A bus travelling westbound had hit a utility pole on Hihifo Road after swerving off the road to avoid colliding with another vehicle this morning.
The driver of the bus reportedly received minor injury in the mishap.
Eye witnesses who reported the incident online alleged a Nissan Pajero Van did not stop when it turned into Hihifo Road and came in front of the bus.
A 23-year-old mother was in stable condition after her eight-month-old baby was delivered by an emergency caesarean Wednesday 9 following a motor vehicle crash in Neiafu yesterday.
The baby girl weighing 2kg was safe and sound while a 15-month-old child received head injuries in the accident.
An emergency medevac team had been flown from Tongatapu to Vavaʻu to address the situation, Tonga’s Minister of Health Hon Saia Piukala told Kaniva News last night
The baby’s mum was “more stable now but still need to bring to Vaiola for further management tomorrow (today November 10)”, the minister said.
He said the medevac team was consisted of an anaesthetist, an obstetrician and a paediatrician.
The Minister alleged the driver of the vehicle, the mother’s husband, was intoxicated.
Vavaʻu Police were contacted for details of the accident.
One out of seven Tongan babies is born with diabetes.
This startling claim is one of the highlights of Tonga Mo’ui Lelei, which airs on Tongan television tonight (November 10).
President of the Tonga Diabetic Association Dr. Taniela Palu said diabetes was a leading cause of blindness, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and lower-limb amputation.
He said 99.9% of Tongans were at risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.
Next Monday (November 14) is World Diabetes Day.
According to the Tonga Health report Path to Good Health, Tonga has one of the most at-risk populations in the world for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and obesity.
In the introduction to the report, Health Minister Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala said: “NCDs will continue to cripple our families, our communities and our nation unless we strong and decisive action.”
The Minister said the kingdom was the first Pacific Island Country to launch a national NCD campaign.
In 2007 it set up the Tonga Health Promotion Foundation (TongaHealth) to tackle the issue.
Tonga was awarded the World Health Organisation’ Healthy Islands Recognition-Best Practice for the ‘Kau Mai Tonga’ women’s physical activity programme.
Tonga’s Hala Fononga (National Strategy for Prevention and Control of NCDs 2015-2020) has four main goals. These are:
According to the World health Organisation one of the main causes of obesity in the Pacific is the replacement of traditional foods with imported, processed food.
In at least 10 Pacific island countries, more than 50% (and in some, up to 90%) of the population is overweight according to WHO surveys. The average age at which people develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease is getting lower.
The main points
For more information
National Strategy for Prevention and Control of NCDs
Pacific islanders pay heavy price for abandoning traditional diet
Tonga Rugby Union has announced the ʻIkale Tahi team to play against Spain at the Campo Central University Ground, Madrid, Spain at 4:00pm, November 12.
The team:
The reserves are:
16 Elvis Taione Kolomotu’a – Exeter Chiefs (UK)
17 Sione Lea – Taranaki (NZ)
18 Paea Fa’anunu – Dax (Fr)
19 Valentino Mapapalangi – Manawatu (NZ)
20 Kotoni Ale – Manly (Aus)
21 Tomasi Palu – Wellington (NZ)
22 Tevita Taufu’i – Waikato (NZ)
23 Fetuli Paea – Sila Pelu Ua (TON)
Tongans who will participate at the National Population Census on November 28 – December 16 will fill out their forms online.
The new technology means the national survey would be easy, fast and timely.
But to be able to do that, Tonga’s Statistics Department is currently training 92 trainees in Nuku’alofa on how to record information that could be gathered on tablets.
These trainees will test-run the new technological programme on certain households in Tongatapu on November 14-25.
Statistician Winston Fainga’anuku claimed Tonga was the first in the Pacific Islands to do her census online.
“The program is similar to the apps in the google play and it was designed through collaboration with SPC and myself. The questions are in English and Tongan,” he said in a statement published by the government’s Information website.
He said this was a significant move as in the past it was difficult for enumerators to make corrections on the spot.
“Now using tablets will allow supervisors to check the data and will be able to make correction if errors will be made. The technology will also allow enumerators to collect information such as the locations (GPS) of the houses.”
“In the past using manual print out forms would take six months for data entry, checking, coding and the editing and compiling the report would take more than two months. Now we have the tablets to ensure data quality and improve the timeliness of data collection”.
The U.S Peace Corps office in New York has declined to answer questions regarding the conditions of its staffer who was recently been discharged from a hospital in New Zealand.
As Kaniva News reported at the time, Nancy Gehron, 56, was seriously injured after she was attacked while jogging along a footpath behind one of the houses on the waterfront in Sopu on July 16 this year.
