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Speaker receives no confidence motion in Pōhiva

By
Kalino Latu
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The Speaker of Parliament Lord Tu’ivakano has announced he has received submission of a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva yesterday Thursday 2.

The House chief clerk Gloria Pole’o has confirmed the move in a letter to Members of Parliament yesterday.

It said the motion was submitted together with supporting documents.

The announcement did not say who submitted the no confidence motion.

The motion will be put to the Parliamentary Privileges Standing Committee for a review before it would be distributed to all members of the Legislative Assembly, it said.

The Committee will meet today Friday 3 at 2pm, the announcement said.

It said a date for the motion of vote of no confidence will be announced once the Standing Committee finished screening the submission.

The motion has a formal constitutional force which is stipulated by clause 50B of the Tongan constitution.

READ MORE

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Tonga Post adopts new three word addresses

By
Philip Cass
-

Tonga Post has adopted a new system that claims to be able to give everybody in the world a unique three word address based on a computerised mapping system.

Launched in 2013, What3words uses a grid of the world made up of 57 trillion squares of three metres by three metres. Each square has been given a three-word English address. What3words has named the 17 trillion squares on land with three words in various other languages.

Home delivery in Tonga has been restricted to express mail in Nuku’alofa. Any other mail would be sent to centralised PO Boxes, with the recipient responsible for collection.

Tonga Post said this had resulted in high volumes of undelivered mail, which took up valuable space and incurred extra costs for Tonga Post.

What3words is being used in more than 170 countries. Tonga is the first country in the Pacific to adopt the system.

Homes and businesses can find their three word address via the free what3words app or online map site. Customers can then use the three word address to send and receive mail, and during the checkout process on e-commerce websites.

“With the amount of international mail and e-commerce rapidly rising, it is essential we have the delivery infrastructure in place to service our customers’ needs,” Tonga Post CEO Siosifa Pomana said.

“Given that the whole of Tonga already has pre-assigned three word addresses it means we can roll out our service immediately.”

Tonga Post is planning an expansive education campaign, including visiting customers’ homes, providing brochures, flyers and other informational material.

The main points

  • Tonga Post has adopted a new system that claims to be able to give everybody in the world a unique three word address based on a computerised mapping system.
  • Launched in 2013, What3words uses a grid of the world made up of 57 trillion squares of three metres by three metres.
  • Tonga is the first country in the Pacific to adopt the system.
  • Homes and businesses can find their three word address via the free what3words app or online map site.

Minister denies Nepituno Online claim constituency fund pays for Vavaʻu fuel

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga’s Health Minister Saia Piukala rejected claims made on the Nepituno website that he used part of his constituency fund to help pay for fuel transported from Tongatapu to Vavaʻu last year.

Hon. Piukala said the claim was untrue and he did not say that during a conversation with the editor Dr. Viliami Latu.

He said the constituency budget was controlled by Parliament and the funds for 2016-2017 have already been distributed among his constituents.

He said Nepituno should have double checked their facts before publishing their story.

The Minister said Dr. Latu did not tell him that he was going to publish the conversation they had during a party in Vavaʻu.

“Is it ethical and professional for a journalist to just collect ʻtalanoa faikavaʻ (talking at kava circles) and publishing them without getting confirmation from the sources to make sure they got all the facts before publishing them?”, Hon. Piukala said.

Dr. Latu did not deny what Hon. Piukala has rejected his story, saying he just published what the Minister had told him to.

Dr. Latu told Kaniva News he respected Hon. Piukala’s reaction to the story.

He said he thought the way Hon. Piukala was talking to him and others during the party was a hint for him to publish what he was talking about.

“The issue is important and because I raised it before, I found the conversation with him as an opportunity to clarify it”, Dr Latu said.

The fuel was transported from Tongatapu to Vavaʻu by former government Minister and outgoing MP for Vavaʻu, ʻEtuate Lavulavu at a time when the northern island group had not had any new fuel shipments for weeks.

