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Tongan government says RWE’s license issued for hotel and airport facility not to operate casino

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan government said a license issued to foreign gaming investor Red Warrior Entertainment (RWE) would not allow them to operate casino gaming or gambling in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Customs and Revenue CEO Kulu ʻAnisi Bloomfield said today the licence issued was for the foreign investor to build a hotel and an “airport facility”.

The responses from government came after Kaniva News questioned the RWE license agreement and conditions.

Dr Ronald D. Pate, Chickasaw, Principal of the Company and Chief Executive Officer of Red Warrior Entertainment, LLC  reportedly said today the Tongan government has issued his company with an “Exclusive National Master Gaming License”.

He said it is “the first of its kind issued from Tonga and covers all Class I, II & III gaming”.

We have contacted Tonga’s Ministry of Labour and Commerce to provide more details about the agreements and conditions laid out on Tonga’s Class I, II and III gaming licences.

They have yet to respond.

According to Indian Country Media Network, a Class III gaming licence allows the licensee to operate “horse racing, lotteries and what are commonly known as casino games, such as banking-card games like baccarat and blackjack, roulette, craps and slot machines”.

Bloomfield said the license“ was approved on tourism grounds, and casino gaming is prohibited in Tonga”.

He said the government has set up an Investment Sub-Committee to monitor and analyse foreign investment applications before submitting them to cabinet.

Tonga’s Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet Dr Palenitina Langa’oi told Kaniva News the cabinet “did not pass any resolution to allow the Red Warrior Entertainment to build a casino facility in Tonga”.

Dr Pate said: “…this Exclusive Gaming License was issued upon approval at His Majesty’s Cabinet, decision No. 1194, on the 4th November, 2016 and by formal letter and proclamation from the Minister of Customs dated 24th November, 2016, and completed License Agreement on 9th January, 2017.

“Red Warrior Entertainment, LLC continues to improve its casino resort government licenses in multiple nations”, said Dr. Pate.

Dr. Pate said he will provide more details tomorrow (Wednesday, 25 January) about his exclusive license, and what sort of venture he is planning to undertake in Tonga.

Divine figure apparently appears in clouds over Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
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Some branded it a miracle, others a sign of an impending second coming and Rapture, when a divine image appeared in the clouds over Tonga.

A Tonga Broadcasting Commission recent report  said locals have reported seen a “blue light” in the sky.

7 News Australia today has published an image it said was taken by local resident, Joey Mataele, on New Year’s Day above his brother’s house in the village of Halaleva in Tongatapu.

Both reports could not establish the authenticity of the photo.

With a clear outline of a head, body and feet, and a golden glow from the sun, Mr Mataele believed it was a sign from the heavens, 7News said.

“This is an image that was unexpected and I know it’s a miracle in my life. Thank you Lord for everything you’ve provided for me and my family,” he captioned the photo.

Mr Mataele’s niece, Onelua, told 7 News Online that her family interpreted the image as Jesus.

“They all thought it was an image of Jesus,” she said. “They were shocked, it was pretty random to see that.”

Ms Mataele, 23, said her uncle took two photos of the figure as the shape was developing.

In the first photo, the figure in the sky is less prominent, and is surrounded by other clouds.

But it was enough for Mr Mataele, a devout Catholic, to see an image emerging.

“He took one photo and then it kept getting brighter,” Ms Mataele said.

In the second photo, the rest of the clouds have vanished and the shape of a person can be seen.

Ms Mataele has spent most of her life living on the property in Tonga, and said she has never seen anything like it.

IAA boss visits Tonga stressing importance of using licensed immigration advisers

By
Kaniva Staff
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Registrar of the New Zealand Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) Catherine Albiston will be in Tonga next week raising awareness of the importance of only using licensed or exempt immigration advisers when seeking New Zealand immigration advice.

Ms Albiston will also visit Fiji and Samoa as part of an IAA campaign to increase community understanding of the IAA’s licensed adviser register and the risks associated with using unlicensed immigration advisers.

“Unfortunately, there are people who operate unlawfully and are unlicensed. With the amount of information available in today’s world, it can be difficult deciphering who to trust,” says Albiston.

“That’s why the IAA offers a free register of licensed advisers on our website. Anyone seeking immigration advice should only use a licensed immigration adviser or an exempt person.

“Exempt persons include Immigration New Zealand, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Community Law Centres, and New Zealand lawyers.

“Licensed immigration advisers have specialist expertise and have met competency standards. They follow a code of conduct that requires them to be honest and respectful.

