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

By
Kalino Latu
-

TMC President Lady Luseane Vaea Luani said today the name Tonga Media Council could not be used by the individual members for personal agendas and she did not know about a request for a press conference with the Prime Minister on behalf of the national body.

Lady Luani was officially responding after the Prime Minister’s Office accused the Radio Television Tonga’s manager for news programmes Viola Ulakai for misleading the Office in a request she said was from TMC but it turned out it was made at her own request.

On March 2 Mrs Ulakai sent an email addressed to Mr Claude Tupou, the then Acting Chief Executive Officer for Education and Training requesting for a press conference regarding issues related to the Ministry, a portfolio under the control of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s office declined the request and later said it found out that Ulakai’s request was not endorsed by the TMC.

When Kaniva News contacted Ulakai on Monday for a comment she did not deny what the Office has released against her. She told us  that the TMC would send a press release on the matter shortly.

Lady Luani has released a statement this morning saying she did not know about Ulakai’s request for the press conference on behalf of TMC and reiterated the brand could not be used by the individual without the council’s endorsement.

“I was not aware of Mrs. Viola Ulakai using the Tonga Media Council name for any reason. I was not engaged nor were my employers (FM 87.5) involved in any communication in her request for interviews for media coverage,” Lady Luani said.

The Queen’s young sister said: “The name Tonga Media Council is as it says, implying that the body represents all media practitioners in Tonga,” .

“This does not in any way state that it should be used by individuals”, Lady Luani said.

“There have been many speculations and dialogue on the matter and as the President for the Tonga Media Council, I will take the fall for the Council’s shortcoming and mistake.

“I sincerely apologise to the Honourable Prime Minister of Tonga and anyone else who has been affected by this dire circumstance. We are at fault and let this be a lesson for us to be more diligent in our work in leading the Tonga Media Council forward,” Luani said.

READ MORE:

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

Tongan gang member could serve 40 years for double killing in US

By
Kalino Latu
-

US authority said Nitokalisi Niki Fonua, 33, could serve 40 years for fatally shooting a woman who slept on a couch and a man in a garage in Salt Lake City.

Fonua was sentenced to 20 years for the 2009 fatal shooting of 21-year-old Krystal Flores and another 20 years for shooting dead of the 34-year-old Vilami Latu, in the garage in 2007.

The court was told Fonua shot Flores after he and others entered the wrong home when they sought revenge on rival gang members.

His accomplices were Alexander Bloomfield, 35, and Pailate K. Lomu, 26, and George Blake Angilau, 25.

Bloomfield and Lomu  are scheduled for trials later this year while no court dates are currently set for Angilau.

In June 2007 Fonua shot Latu after he entered the residence, near 1800 West and 630 North, to collect on a debt, the court was told.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Fonua pleaded guilty to both killings on April 6.

“At his sentencing, Fonua expressed his remorse and regret and apologized to the victims’ families and to his own family.

Latu’s mother, Mete Latu, said that she forgives Fonua. Latu’s daughter, Arianna Akauloa, asked for leniency, “because there’s been enough pain and heartache to go around.””

Land Court declares Minister has no power to overturn grant  and give land to somebody else

By
Philip Cass
-

The Land Court has overturned an attempt by the Minister of Lands to take away a block of land that was given to a New Zealand-based Tongan 18 years ago and give it to another man.

In February 1997 Havea Folau was allocated land belonging to the estate of Noble Ma’afu, the father of the present title holder, who is Minister of Lands.

The land was granted as a reward for raising funds for a sound system for a Seventh Day Adventist Church in the area.  The then Noble Ma’afu’s daughter was involved in the fund raising in New Zealand.

The land in Vaini is between Beulah  College, where Mr Folau taught before moving to New Zealand, and  Hu’atolitoli  Prison.

The land was not registered in Mr Folau’s name, although he believed he had fulfilled all the legal requirements for his application.

When he moved to New Zealand Mr Folau maintained his contact with Vaini and arranged for a  former  co-teacher  at  Beulah  College,  Vaioleti  ‘Ofa,  to look  after  the  allotment  for  him.

