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Tongan boy, 2, dies after being hit by bus in East Oakland

By
Kaniva Staff
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A two-year old boy was killed after he was hit by a bus in East Oakland, United States.

Jeremiah Esera was killed just before 2 p.m. when he chased a ball into the street in the 2800 block of 35th Avenue at Penniman Avenue and was hit by an AC Transit bus, police were quoted by local media as saying.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A person very close to the family of the deceased who wished not to be named said the boy’s mother is from Kolomotu’a in Tonga but his father is Samoan.

Oakland’s East Bay Times reported that a relative said Jeremiah, his mother and his siblings were visiting another relative at a residence on 35th Avenue when the tragedy occurred.

“I’m just so upset,” the boy’s aunt, Latai Fatai, said Wednesday. “He was a very loving, caring little boy,” Fatai said. “He was always happy and he loved to dance and give hugs.

“You just never know what is going to happen,” the Times reported.

The Oakland police department started an online fundraiser for Jeremiah’s family that was nearing a $10,000 goal on Wednesday afternoon. The GoFundMe page, at https://www.gofundme.com/2q9j7z88, was prompted by officers moved by the family’s loss, Acting Capt. Nishant Joshi said.

“I met with Jeremiah’s family. Understandably, they were devastated,” Joshi said. “As a parent myself, I cannot imagine the pain they are going through,” the paper reported.

Authorities said the boy was hit by AC Transit bus 1323, which operates on the 54-line. It was going northbound on 35th Avenue headed to Merritt College when the boy was hit.

Police said there were no injuries to the bus driver, a 55-year-old man, nor to any passengers. The driver, who has worked for AC Transit since 1999, was cooperating with investigators.

AC officials said as part of their protocol, the driver underwent drug and alcohol testing and police said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in what happened.

The incident remains under investigation by police. Anyone with information may call traffic investigators at 510-777-8570.

Tongan mother dies in Utah crash laid to rest

By
Kalino Latu
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A 30-year-old Tongan mother who died after being ejected from a vehicle during a crash on S.R. 158 near Pineview Reservoir in Utah, United States, was finally laid to rest last week Saturday 17.

‘Alilia Fotofili, 30, of Ogden died after a crash happened shortly after midnight Monday, Sept. 12, Weber County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nate Hutchinson was quoted by Standard Examiner as saying.

Fotofili was driving a Dodge Caravan north on S.R. 158 when she hit a guardrail, causing the vehicle to roll, he said.

The first deputy to arrive at the scene performed CPR on the woman until paramedics arrived, Hutchinson said.

However, the woman was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Hutchinson said there were no passengers in the vehicle with the woman. The crash remains under investigation, Hutchinson said. The woman’s identity had not been released as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Her family and friends have shared their grief over her death on social media.

Tatakamotonga man charged with grievous bodily harm over attack on woman

By
Kalino Latu
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A 30-year-old man has been charged over an attack on a woman in Lapaha on Sunday morning.

A 24-year-old woman was assaulted and Police said she was taken to hospital for treatment on injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.

The accused received minor injuries.

Police have released information alleging the woman used a sharp object in self defence after she believed her attacker was trying to rape her.

The woman was drunk, Police said

Anyone with information that may assist Police in their investigation was asked to contact nearest Police stations.

Tuʻinukuafe receives New Zealand Minister’s Excellence Awards

By
Kaniva Staff
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A newly trained Corrections Officer who will work at Christchurch Men’s Prison has won the Minister’s’ Excellence Award, presented this week by Corrections Minister Judith Collins.

Graeme Tu’inukuafe joins the Department after 20 years in the workforce. Although originally from the North Shore in Auckland, Graeme and his family have called Christchurch home for the last 14 years.

Graeme was looking for a new challenge when he applied for the role.

“I feel  privileged and honoured to become a Corrections Officer, where I can use my skills and be someone who makes a remarkable contribution,” he says.

His instructors said Graeme, who is of Tongan heritage, “possesses what can best be described as moral-fibre and is a wonderful role model to both our Pasifika and Maori prisoners.”

Graeme was one of a group of 66 new recruits, including 22 women, who joined the Department just as it is embarking on a major campaign to recruit almost 600 new corrections officers by September next year. The new recruits will be based at prisons all over New Zealand.  It is seeking to hire people from a range of backgrounds, but particularly from the Maori and Pasifika communities, to have a more diverse workforce that can represent and attend to the needs of prisoners.

The 600 new recruits are needed because the prison population is expected to reach 10,000 by 2017. This increase is due to more people being held in prison on remand than previously. Legislative changes have also meant prisoners serve more of their sentence in prison, and there has been an increase in prisoners serving longer sentences for more serious crimes. Corrections also needs officers for Mt Eden Corrections Facility after resuming management of the prison in July 2015.