“People who are not licensed or exempt can share publicly available information or help friends and family occasionally, but cannot provide immigration advice,” says Albiston.

The IAA is responsible for issuing licences to advisers and handles complaints related to poor immigration advice. The IAA does not provide immigration advice.

More information on the IAA can be found at www.iaa.govt.nz or via email – info@iaa.govt.nz. A person’s immigration status will not be affected by contacting the IAA.

Man accused of passport scam appears in court

By
Kalino Latu
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A 51-year-old man who allegedly impersonated a government officer as part of a Tongan passport scam appeared in court yesterday Monday 23 Police said in a statement.

The Tonga Police Passport Taskforce arrested the man from Hofoa/Tokomololo after complaint he had deceived a foreign national into getting him and his family naturalization certificates and Tongan passports, Acting Police Commissioner Viliami ‘Unga Fa’aoa said

“He impersonated a member of a government ministry without his knowledge that resulted in depriving large amount of money from the victim”.

Fa’aoa said the man has been charged with obtaining money by false pretences contrary to section 164, Criminal Offences Act. He is remanded in police custody and will appear at the Nuku’alofa Magistrate Court on Monday 23 January 2017 for bail.

Police investigation continues.

Missing Tiuke Mahoni found safe and well

By
Kalino Latu
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A Tongan teen who had been reported missing has been found unharmed, Police said this morning Tuesday 24.

Police said 19-year-old Tiuke Mahoni had not been seen since Saturday, sparking concerns for his safety.

However, on Monday he was found safe and well.

Auckland Police thanked the media and the public for their assistance in this matter.

READ MORE

https://kanivatonga.co.nz/2017/01/distraught-tongan-family-plead-for-news-of-missing-son-tiuke-mahoni/

Serious concerns for missing Auckland man Tiuke Mahoni

By
Kalino Latu
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Auckland police have serious concerns for missing 19-year-old Auckland man, Tiuke Mahoni.

Tiuke was last seen in the Onehunga area on Saturday evening (21 January 2017) at around 7pm.

Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Newman says Tiuke has not been in contact with his family and this is completely out of character.

His phone is turned off and his bank accounts have not been used.

“We are seriously concerned about Tiuke, as is his family.

We are asking anyone who knows where he may be to contact police immediately.

His family are understandably very upset and want to know that he is safe.”

He was wearing a blue American football style shirt with the number ‘18’ on the front and the name ‘Manning’ on the back on it.

He is approximately 190cm tall an

Can you spot the spelling blunder on this Fu’amotu International Airport sign?

By
Kalino Latu
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An eagle-eyed Tongan has noticed a spelling mistake on a Fu’amotu International Airport direction sign.

Yvette Guttenbeil Paea posted a picture to Facebook of the error on a sign at the terminal hall way in Tongatapu on Saturday.

The local business woman was waiting at the airport while she noticed the eighth letter ‘r’ was missing from Transportation and posted: “mahalo tonu ke ave o fktonutonu..?? (translated:  I think it should be corrected..??) “Or is it a new Tongan English spelling? Now, I am confused”.

In an email to Kaniva News a spokesperson from the Tonga Airport company said:  “Thank you for bringing this up. We will get this fixed now”.

READ MORE

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VIDEO: Tongan teens confront Gargasoulas with a baseball bat before his murderous rampage

By
Kalino Latu
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Scroll down to watch 7News video

Two Tongan teens confronted Dimitrious “Jimmy” Gargasoulas with a baseball bat before his murderous rampage on Friday in Melbourne.

A 10-year-old girl, 25-year-old man and a woman, 32, died at the scene after Gargasoulas sped along Bourke Street Mall and a 33-year-old man died in hospital on Friday night. A three-month-old baby boy also died later in hospital.

Hundreds watched as Gargasoulas performed burnouts on Flinders Street but only the two Tongans intervened.

Tevita Mahina, 17, and Isaac Tupou, 17, were heading to a baseball game when they came across the incident.

“We heard a lot of screeching. It was echoing. And it got a lot of people’s attention so we went to have a look. Then we saw a car doing donuts”, Tupou told 7News.

“We have to take action no one was doing”.

“He looks like he gonna hurt people”.

“The car came at us. And I stepped to the side and swung the bat, pretty much, and then he came back and chased us…” Mahina told the News.

Gargasoulas would face murder charges, Australian media reported.

The 26-year-old was known to police and had been driving erratically around Melbourne after allegedly stabbing his brother that morning.