The court was told that in 2000  Sione  Taione,  who occupied  the   allotment   immediately to the south of Mr Folau’s land, gained Mr.  Folau’s permission to use  and  maintain  the  allotment.

Sione tried unsuccessfully to persuade Mr Folau to sell him the land.

Then, on June 24, 2014, without telling Mr. Folau what he was doing, Sione Taione lodged an application with the Minister of Lands for the land to go to his son Johnny.

Noble Ma’afu signed his consent as estate holder on June 26 and 10 days later, in his role as Minister for Lands, ordered the Secretary of Lands to cancel Mr Folau’s application for the allotment and process Taione’s application instead.

In  2015,  the   Minister granted and then registered the land (Deed of Grant Tohi 354 Folio 93) in the name of Johnny Taione.

Mr Folau told the court  he was  not consulted  by the  Minister and said the land  was     not  available for granting   to  Taione. Accordingly, the grant made  to Taione  was unlawful and should     be declared  null and void.

He argued that he had  satisfied  all  other requirements  of the  Land Act  and that there was  nothing  more for  him or  the  Minister to  do  but to  await  the  deed  of  grant  for  signature  and  registration.

Folau was never officially informed of the Minister’s decision and only learned of it when contacted by a   member of the  Lands Department by Facebook. Attempts to arrange a meeting with the Minister to discuss the issue were unsuccessful.

In his decision, the president of the Land Court, O.G.Paulsen, said he was satisfied that the land was allocated to Mr Folau, based on the evidence of the procedures followed at the time.

He said that there continued  to  be  long delays  in  the  preparation  and registration  of  deeds  of  grant  for land.

“It would  be quite wrong  for  someone  in  Mr.  Folau’s position  to  be  deprived  of  his land as a  result,” Mr Paulsen said.

He dismissed arguments by the Minister’s advocate that Mr Folau could not object to the transfer of the land because it was out of time.

He said the Minister’s actions constituted a breach of natural justice.

Mr Paulsen said Mr.  Folau  had established  his entitlement  to the  land and as  result the  Minister had  no  power  to  cancel  the  grant  or  to  make  a  grant  of  the  land  and register  it  in  the  name  of  Johnny  Taione.

“I declare  that  the  grant  and  registration  of  the  land  in  Deed  of  Grant Tohi  354  Folio  93  in  the  name  of  Johnny  Taione  to  be  unlawful  and invalid and order that  it is to  be cancelled forthwith,” Mr Paulsen said.

“I also order that the  said  land  (Lot  5  SP5879)   is  forthwith  to  be  registered  into  the name of  Mr. Folau.”

The court awarded costs against all the defendants.

The main points

  • The Land Court has overturned an attempt by the Minister of Lands to take away a block of land that was given to a New Zealand-based Tongan 18 years ago and give it to another man.
  • In February 1997 Havea Folau was allocated land belonging to the estate of Noble Ma’afu, the father of the present title holder and Minister of Lands.
  • In his decision, the president of the Land Court, O.G.Paulsen, said he was satisfied that the land was allocated to Mr Folau, based on the evidence of the procedures followed at the time.
  • Mr Paulsen said the Minister had  no  power  to  cancel  the  grant  or  to  make  a  grant  of  the  land  to somebody else.

Escaped prisoner arrested in Popua

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga police on Monday 18 arrested Heamani Lopeti, 41, who is accused of running away from Police last week.

Lopeti was taken into custody after he “was located at Popua in an empty house at 7:50pm”, a Police statement said.

Dangerous
Heamani Lōpeti

The prisoner “escaped from the Magistrate Court whilst in Police custody, on Tuesday 12.

“Lopeti will face charges of escaping from Police custody and also awaiting trial on serious charges of armed robberies.

“As this matter is now before the court no further comment will be released from Police”, the statement said.

Uaine Fa wins for the third time at royal rampage competition

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Kiwi born Tongan boxer Uaine Fa Junior who represented Tonga in the 2010 Commonwealth Games beat Jayson Aloese last Saturday April 16 at the Central Park Drive, Henderson, New Zealand.

