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Ministerial shake-up, Penisimani Fifita new minister of education

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan government has announced  reassignment of ministerial posts to two of its ministries.

Hon Penisimani Fifita has been moved from the Ministry of Internal Affairs  to Ministry of Education.

The Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva who was minister of education has been reassigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says:

On Friday 13 January, 2017, His Majesty King Tupou VI has granted the  Ministerial re-assignments, recommended by the Prime Minister, Honourable Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva to the following Ministerial portfolios:

That the Honourable Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and current Minister for Education and Training, Hon. Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva is re-assigned as the Minister for Internal Affairs;

That the Honourable Penisimani ‘Epenisa Fifita, current Minister for Internal Affairs is re-assigned as the Minister for Education and Training.

Pursuant to Clause 51(4) of the Act of Constitution of Tonga (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2010, the Prime Minister may assign and re-assign ministries to and amongst the Cabinet Ministers.

The Ministerial re-assignments are effective from Monday 16 January, 2017.

Man drowns at Laulea beach named

By
Kalino Latu
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A man has drowned at Laulea beach in Tonga yesterday, it has been reported on social media.

Kaniva understands some family members confirmed the tragic news on Facebook.

They have named the deceased as Soane Tangipa ʻAtaʻata.

The beach at Fatumu village is one of the most dangerous places in Tonga to go swimming due to powerful rip currents and waves that are known to sweep people out to sea.

In 2015  ‘Inoke Mapaleve Mo’unga, 32,  of Kolonga drowned at the beach after  visiting there with his wife and friends.

In 2012   Catholic priest, Father Mikaele Mateo , 37, died at Laulea Beach while helping to rescue his five young nephews who were swept out to open sea by strong currents.

Van crashes into bushes near Vaotuʻu

By
Kalino Latu
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A van crashed into bushes near Vaotuʻu yesterday Saturday 14.

No injuries reported.

 

Police find missing girl Jayda Fifita

By
Kalino Latu
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North Shore Police have located the 12 year-old girl who left the home of her caregivers overnight on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Jayda Fifita  had been staying with another family member and is safe and well.

She left the home of her primary carers overnight on Tuesday / Wednesday and has not been in contact with them since.

She lives with extended family on the North Shore and they are her primary caregivers.

She was at the home of an immediate family member in Otahuhu on Wednesday night but has not been in touch with her primary caregivers on the North Shore.

 

Dog killed as car rolls down bush in Nualei

By
Kalino Latu
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A dog was killed and a driver was shocked after his car crashed and rolled down a bush in Nualei on Thursday 12.

Our correspondence in Tonga said the car was allegedly trying to avoid hitting the dog but to no avail.

The car then went down the bush and landed on a side road below a main road.

The driver escaped injuries, he said.

Civil servants react online to gov’t waterfront cleaning up decision

By
Kalino Latu
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A statement purported to show a cabinet decision for all government ministries and boards to give a hand in cleaning up the Nuku’alofa waterfront on a weekly basis  has met with mixed reactions on social media.

The government activity will be held on every Friday for three hours from 1.30pm to 4.30pm starting on January 30.

The decision was made on December 2, 2016 and signed by the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet Dr Palenitina Langa’oi, according to the statement which was circulated on social media this week.

“That government Ministries and Government Boards assist with the cleaning up of the Nuku’alofa waterfront area…”, the statement said.

It did not say that the civil servants have to leave their offices and participate in the cleaning up. But that was how commenters on Facebook have interpreted the statement.

Some commenters said this was a good idea while others asked whether the decision was in line with the civil servants’ “job descriptions” or not.

Kaniva News understands many of the commenters on Facebook personally and they were civil servants but we chose not to identify them in this story.

Some criticised the cabinet decision  and asked whether the government have anything better for the civil servants to do.

Some threatened legal action if the decision would go ahead.

Some said the decision was ridiculous and embarrassing as only primary school kids were picking up rubbish every morning  before schools started.

