like she’s doing something about the housing crisis, says Jenny Salesa, MP for Manukau East.

You’d think she would have learnt from her previous attempt to push South Auckland Pacific people out and drive them to small South Island towns that had only six or so spare houses state houses and insufficient support for employment placements.

“There was strong push-back from the regions then, which hadn’t been consulted and didn’t have spare houses or support infrastructure for these families.

“Many of the people desperate for a home are working. They have children at local schools. They are part of communities. Paying them to walk away from a job and their support networks here and shift to a distant town is just not an option for many families.

“The Minster’s recent emergency-housing-fund announcement was more of the same. She was forced to admit that the 3,000 “new” places for emergency accommodation she’d promised were not actually new at all, just existing beds.

“Emergency accommodation in Auckland is so full that vulnerable, homeless families are being put up in motels, which is plunging them into unmanageable debt. They must eventually pay back to Work and Income the costs of their emergency housing stay at motels, which could be thousands of dollars.

“Neither of these “answers” is going to get desperate families out of sleeping in cars or overcrowded garages before winter sets in. These ill-conceived, knee-jerk reactions, are not well considered plans to address Auckland’s runaway

Labour MP Jenny Salesa Latu
Labour MP Jenny Salesa Latu

housing crisis.

“This is yet more evidence this Government’s housing policy is a shambles and is failing many New Zealand families. In eight years they’ve barely dented the more than 40,000 house shortfall which Auckland is facing let alone kept up with the extra 13,000 new homes needed each year just to keep up with population increases. Their new budget doesn’t address the housing crisis either.

“A society is judged by how it looks after and cares for its most vulnerable citizens. In this respect, in the area of housing, the national Government has failed our poor and vulnerable children.

“This out-of-touch Government must realise that the obvious thing to do in a housing crisis is to stop selling state houses and to build more homes. This is what Labour would do,” says Jenny Salesa.

Contact: Jenny Salesa 021 940 863

Government terminates Lord Sevele’s Pacific Games office

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Tongan government has announced the termination of the South Pacific Games Chairman Lord Sevele-‘O-Vailahi on May 27, 2016 at 4.30pm.

The government has appointed Tonga’s Solicitor General Sione Sisifā as the Interim CEO and Chairman of the Organising Committee (OC) until further notice.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said: “This decision is based on the significant downgrade of the role of the OC CEO/Chairman since 5 February 2016.

“This occurred when the Government Facilities Committee (GFC) took over the majority of the OC’s role and having inherited over 60 percent of the responsibilities of the OC CEO/Chairman.

“The position is currently being re-evaluated by the Remuneration Authority before it will be re-advertised in due course”.

The news came after the Pacific Games Council chair Vidhy Lakhan warned the kingdom could lose the international tournament.

Lakhan told Tonga’s Audit and Governance Committee which is headed by the Prime Minister that if its proposal to ask for Lord Sevele’s resignation as chair of the Games’ organising committee went ahead, the Pacific Games Council would start looking at the termination clauses of the host country agreement signed by Tonga.

The government however said in its media statement today Tonga is a sovereign state and it has the right to decide what is best to do  to make sure the Games will be successful.

“The decision is in line with Tonga as a sovereign state, Tonga’s Public Financial Management Act for frugal and prudent utilization of its public funds, and the Pacific Games Organization Act 2013 aimed for the successful implementation of the PG2019 in Tonga”, the statement said.

“The PG2019 belongs to the Pacific Games Council (PGC) but its successful implementation depends to a larger extent in the hosting country – the recipient of their product. The Government of Tonga, as a sovereign state, is not to submit to the PGC to decide for Tonga on who to employ to facilitate the PG2019”.

READ MORE

PM waits for advice from department heads after Lord Sevele refuses to resign from Olympic body

PM waits for advice from department heads after Lord Sevele refuses to resign from Olympic body

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