The 26-year-old made his first professional debut in February in which he defeated Richard Tutaki by knock out and later on was Clint Foai  by another knock out on April 13.

Fa’s third winning over the weekened was made while he was participating in the Royal Rampage which is New Zealand’s First WBC World Title Championship to be held in the country.

After the fight Fa took to Facebook to thank all his “family, friends and supporters”.

“Thanks to the best corner team that we have. You guys are awesome!! Thank you to my wife and kids for constant love and support. Loved every minute in the ring tonight”, he said.

Fa claimed a bronze medal for Tonga at the Delhi XIX Commonwealth Games in 2010.

In 2012 Boxing New Zealand’s hopes of sending Joseph Parker to the Olympics was on the ropes when he was beaten by Fa in the opening session of the Oceania qualifying tournament in Canberra.

Fa also won two previous bouts against Parker before the Canberra qualifying tournament.

Parker now holds the titles of the WBO Oriental, OPBF and WBC Eurasia Pacific Boxing Council regional heavyweight titles.

Andrew Johns helps Tongan national team

By
Kaniva Staff
-

EIGHTH Immortal Andrew Johns has offered his services to Tonga for free in a bid to help the emerging nation attract and develop talent.

Johns will take on a mentoring role with the Tongan side after reaching out to assistant coach David Tangata-Toa.

The legendary halfback played with David’s brother Andrew at the Knights in the mid-90s and through the friendship made enquires to assist Tonga in the lead-up to the Polynesian Cup against Samoa at Pirtek Stadium on May 7.

Johns said his motivation to link with Tonga was purely to make a difference on the international stage.

“I just like to help out the Pacific island nations,” Johns said.

“They provide so many players in the NRL and also in the Under 20s.

“Andrew (Tangata-Toa) is a good friend of mine and his brother David is on the coaching staff, so it was a general chat with Andrew and I and it just sort of went from there.

“I’ll pop into training a couple of times and give them a hand I’m really looking forward to it.”

Johns has always been passionate about seeing the international game grow, evidence through his trips to Fiji to uncover talent alongside former NSW and Australian teammate Brad Fittler.

He recently expressed his strong opinion on the plight of the Pacific Nations on The Sunday Footy Show by saying: “If we gave them more incentive to play for their countries, they’d be almost unbeatable.”

Tonga coach Kristian Woolf couldn’t be happier to have Johns on board to primarily work with the team’s halves.

“It’s a great thing for Tonga to have Joey involved,” Woolf said.

“It’s a real positive story and a positive sign of Joey as a bloke that he is willing to do that.

“He is not Tongan heritage, so he hasn’t got any invested interest in that way.

“Joey just expressed a desire to help out and between him and Dave (Tangata-Toa) they’ve come up with a bit of a verbal agreement.

“We just need to sit down to work out the logistics of what he can and can’t do with his other roles on Television and at the Roosters as a halves coach.

“But it’s completely Joey’s doing and he offered his services, so we will make it happen.”

Woolf hopes the presence of Johns will also help convince emerging Tongan players to represent their country instead of taking the big money on offer from New Zealand.

“Hopefully it will encourage guys to play for Tonga, which is a great thing,” he said.

“We are going to be young in the halves no matter what, so our intentions with it are to help those guys develop.

“Joey can certainly do that, plus any promotion that we can get for how we are trying to improve Tongan rugby league would be massive.”

– Daily Telegraph

‘Aminiasi Kefu remains as Tonga’s acting attorney general, king says

By
Kalino Latu
-

The king through his Privy Council said ‘Aminiasi Kefu will continue to hold the post of acting Attorney General while a panel is being selected according to the constitution to choose someone for the post.

The royal command comes after the Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva submitted a proposal last year asking the king  to remove Kefu from the post.

The Prime Minister claimed Kefu has many obligations for the government including being the Director of Prosecution and that was too much for him.

Kefu declined to comment saying the king has made his decision.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the government was awaiting the panel and when it is going to nominate someone to become the kingdom’s next attorney general.