One Facebook user said the government should make available some programmes to educate the public on how to keep public places clean rather than forcing them to pick up rubbish from time to time.

“It is a behaviour that should be educated starting from home”, the commenter said.

Another said the government should regulate dumping of rubbish at public areas and fine those who dump rubbish illegally.

Some however greeted the decision with good humour.

“It is a good decision so that we go out there and have rest and meet other civil servants from other departments”.

Another said it was time to set up a Nuku’alofa council and give them the task of  looking after the capital city’s waste management services.

The cabinet decision

“With reference to: Re Assistance towards the cleaning up of the Nuku’alofa waterfront and foreshores Area along Vuna Road

“I have the honour to inform you that His Majesty’s Cabinet Decision on 2 December 2016 was as follows:

“Recommendation are approved, as amended .i.e.

  1. That government Ministries and Government Boards assist with the cleaning up of the Nuku’alofa waterfront area to be effective from 30th January 2017, and to be carried out every Friday from 1.30pm to 4.30pm be approved.
  2. The CEOs of government Ministries and Boards make the necessary arrangement to ensure the effective implementation of recommendation 1 above”.

Dr Langa’oi was contacted.

READ MORE:

Tonga Prime Minister picks up rubbish at a public place

Search called off for German lost at sea in Haʻapai

By
Kalino Latu
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The search for a missing German man who went diving at a beach in Hihifo, Haʻapai on Christmas day has been called off.

Frank Doblitz, 46, was married to Katalina of Haʻapai and were living in Germany, They were visiting their family in Haʻapai during the holidays.

His brother  in law reported him missing to the Haʻapai Police after Doblitz  didn’t return by nightfall, according to Deputy Police commissioner Pelenatita Vaisuai.

Doblitz was last seen wearing a dark blue short. He was also carrying a pair of diving goggles, diving shoes and an underwater camera.

The family  confirmed that he has a certificate in diving and would go scuba diving  whenever they visited Haʻapai.

Police investigate after woman rents cars and sells them

By
Kalino Latu
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Tongan Police were investigating after a Tongan woman who arrived from Australia rented cars from a rental enterprise and sold them to  locals.

It was not immediately clear whether or not the woman has left the country.

Tonga Broadcasting Commission reports said the woman “vanished with the money”.

The details of what had happened were not immediately available.

When contacted Police communication centre did not deny the claims but said they would pass the enquiries to the Acting Nukuʻalofa Police Superintendent Tevita Vailea for a formal response.

Tonga well prepared to build Games, host Wales test, says Deputy Prime Minister

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga is well prepared to build facilities for the South Pacific Games 2019 and host ‘Ikaletahi test with Wales despite concerns.

The government now has money and there was contingency budget for the constructions, Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni told Letio Broadcom Broadcasting this morning.

Hon Sovaleni was responding to an interview with the radio over the reconstruction of the Teufaiva Stadium park.

The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) said the government was in the process of finalising deal with an overseas company which has a local partner to reconstruct the national stadium.

He said the construction company has presented its paper work and it showed they did big projects including renovating stadium in Samoa for the Manu Samoa tests with the All Backs last year.

“The government is happy with their construction proposal”, Hon. Sovaleni told the radio.

Hon. Sovaleni was optimistic the construction could be finished before the ‘Ikaletahi test with Wales in June.

“The construction works could start this month”, he said.

Hon. Sovaleni said works for the Teufaiva stadium would follow a sequence of work-phases which was planned to be completed over a period of time after the rugby tests.

Hon. Sovaleni’s response came after concerns Tonga could not host the Wales test because of lack of works started to rebuild the Teufaiva stadium.

Wales Rugby Union CEO Martyn Phillips said in reports earlier this month “There are still some things to iron out with Tonga” and “the stadium infrastructure is not in place so we are meeting with World Rugby again”.

Hon. Sovaleni said the government struggled to find a suitable construction company to do the project since last year.

“They finally found one yesterday”, he said.

New Zealand government has donated NZ$2 million for the construction of Teufaiva stadium.