Giant underwater cloud points to seabed eruption near Tonga

By
Philip Cass
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A giant green cloud in the ocean near Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu could be a clue to a huge underwater eruption.

The cloud was photographed  by a NASA satellite late last month and spotted by a University of Auckland scientist.

It is near where a new island has formed after an earlier eruption at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015.

The island is 33km  offshore from Tongatapu.

University of Auckland coastal geomorphologist Dr Murray Ford said he had been using NASA’s Landsat pictures to study the kilometre-wide island, which is made of ash and large rock fragments.

“It’s come out of nowhere,” Dr Ford told the New Zealand Herald.

He said the underwater plume was 30km long and 20km wide.

The plume, appearing as a greenish cloud in the ocean, was captured by the open-source US Geological Survey/NASA Landsat 8 satellite on January 27.

“It’s come out of nowhere,” said Ford, who immediately contacted volcanologists at the university.

“It was pretty unusual to get an image without any cloud in it – and then I saw this big, turbid plume of volcanic debris, so I checked in with our volcanologists to see what was going on.”

Dr Ford told Radio New Zealand the plume should be visible to mariners sailing through the area.

“Any boats passing through or fishing might notice some discolouration of the water but I’m not too sure whether it would be visible from land,” he said.

Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences volcanologist Brad Scott said GNS scientists were contacting colleagues in Tonga.

“We are relatively confident that these images are representing a submarine eruption,” Dr Scott said.

The plume appears to come from a site that last erupted between December 1998 and January 1999.

The  main points

  • A giant green cloud in the ocean near Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu could be a clue to a huge underwater eruption.
  • The cloud was photographed by a NASA satellite late last month and spotted by a University of Auckland scientist.
  • It is near where a new island has formed after an earlier eruption at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015.
  • The island is 33km offshore from Tongatapu.

For more information

NZ scientist discovers huge undersea eruption

Scientist discovers underwater eruption in Tonga

 

NASA/Landsat imagery

Vaomapa starts new ferry services in Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
-

A new interisland service has been started in Tonga after the new ferry, the MV Vaomapa was commissioned on Saturday last week.

It was operated by the Tofa Ramasay Enterprise, a shipping company not new to Tongans.

General Manager Tuna Mailangi Ramsay Likiliki said her grandparents Tofa and Mele Ramsay started the business 60 years ago with a 7.62 metre ferry known as MV Taufale.

The ferry was captained by Tofa and the purser was Mele, she said.

The new 140 -ton ferry can carry up to 250 passengers and was commissioned at Queen Salote wharf in Nukualofa.

The company has announced the fees for ‘Eua on its Facebook page.

“The prices are $20 for adults, $15 for students, $10 for children and it is free of charge for kids under the age of 5”.

The 47 metre ferry was bought from South Korea.

Escaped prisoners caught after two days on the run

By
Kalino Latu
-

Viliami Kupu and ‘Amoni Fifita were  arrested in Tongatapu last night and are being held in police custody.

“Kupu was located at Hofoa yesterday Wednesday 1st February at 7:35pm while Fifita was located at Ha’ateiho early this morning at 4:00am”, Deputy Police Commissioner Pelenatita Vaisuai said.

“Police would like to thank members of the public for the information and assistance provided during the search for the 2 escaped prisoners”.

READ MORE

Police: Escaped prisoners armed and dangerous

Hawkes bay beach volleyball star honours her Tongan roots

By
Todd Henry
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16-year-old Alisi Mataele-Katoa will compete in the upcoming junior and senior secondary schools’ beach volleyball competition on February 15.

She also recently competed in the Hawke’s Bay Secondary Schools Junior and Senior Beach Volleyball at the East Pierin Ahuriri, Napier, on January 28.

Mataele-Katoa regularly competes in indoor volleyball and netball, and is known for her tall stature and exceptional skills on the court that she considers to be a gift from God.

Hailing from Flaxmere, Hastings, she was raised in a very religious Tongan household where she grew up attending church with her parents Malia and Siaosi.