Corrections Officers play a key frontline role in prisons.

“Working on the frontline at Corrections means working face to face with prisoners every day,” says Corrections Programme Manager Recruitment Andy Langley, who has been seconded from his role as Prison Director of Manawatu Prison for the recruitment role.

“Getting the right people is important to us. We are looking for people who enjoy being a role model and demonstrate the highest levels of integrity and credibility at all times. It’s a team environment so they need to look after each other as safety comes first.

“Our focus on reducing re-offending means we are looking for people who have great communication skills, are calm under pressure and genuinely believe people can change.

“We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to reduce re-offending and keep the public safe. While it can be a challenging role, the rewards can be life-changing and that’s why the average length of time someone stays on our frontline is eight years.”

“Our people tell us their career at Corrections gives them the chance to work with a team of people who want to change lives. Recruits will get both career and personal growth, job security, a competitive salary, health checks and other benefits.”

New recruits will go through an extensive 16 week programme that combines workplace and classroom based learning. Recruits with previous experience may be able to take advantage of a fast-track process.

American man charged with murder of wife in Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
-

An American man has been charged with the murder of his wife in Vavaʻu two months ago.

A Tongan court has made the decision on Monday 19 after the accused was previously charged with manslaughter in connection to his wife death  on July 11.

He was expected to appear in Neiafu court on October 10, local media reported.

The body of his wife, a 56-year-old Canadian woman, was found dead in a yacht in Vavaʻu in June.

She was later buried at ‘Ahomatafolau Cemetery in Neiafu on July 29.

Tongan authority allowed the funeral services to proceed after a post mortem examination was completed in Nuku’alofa.

The deceased’s  husband from Florida, United States, remains in Police custody.

Police had seized and impounded the yacht – the Sea Oak.

The couple arrived in Neiafu on May 26.

While in Vavaʻu they were staying in their yacht and were expected to depart Tonga on August 21.

Tonga ratify Paris agreement

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Tongan government has formally ratified the Paris agreement.

The ratification was completed by the kingdom’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi PohivaWednesday, 21 September 2016 at the United Nations Headquarter in New York.

“The adoption, signing and ratification of the Paris Agreement are wonderful news but by no means the end,” stated Ms. Patricia Espinosa the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. (UNFCCC).

On Wednesday, 31 countries formally signed up to the Paris deal including Brazil, the world’s seventh largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Mexico, Argentina and Sri Lanka. Oil-rich United Arab Emirates also ratified the deal, as did nations considered particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, such as Kiribati and Bangladesh, the Guardian reported.

“The pledges mean that a total of 60 countries, representing 47.7% of global emissions, have now formally joined the Paris agreement. The deal aims to limit the global temperature rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels, with an aspiration of keeping it to 1.5C”, it said.

Double car accident reported in Nukuʻalofa

By
Kalino Latu
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Tongan Police were investigating a double accident in Nukuʻalofa this afternoon.

No reports of death or injuries and the identities of those involved have yet to be released.

According to local news reports two cars crashed at ʻAlaivahamamaʻo road.

Another car crash on Taufaʻahau road in Fanga was also reported.

Flying laser beams help Canadian team discover long lost historical sites

By
Philip Cass
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A Canadian archaeologist who has spent nearly 30 years researching Tonga’s past has discovered traces of previously unknown buildings and fortifications using airborne lasers.

Professor David Burley from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver found the remains of fortification ditches, a remnant of the Tongan civil war which occurred near the turn of the 19th century.

Many of the sites Burley and his team found were undocumented and even families who had lived near them for generations did not know about the earthworks.

Burley called many of the discovered fortifications “spectacular.”

At one location, the archaeologist found evidence of an underground cave system, most likely used as a last-ditch defence effort

The Canadian team has been using Light Detection and Digital Ranging (LiDAR) which emits a laser beam from equipment carried underneath an aeroplane. It measures distance according to how much, and how quickly, that beam of laser light bounces off the ground and returns.

As a result, land formations that would otherwise be occluded by thick vegetation are revealed.

Tongans began using burial mounds and digging ditches about 1000 ago.  Without LiDAR, the impressions left behind by burial mounds and ditches are almost impossible to pinpoint.

Working with PhD student Travis Freeland, Burley discovered and documented several thousand burial mounds on Tongatapu.

Burley said that knowing the location, size, and condition of the ruins paved the way for the Tongan government to safeguard them for future study.