The king has the power to appoint and dismiss Tonga’s attorney general according to the constitution.

The Prime Minister attacked Kefu in February saying he was interfering in Lord Tuʻilakepa’s fire arms case.

Lord Tu’ilakepa was sentenced in January and ordered to pay fine of TP$10,000 within 14 days after pleading guilty to firearms and ammunition charges.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and if Lord Tu’ilapeka had been  jailed for two or more years he would have lost all his noble privileges and title.

He escaped the jail terms and still holds his title.

In a letter released to the media, the Prime Minister said Kefu appeared to have interfered “with the independence and impartiality of a pending decision by a Supreme Judge of His Majesty’s Judiciary.”

Kefu initially told Kaniva News, Pōhiva’s statement was “based on a total misunderstanding of judicial proceedings, and the role of the AG”.

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

By
Kalino Latu and Philip Cass
-

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s office says he suspects Radio Television Tonga’s manager for news programmes, Viola Ulakai, of acting as a mouthpiece for his political opponents.

The Prime Minister’s comments came in a statement from his office in which he said the request for a press conference made by Mrs Ulakai on March 2 was not endorsed by the Tonga Media Council (TMC), but was made at her own request.

He said she was later asked to remove the name of the Council and be responsible for her own actions.

Mrs Ulakai has not denied the Prime Minister’s statement.

When asked by Kaniva News about the issue she did not answer the question, but asked us to talk to other journalists at TMC. Kaniva News has not done this because our question was made to her.

Mrs Ulakai said the Tonga Media Council would release a press release in response to the Prime Minister’s statement, but nothing had been received as this story was being written.

The e-mail sent on March 2 was addressed to Mr Claude Tupou, the then Acting Chief Executive Office for Education and Training, and was copied to many addresses including officials at the Office of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, requesting for a press conference regarding issues related to the Ministry of Education and Training.

“I am greatly concerned with actions of individual journalists that tend to create unnecessary tensions between the media industry and the Government,” the Prime Minister said.

He said the Government was committed to a more accountable and transparent form of administration and would continue to discuss issues with the media.

The Government was talking to the Tonga Media Council to establish clear lines of communication for all future request of this nature. This would ensure that Government, stakeholders and the public are not misled by the actions of anyone person.

Last year the Prime Minister held three separate conferences with the media to elucidate on several national issues and to respond to questions raised by the media.

“It is apparent that the media had misused these opportunities by tossing in unnecessary, personal and trifling questions,” Hon. Pohiva said.

In a statement the Prime Minister’s Office said the Hon Prime Minister was not accountable to Mrs Viola Ulakai, as a person.

“He suspects that the issues and questions raised by her are not of her making, but rather are those concocted and tailored by Government opponents who have recently retired from the Ministry; all for the purpose of discrediting and running down this Government,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Who wrote the other Media Council letter?

Last month Kaniva News reported that a letter was circulating on social media asking whether it was true that Pohiva’s  son-in-law’s construction company in Hawai’i had been awarded the contract for building the Teufaiva Stadium for the South Pacific Games in 2019.

The letter was claimed to be from Tonga’s Media Council, but the name of the letter’s writer was not shown on the part of the document uploaded to Facebook.

The letter was addressed to the Acting CEO of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Pesalili Tuiano, asking him to hold a press conference with the Tongan media.

Hon. Pohiva denied the report, as did his daughter, who said her husband did not own a construction company in Hawaiʻi.

Pohiva and Tonga’s state media

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s relationship with Tonga’s state radio and television service has been a rocky one.

He was famously thrown off the government radio station in his early days for broadcasting about democracy and has now accused senior station personnel of holding a grudge against him.

When Pohiva became Tongaʻs Prime Minister most of his interviews and statements to the nation were made public through a privatetly-owned local radio station FM 87.5.

This was followed by a piece in Pohiva’s Keleʻa newspaper explaining why Pohiva used the private radio instead of the state-sponsored Radio and Television Tonga. The article said it was because Pohiva knew the leaders of the Radio and Television Tonga still bore malice against him.