Tonga’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva told Parliament last year he doubted whether Tonga could host the 2019 South Pacific Games.

However the DPM said the condition of the overall preparation for the 2019 Pacific Games is “satisfactory” and they could be completed before 2019, he said in Tongan.

PNG donation

Hon. Sovaleni said the Papua New Guinea government’s promise to help fund the Games still stands.

The Papuans would start their projects after ‘Ikale Tahi tests with Samoa and Fiji in Tonga in July, the DPM said.

He said a team from China will arrive in Tonga in March to “finalise detail designs” for Games facilities planned to be constructed at the Tonga High School complex.

He said construction works on that projects would start in June.

Legal action contemplated over Tonga Airways Christmas no fly debacle

By
Kalino Latu and Philip Cass
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The woman organising tickets for more than 60 passengers who were stranded in Nuku’alofa just before Christmas is considering suing Tonga Airways.

As Kaniva News reported on December 22, the group   was traveling to Vava’u for the St Peter Chanel (Kelana) College reunion.

When they landed in Tonga they expected to transfer to flights to the outer island, but some passengers were left stranded at Fua’amotu Terminal.

As we reported, the passengers had bought tickets with Tonga Airways, which had been selling tickets even though it did not have permission to fly. It had planned to operate with aircraft leased from Fiji airways.

About 200 passengers were affected. Bridget James, who had been organising tickets for the reunion, was able to re-book tickets with real Tonga airlines, but it meant they arrived in Vava’u over a period of three days, rather than in one group.

Attempts to contact Tonga Airways for comment on that story were unsuccessful.

Real Tonga airline’s CEO Tevita Paul accused Tonga Airways of committing fraud, saying that selling tickets without an airline license was dishonest.

Real Tonga flew more than 40 of the Kelana group to Vava’u on December 21 and the rest over the next two days.

Now Bridget James is contemplating taking legal action against Tonga Airways.

In a string of e-mails made available to Kaniva News, she documents how she booked tickets for the group, only to be discovered only a few days before they were due to travel that the airline was not operating.

Ms James said: “$5000 Tongan Paanga were confirmed to have been received into Tonga Airways Ltd’s bank account. Tonga Airways Ltd passed on this money to Real Tonga at my request”.

Her first inkling that the group were going to fly with Real Tonga came in an e-mail from Tonga airways CEO Michael Fa’asolo on December 15.

“Sadly due to various legal and operational restriction reasons,Tonga Airways has been placed in a position where it had to withdraw its Charter Seeking approval from Tonga Civil aviation Division,” Fa’asolo said.

“I have approached and humbly gained Mr Fakatele Faletau’s, Chief Operation Officer of Real Tonga  help our guests in providing seats.”

Three days before that, the Tonga Airways board had raised the cost of airfares  “as a result of having to cover unforeseen aircraft hiring from overseas to cater for the Christmas period.”

Earlier in the month Fa’asolo suggested to James that she try to get the group to travel on the Friday (December 23) because they were only able to fly on Mondays and Fridays.

And Fa’asolo said that the delays in transferring passengers to Vava’u on December 21 were caused by the terminal being unable to handle a Boeing 777.

He also blamed Air Terminal Services staff for not announcing to passengers that the flight to Vava’u was leaving and that it left 800kg underloaded.

James described the situation as “hugely disappointing.”

The main points

  • The woman organising tickets for more than 60 passengers who were stranded in Nuku’alofa just before Christmas is considering suing Tonga Airways and Real Tonga airlines.
  • As Kaniva News reported on December 22, the group was traveling to Vava’u for the St Peter Chanel (Kelana) College reunion.
  • Real Tonga flew more than 40 of the Kelana group to Vava’u on December 21 and the rest over the next two days.
  • Group organiser James described the situation as “hugely disappointing.”

For more information

Police called in after aviation Minister claims MP Vaipulu attacked him and swore at him

Real Tonga slams government, Tonga Airways, after passengers stranded

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