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Is the man accused of Melbourne’s CBD deadly rampage having Tongan connection?

Is the man accused of Melbourne’s CBD deadly rampage having Tongan connection?

By
Kaniva Staff
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The perpetrator of the car ramming terrorist attack carried out in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday, January 20,  claimed he was a “Muslim Kurd” on Facebook, but has now been positively identified as a mixed-race person with a Greek father and a Tongan mother, the newobserveronline has reported.

Dimitrious Gargasoulas, also known as James “Jimmy” Gargasoulas. claimed on Facebook however that his racial origin was “greek islamic kurdish” [sic].

On January 13 , acording to news.co.au he wrote that he was not Greek-Tongan, “I am actually Greek Islamic Kurdish ANGEL OF CULT”, saying to Google “Yazdânism”. “Heaven and Hell IS REAL!!! WHO AGREES?” he wrote. “I promise and hold a lot of answers. Ask me something.”

Daily Mail report said: “He also embraced his ‘half Greek and half Tongan’ ethnicity, which in the same post he denied in favour of being referred to as Kurdish”.

Whatever the case, Gargasoulas had just been arrested the weekend before for a number of violent offences, including assault and car theft.

Only six days before the attack, Gargasoulas wrote on his Facebook site that “I’ll take you all out just me you need a army to take me and so far you have presented half a army of useless wait until you see mine” [sic].

The car ramming attack is the latest in a number of similar incidents, all proposed and encouraged by ISIS in a recent issue of its magazine Rumiyah. Other prominent such attacks have taken place in Nice, France, and Berlin, Germany.

The controlled media immediately activated its usual excuse of “mental health issues” to try and hide the fact that the attack was similar to the other Islamist terrorist incidents, with the Daily Mail and the Australian both claiming that Gargasoulas had a history of mental health issues and that he was only “wearing red underpants” at the time of his arrest.

In reality, Gargasoulas was fully clothed when he carried out the attack, and pictures of him in his underwear show clearly that his clothes had been cut off him by medical teams attending to him after police had opened fire to stop his terrorist attack.

Victoria’s police chief commissioner Graham Ashton was also quick off the mark to deny that there was any terrorist link to the attack, even though the suspect had not even been questioned and was still in the hospital when the denial was made.

“We know a fair bit about the driver’s background and the incident is not related to any counter-terrorism or terror-related activity. There’s an extensive family violence history. He’s come to our attention many times in the past,” commissioner Ashton said.

–News Observer & Daily Mail

Dr Michael Horowitz assesses Pōhiva’s government as vote of no confidence looms

By
Kalino Latu
-

The chance for Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva’s government to survive the upcoming vote of no confidence will come under scrutiny next week at the Auckland University of Technology Thursday 26.

Dr Michael Horowitz, Academic Dean, ‘Atenisi Institute, and Visiting Research Fellow at the Pacific Media Centre will conduct a seminar and speak on the topic: “Can the Democracy Coalition retain power in Tonga?”

Opposition Leader Lord Vaea has told Kaniva News last week his motion of vote of no confidence against the government still stands.

Asked when exactly he would submit it Lord Vaea said  the no confidence motion will be processed when the House will resume next week January 30.

Introducing the seminar in a statement the director Professor of the Pacific Media Centre David Robie said: “Twenty-two years after Tonga’s insurgent “constitutional convention” of 1992, a coalition of democrat and independent MPs elected the founding leader of the Democracy Party, ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, Prime Minister. Within five months, a contingent of a raucous demonstration of the Catholic Women’s League – a former pillar of the democratic movement – was chanting “Heigh-hee, heigh-ho, ‘Akilisi’s gotta go”; by October 2015, the former Education Minister was demanding the PM’s detachment from that portfolio. Yet a threat by the putative leader of the aristocratic opposition to bring down the coalition – lodged last August in Auckland – has yet to be realised. As the coalition government embarks on its third year, is it possible to assess its durability?

About Dr Horowitz: Dr Horowitz is academic dean of the university at ‘Atenisi Institute in Tonga, which is planning to establish a media academy on its second campus in the ‘Isileli district of Nuku’alofa. He holds US postgraduate degrees in social science from the New School in New York and the College of Public Affairs at Oregon’s Portland State University.

Dr Horowitz’s analyses of US politics and culture have appeared in the Village Voice, Playboy, and the Psychiatric Times, among other periodicals, while academic articles and reviews have been regionally published in Sites, Journal of Pacific History and Journal of Pacific Affairs.

READ MORE

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