She was admitted to Vaiola hospital before she was flown to New Zealand for medical treatment.
Two accused, Sione Lau’i and Hemaloto Makafilia, appeared in court in relation to the attack.
Gehron appeared publicly in Tonga last week, apparently the first time since she was hospitalised.
Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for 22 new US Peace Corps volunteers who volunteered to work in the kingdom last week, Gehron said she still had “hope” and that meeting Tongans and the way how they hugged her was “beautiful” and “unforgettable.”
She told the volunteers that her “bandages are gone and each day I feel lighter with hope”.
“It wasn’t until after my assault that I truly felt its power,” Gehron said.
“Tongans I knew well and Tongans I hardly knew would come to me and embrace me, they would hold that embrace long and meaningfully and it had tremendous curative powers.
“I love that feeling, I hope you all learn to hug like a Tongan, that will help you through your service as it has helped me through my journey.”
Gehron told the volunteers they could help Tonga in many ways, especially teaching literacy in Tongatapu schools and the outer islands.
Kaniva News wanted to know about Gehron’s condition and whether or not there had been any change to her living and working circumstances since she was discharged from hospital.
She offered condolences by many Tongans on professional and social media for the injuries she received in the attack.
Tongans overseas planned to raise funds for a reward for anybody who could help locate the assailants.
However in a very short response from the US Peace Corps Office in New York yesterday a spokesperson told Kaniva News: “Thank you for your message. However, Peace Corps is prohibited by law, including the Privacy Act, from providing this information”.
According to Peace Corps it will celebrate its 50 anniversary in Tonga next year.
There are 41 Volunteers in Tonga working with their communities on education projects. During their service in Tonga, Volunteers learn to speak Tongan. More than 1650 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Tonga since the program was established in 1967.
The main points
For more information
“Peace corps operations continue as normal,” US office says as police follow leads after attack
Fundraising to find US Peace Corps’ attacker as fury surges among Tongan community
Tongan Police investigating a Saturday morning shooting had charged three men for illegal possession of firearms and drugs.
The charges were made after a gun was allegedly fired from a rental car in Havelu at about 3am, Police said.
Police were working on a tip off after they received complaints gunshots were fired from the car.
An on-duty Police officer was patrolling the area when he spotted the car and had followed it along Tāufaʻāhau Road.
A Police statement said: “The suspects’ vehicle was stopped at Havelu opposite ‘Api Mataka where Police Officers seized a .22 rifle, 31 .22 live ammunition, 5 ammunition shells and 24.41 gram of illicit drugs suspected to be methamphetamine, from inside the vehicle.
“They have all been charged with possession of an illegal firearm and illicit drugs.
“Two of the suspects have been bailed out today while one suspect is still in Police Custody. They will all appear at the Magistrate Court on Monday 14th November 2016.
“Chief Superintendent Tevita Fifita says that the quick and timely response by Police have helped in ensuring public safety, and its great further drugs and firearm have been removed from our community where they may cause harm to others”.
Police were called to reports of a large group of school students fighting in Nukuʻalofa this afternoon November 8.
Students wearing Liahona High School and Tonga College school uniforms had fought at the waterfront bus station.
The brawl was caught on cameras.
The details of what had happened were not available to Kaniva News.
The fight comes after a large group of youngsters were involved in a brawl at the bus station last Friday in which Police arrested some of the fighters.
Meanwhile the Tonga School Certificate Examination began this morning and the Ministry of Education said majority of the students to sit the national exam were from Liahona.
Education Deputy Director Isikeli Oko said “a total of 2,093 Form Five students are sitting the Tonga School Certificate Examination, 1,092 students for Tonga Form Six Certificate and 651 students for the Tonga National Form Seven Certificate.”
Oko said 30 schools sat the Form Five TSC examinations, 22 schools sat the Form Six TFSC and 12 schools sat the Form Seven TNFSC.
“There are six examination centers for Form 7 students (one for each island), 20 centers for Form Five students where there are 12 centers at Tongatapu, three at Vava’u, two at Ha’apai and one each at ‘Eua and the Niuas. For Form 6, there are eight centers – four in Tongatapu and one each at Vava’u, Ha’apai, ‘Eua and the Niuas for compulsory subjects,” he said.
This Friday will be the final day for the exam.
Four Tongan students studying at Otago Polytechnic won the Pacific Island Scholarships 2017 from the Otago Community Trust Board.
Speaking at the award ceremony Madrid Espania Helu who travelled from Tonga to study Electrical Engineering at the institute said the scholarship would help relieved “financial burdens on his parents’ shoulders”.