Mataele-Katoa’s upbringing in the Tongan Methodist church, along with her deep respect for her own Polynesian heritage means that she does not sport the revealing outfit commonly worn by female beach volleyball competitors during matches.  She instead opts to wear shorts and a t-shirt.

Speaking of the bikini-style uniforms worn by other competitors, Mataele-Katoa says “No, I’ll never wear anything like that because I’m shy and I know my roots as a Poly girl.”

Volleyball HB operations manager Tony Barnett says beach volleyball is fairly new in Hawkes Bay because the sand isn’t the best consistency for the sport.  Because of this, people are often drawn to playing indoor volleyball instead.

In terms of her newfound interest in beach volleyball, she says “I’ve watched it on TV and I like it but I’ve never had the chance to try it out.  I’d like to give it a try because it’s something I’ve never had a go at before”.

Mataele-Katoa is well known for her ability to forcefully spike the ball back over to the other side of the net during volleyball matches.  “I love how you can smash the ball,” she says.

Despite her reputation of being a powerhouse on the court, she is currently building other skills under the guidance of her coaches who hope to mould her into an even more well-rounded player.

Mataele-Katoa is also a distinguished netballer, and she is glad that the volleyball and netball seasons do not overlap with one another.  However, she easily identifies volleyball as her favoured choice between the two sports “because volleyball training is a lot more fun.”

This story first appeared on New Zealand Herald

Dangerous armed fugitives still on loose

By
Kalino Latu
-

Two armed prisoners wanted after they escaped the Central Police Custody and robbed a shop owner at gun-point remains on the loose nearly two days after police first began looking for them.

Viliami Kupu and Amoni Fifita aged in their 20s were considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, police say.

They escaped from the Central Police Custody at approximately 05:30am Tuesday 31 January, 2017.

With no fresh leads, police today made a new appeal to the public for any sightings of the duo.

The fugitives were last seen at approximately 3:00pm Monday at Kolovai, where they robbed a shop owner at gun-point, Deputy Police Commissioner Pelenatita Vaisuai said.

Kupu was wearing a black t-shirt with a black short, and Fifita was wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt, greenish shorts and a blue cap.

Kupu has been in custody for grievous bodily harm charges and Fifita for robbery/theft charges.

“Kupu and Fifita are considered dangerous and for this reason the Tactical Response Group was deployed”, Vaisuai said.

If anyone has any information on their whereabouts, they can contact their local Police station.

If you see them, please do not approach and call 922 immediately.

“We remind anyone who may be helping Kupu and Fifita that assisting a prisoner to evade Police is a crime and you may become the subject of Police attention. If we find evidence of this occurring you could be charged with a criminal offence”.

READ MORE

Police: Escaped prisoners armed and dangerous

TBC broadcasting services get funding boost from government

By
Malia Lesina Kelela Latu
-

The Tongan government has invested TOP$200,000 this year in enhancing Tonga Broadcasting services around Tonga islands.

The money is to help “sustains its operation and acquiring of equipment” according to a cabinet decision on January 11, 2017 seen by Kaniva News.

The grant was made after the government’s funding broadcaster had delivered a TOP$30,000 dividend this year.

The funding indicated the government undertook to support the national broadcaster despite recent incidents in which Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva strongly accused its staffers for producing programmes that intended to discredit his government.

READ MORE

TMC denies Ulakai’s claim she requested press conference with PM on behalf of Media Council

TMC denies Ulakai’s claim she requested press conference with PM on behalf of Media Council

Senior journalist remains silent on PM’s charge she wrote e-mail attributed to Media Council

Bringing fairness to Tonga’s state broadcaster

Son arrested for machete attack of his father and a brother

By
Alpha Latu
-

A 26-year-old man was arrested after he attacked his 60-year-old father and a brother in Fasi on Saturday.

The father was severely injured and he was in hospital in a critical condition.

The assailant’s brother was injured while he tried to intervene and defended their father,  Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC) reported.

TBC  said the accused was known to Police and he has been treated in Vaiola hospital for his psychiatric issues.

He has been charged with grievous bodily harm and remains in custody to be appeared in court this week.

Police investigation continues.

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