As Kaniva News reported in 2014, Tonga has sought to protect at least part of its archaeological heritage by seeking to have the kingdom’s largest ancient royal tombs, the ‘Otu Langi at Lapaha, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Birthplace of Polynesia

Burley has been conducting archaeological field research in Tonga since 1989.

In 2011 his investigations of the origins of Polynesia led him to declare that the Tongan village of Nukuleka was the first place settled in Polynesia by the ancient people known as the Lapita nearly 3000 years ago.

This was done by carbon dating pottery found on the site and superceded claims made by Samoa and Fiji to be the cradle of Polynesia.

Since then 31 sites on more than 12  islands have been recorded and/or excavated throughout the kingdom.

The main points

  • A Canadian archaeologist who has spent nearly 30 years researching Tonga’s past has discovered traces of previously unknown buildings and fortifications using airborne lasers.
  • Professor David Burley from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver found the remains of fortification ditches, a remnant of the Tongan civil war which occurred near the turn of the 19th century.
  • Many of the sites Burley and his team found were undocumented and even families who had lived near them for generations did not know about the earthworks.
  • Burley called many of the discovered fortifications “spectacular.”

For more information

New Tech Used to Literally Throw New Light On Tongan Ruins

Tonga archaeology discovery blow to Samoa’s ‘cradle’ claim

Dr. David V. Burley

‘Otu Langi World Heritage Site bid to be submitted

MA60 resumes operations despite failed negotiation with government over funding

By
Kalino Latu
-

Real Tonga could not be able to convince the government to help fund the Chinese MA60 aircraft so it could return to services but the plane resumed operations and landed safely in Vavaʻu yesterday.

The national airline’s CEO Tevita Palu has confirmed today his company had received no help from the government but the aircraft was back into the air.

Palu told Kaniva News he had asked the government for help, but nothing had happened.

We reported previously the airline needed $TP400,000 to prepare the aircraft for services.

The aircraft was supposed to be properly certified to meet the requirements of New Zealand and international air safety regulations.

The MA60 had been grounded after pressure from the New Zealand government after concerns over its safety record.

It is understood Real Tonga had signed a four-year contract with the Tongan government to operate the 56-seater MA60 aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Division of Tonga’s Ministry of Infrastructure issued an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for the Chinese-built MA60.

According to a recent report in the American newspaper, the Wall Street Journal, there has been a pattern of safety problems with the MA60 involving landing-gear malfunctions, braking failures and steering loss.

One accident involving the aircraft killed 25 people.

The newspaper said less than half of the 57 MA60s exported from China in the past 11 years were still flying.

According to the Journal, at least 26 of the aircraft were in storage because of safety concerns, maintenance problems or other performance issues.

A total of six others had been damaged beyond repair

Palu told the Journal Chinese Civil aviation authorities had told him the plane was safe.

He said officials told him accidents involving the MA60 were “only caused by pilot error.”

AIS courses at TIHE “very helpful”, says Tongan graduate

By
Kalino Latu
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A Tongan graduate at the AIS St Helens said courses from the Auckland institute taught at Tonga Institute of Higher Education (TIHE) helped ease the financial difficulties his parents faced in paying for his studies.

Setefano Leilua Fūnaki was one of dozen Tongan graduates who graduated from AIS yesterday in a ceremony at the Bruce Mason Centre at Takapuna.

Fūnaki was awarded with a Bachelor of Information Technology.

He said his parents, Nasa and Seiloni of Tofoa,  had paid more than NZ$10,000 a year for his studies in New Zealand but it was cheaper in Tonga when they paid for his diploma programme.

After completing his diploma in Tonga on Information Technology he was enrolled with the AIS to study for his BA.

img_2715-2
Mele ʻOfeina Vaiuku Makamoeafi with her family. She was graduated with Bachelor of Tourism Management. Photo/Kalino Lātū

 

He said students from Tonga who came to AIS can look for works while they were studying.

“This also helps cover our expenses on accommodation, transport, food and school materials”, he said.

According to AIS, it has supported 213 Tongan graduates in a range of fields including Business, IT, Tourism and Hospitality.

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Setefano Leilua Fūnaki graduated with Bachelor of Information Technology. Photo/Kalino Lātū

This year 55 Tongan students studying towards various qualifications at AIS.

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Līsita Laulaupeaʻalu (second right) graduated with Bachelor of International Business Kilifi Laulaupeaʻalu (father), Linitalila Mele Fīnau Lokotui Bachelor of International Business. Photo/Kalino Lātū

“Looking forward, AIS is focused on developing further relationships in Tonga to allow more students the pathway through to AIS programmes”, it says.

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Fusi ʻAhokava, Bachelor in Tourism Management and ʻAlapasita Fīnau. Photo/Kalino Lātū
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