Recently Radio and Television Tonga revealed that it had run into debt because it relied on a set number of sponsors. There have been suggestions that some of its television programmes could become pay-per-view to help them fund the network.

During an interview with the Minister of Public Enterprise, Hon. Poasi Tei, the Minister told the interviewer that the Radio and Television Tonga should consider improving and creating news stories that were attractive to listeners. The minister said the state broadcasting commission could get more sponsors in that way.

Critics of the official broadcaster have also claimed that FM 87.5 has become more popular than the national radio service and that large numbers of listeners and sponsors had moved away from Radio and Television Tonga because of its coverage of the democrats.

One story that has circulated claims that during one general election, a democratic supporter from Hahake smashed his television set because he thought a Television Tonga programme was trying to discredit Pohiva and the democrats.

However, not all of Radio and Television Tonga’s senior staff have remained hostile. Former manager of the Radio and Television Tonga, the Late Tavake Fusimalohi, was often accused by critics of being responsible for programmes that were  biased against Pohiva and the democrats.

However, when Fusimalohi was pensioned off he became editor of Keleʻa. When critics asked why he shifted his political stance and supported Pohiva he said what he did was designed to please the leaders of the government and to keep his post with the radio and television. He said when he left the national organisation he was free to follow his own real political agenda.

Kaniva News comment

Radio and Television Tonga, which is sponsored by the Tongan government, has been accused by many members of the public of being biased in its news and stories against ‘Akilisi Pohiva and the Democrats.

Some people have claimed that many of its news stories and interviews have been aimed at attacking Hon. Pohiva and his followers.

They claim the government has not done enough to remove journalists who cannot report in a balanced way from the national media.

The main points

  • Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s office says he suspects Radio Television Tonga’s manager for news programmes, Viola Ulakai of acting as a mouthpiece for his political opponents.
  • The Prime Minister’s comments came in a statement from his office in which he said he was disappointed to learn that the request for a press conference made by Mrs Ulakai on March 2 was not endorsed by the Council, but was made at her own request.
  • He said she was later asked to remove the name of the Council and be responsible for her own actions.
  • Mrs Ulakai has not denied the Prime Minister’s statement.

Powerful earthquake strikes Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
-

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Tonga this Sunday evening at 19.31 New Zealand time.

The quake was 66km in depth and struck 287km from the capital Nuku’alofa, US Geological Survey earthquake alerts said.

Earlier it tweeted the preliminary reading of the quake to be 5.8.

No injuries or damages reported and there was no official tsunami threat warning issued.

The New Zealand MP Jenny Salesa who is currently in Tonga said on Facebook she was contacted after the earthquake.

“Malo e lelei, just letting you all know as I’ve had a number of people reaching out asking if we’re OK after the earthquake that we are indeed alright here in Tonga. One of the biggest risks here is not just from earthquakes but in addition a possible tsunami occurring afterwards because the main island where most people live, Tongatapu is really flat,” Salesa said.

Death of leading business man rocks Pacific community

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Board of the Pacific Business Trust is deeply saddened by the passing of its Chief Executive Rob Neru on Friday.

Trust Chairman Fa’amatuainu Tino Pereira said the economic development and social enterprise organisation is still in shock over the untimely death of Rob Neru (46), a man who had a “tenacious passion for unlocking the potential of Pacific business people”.

“Rob brought to the trust 25 years of significant business and entrepreneurial experience, across multiple neru_480x270industries,” said Fa’amatuainu.

“He was renowned throughout Pacific communities in New Zealand for his deep personal commitment and first-hand insights into the opportunities that business and entrepreneurship can create for the betterment of our people,” he said.

“The Board and staff of the Trust are immensely saddened by his passing and we offer his wife Marianne, children Zoe, Michael, Jessica, Kimberley and Andrew, his extended family and friends, our deepest condolences.

“Rob has been pivotal to the recent accomplishments of the Trust and was a driving force behind our future vision.  His astute stewardship of the organisation, collegial management of the team and wise counsel to the Board will be greatly missed,” said Fa’amatuainu.

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