The scholarships were awarded during an Award Ceremony event at Otago Polytechnic which was attended by Executive Directors of Otago Polytechnic, Executives of the Otago Community Trust Board, Senior Staff, students and parents.
Madrid Helu is the son of Sosaia and Amelia Helu, both New Zealand graduates and business owners in Tonga.
A Tongan charity service says poor people are neglected in Tonga.
Aʻutonu Charity Mission provides financial support and shopping assistance for the elderly and disabled people and families in need in Tonga.
The charity’s founder, Fakaʻosi Maama, said their clients included organisations such as Women Refugee, the Ālonga Centre and some of the Catholic nuns.
Maama said the mission had spent more than TP$70,000 on its work.
He described the situation of most of their clients as “extremely pitiful”
Maama said the mission also visited disadvantaged families with circumstances that ranges from no income or one of the parents had died or separated.
Most villages in Tonga were not yet covered by their mission, but there was a plan to expand their work to the outer islands.
They had donated shopping to more than 241 families in 23 villages in Tongatapu.
He said the number of people in need was growing and the charity received requests from people to be included in their services.
“The woman with the Parkinson’s disease heard about the programme and contacted us and her name has been put on our list,” Maama said.
The mission
The Aʻutonu programme is composed of Tongan charitable organisations overseas such as Faiʻofa- Doing Love (Australia), ‘Ofa Moʻoni- True Love (New Zealand), Nimaʻofa- Merciful Hands (United States), Bread & Fish (organized by Tukilamulamu in the United States), Lolo ‘Alapasita by Dr. Seini Taufa in New Zealand and the Pelehake & ‘Alakifonua Mission.
Maama said in October 2015 he began a family business to allow Tongans overseas to pay for him to shop for their families in the kingdom.
The Rev Nau Taitusi ʻAhosivi from the Uniting Church in Australia recommended deducting TP$2 from every shopping order paid from Australia to help buy a carton of chicken for those who were really in need in Tonga.
This was the beginning of the Aʻutonu programme, Maama said.
Rev ʻAhosivi later informed Maama the Doing Love mission had started and they could provide free shopping for the poor.
Eleven members of Doing Love began by donating Aus$30 each every month to pay for the shopping.
Their donation started with 10 families from 10 villages. Later they changed the process to deliver the shopping to 10 families in each village.
Maama said the programme worked together with either the town officers or church ministers in the villages to choose who would receive the donations, mostly cartons of chickens and groceries.
He and his staff would join the town officers and the church ministers in delivering the shopping.
The mission now had grown and more members joined the group in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Most of the donors wanted to remain anonymous, Maama said.
In January this year the True Love mission began in New Zealand. The group was set up by church ministers and kava drinkers at Glen Innes in Auckland led by Rev Pitasoni Fonua.
The group donated shopping to 10 families every month.
In February the Merciful Hand mission was set up by Tongans in the United States led by ‘Ānau Pulu and Īvoni Maama.
A Tongan woman in the States named Tukilamulamu came across the Aʻutonu mission on social media and she set up a branch, Bread and Fish, to help the poor in Tonga.
Lolo ʻAkapasita, Merciful Hands and Pelehake and ʻAlakifonua missions also joined the Aʻutonu but expanded the donations to include the Ālonga Centre and victims at Women and Children Crisis Centre
As of last month the Tongan based charity had dispatched shopping and goods to 60 “poverty stricken families” and “disabled”.
Maama described the service as “difficult,” but said he and his family felt the difficulties had paid off when they saw the smiles and listened to words of thank from the clients.
“I and my family are extremely happy for doing this service, although the scale of the work is huge,” he told Kaniva News.
They also had plan to help build houses, toilets and bathrooms for their clients.
Maama can be contacted on (09) 570 0550 or 64211462858 or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007844476917
Government assistance
In 2015 the Tongan government began paying out a monthly payment in benefits to 50 disabled people to help them with their living.
Each disabled person received TP$65 a month under the scheme.
At the time the government said there was an estimate of 600 disabled people all over Tonga.
The scheme for the disabled came after the government started the Social Benefits Scheme for the Elderly to help vulnerable older people facing difficulties in 2012.
It was a joint effort with the support by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR).
However only those who were 75 year-old and over are entitled to a monthly payment of T$65 pa’anga .
In 2013 there were 3,985 elderly in Tonga aged 70 or older, of whom 2,635 lived in Tongatapu.
According to the Asian Development Bank, about 22.5 percent of the population live below the poverty line.
The main points
For more information
Poverty in Tonga (Asian Development Bank)
Poverty in the Pacific (Oxfam)
Call for research into rise of child poverty in Tonga (Radio New Zealand)
