About 20 youths from Liahona in Tonga have been taken to Vaiola hospital yesterday after an outbreak of alleged food poisoning.
Authorities have yet to identify what had caused the poisoning but a medical officer at Vaiola told Radio Tonga food the youth bought and ate at one of the restaurants in Nuku’alofa might have been the cause.
The youth were released after they were seen by medical officers.
The plight of mothers and children dying in childbirth and a little girl who fell into an open fire and had to wait for hours for medical help have been cited as some of the driving forces behind a helicopter rescue service which says it will have its first aircraft in Tonga next month.
Australian Rodger McCutcheon, who describes himself as founder and chief crewman of the operation, told Kaniva News he had been working for two years to establish the company.
However, he admitted that he had no funds to operate the service and that its operations had not yet been approved by Tongan regulators.
He said he had been living in Nukuʻalofa for nearly two years. He claimed the service would be the first to perform lifesaving emergency work, tour guide and commercial work.
“I was told of a number of shocking cases, one a little girl who fell into and open fire and was in extreme pain for over 10 hours before she got to hospital,” McCutcheon told Kaniva News.
“I also saw a man seriously injured and bleeding badly who also had to wait 15 hours before getting medical help, and then I was made aware of mothers and children dying in childbirth due to complications and no fast access to medical help.”
“From that point I have worked hard to bring a world class helicopter service to Tonga.”
He said the first of two helicopters for Tonga would arrive on February 6. It would be a Eurocopter AS350 fitted with a stretcher kit. It would also be capable of carrying a large life raft, long lines and nets and a fire fighting bucket.
“I am keen on life saving training exercises with HM Armed Forces and the Police, and also the hospital trauma team, so we can have trained divers and medical staff etc to assist in lifesaving emergency situations,” McCutcheon said.
Tonga in promotion
McCutcheon claimed the helicopter service would help promote tourism in the kingdom.
“I have offered to bring a special HD aerial camera fitted to the helicopter,” he said.
“We can film the beauty of Tonga and this footage can be used by Tonga tourism to assist with marketing.
“The Tonga helicopter service will be supported by one of Australia’s leading helicopter operators providing pilots and maintenance engineers, the new Tongan service will bring the highest levels of safety and professionalism to Tongan skies.
“We will also be employing up to 10 Tongans to assist us with ground operations and safety and security.
“There is still much to do gaining approvals to fly in Tonga, but I have had good support from Government Ministers and positive discussions with Civil Aviation staff and hopefully the quality and 25 years of experience of the Australian service, which I am mirroring in Tonga, will meet with approval of the regulators.
Owner and operator
The new helicopters service will be a Tongan registered company. The shareholders will be McCutcheon, who will live in Tonga to crew and manage the operation, Ian White who runs The Helicopter Service in Victoria and Michael Van Der Zypp, who owns The Helicopter Group in Australia.
“I have no funding for the work, but we are prepared to give Tonga our best shot and see what work develops,” McCutcheon said.
“Now the dream for Tonga becomes a reality.
” ‘Saving Tonga Lives’ has been my slogan from day one. I have not given up even when things got almost impossible for me,” McCutcheon said.
McCutcheon has been described by Radio New Zealand International as founder of Tonga Rescue Helicopter. RNZI said he had been listed in the Federal Aviation Administration Airmen Certification Database.
He is also described online as South Pacific manager for Aviation Project Management.
During the controversy over Real Tonga’s use of the MA60 aircraft, McCutcheon claimed to RNZI that the aircraft was safe and that he had New Zealand pilots ready to fly it.
The New Zealand government withdrew aid money from Tonga until the aircraft was grounded and replaced. The MA60 has been involved in a number of incidents around the world.
The main points
For more information
New Zealand pilot says China may wade into NZ-Tonga dispute (RNZI)
NZ pilot says Tongan plane safe, and NZ should approve (RNZI)
Tongan Police are treating the death of a German national, Wolfgang Borner, 59, as suspicious after his remains had been found at sea by local divers on Wednesday.
When contacting Police the divers said “they had found human remains, tied with a rope on the ankles to a rock on the seabed” Matangi Tonga report said.
The finding came after Borner was reported missing to Police on December 28, 2015.
Following an autopsy by ‘Eua health authority Borner’s remains were taken and buried in his resting place in the island.
The Tongan government said it has good reasons behind its move to declare Tonga was in a state of emergency during tropical cyclone Ula.
The minimal damage the category three cyclone has caused prompted critics to ask why Pohiva’s government declared a state of emergency.
Paula Ma’u from Tonga’s National Emergency and Management Committee has the explanation.
“We couldn’t do it on Saturday because of strong winds and rough seas, especially here in Tongatapu and Ha’apai, not until Sunday afternoon. But because we have a Sunday law, that’s why we decided to recommend to the Prime Minister to declare a state of emergency in order for us, the workers, to prepare for deployment,” Ma’u told Radio New Zealand International
The state of emergency was lifted yesterday Tuesday 5.
Declaring a national state of emergency is an option when a disaster or other event is or is likely to be of such severity that it is beyond the resources of the local Civil Defence groups.
It provides for national resources to be marshalled to perform emergency functions and tasks such as:
* rescues
* evacuations from dangerous areas and the closing off of buildings, homes and other premises, public places and roads.
* setting up first aid posts
* providing relief such as emergency food, clothing and shelter
* regulating road, air and sea traffic
* undertaking the emergency disposal of bodiesIt also allows authorities to requisition any land, building, vehicle, animal, boat, equipment, construction materials, bedding, food and medical supplies considered necessary for the preservation of human life.
Firefighters in Nuku’alofa attended a dramatic fire in a van near ANZ bank in Ma’ufanga at around 11.30am this morning.
No deaths or injuries reported.
An eyewitness by the name Vaonukonuka mo e Makahokovalu told Kaniva News this afternoon the van was parked on Vuna Rd.
She said they were on their way “to buy some ice cream for the kids and witness this horrible accident near the ANZ Bank, Maufanga Branch”.
“So sad”, she added.
Makahokovalu said firefighters arrived as the fire engulfed the van but they managed to extinguish it.
Firefighters in Tonga battled a blaze that engulfed a resdential building at the Free Wesleyan Church’s Theological College known as Sia’atoutai in Tongatapu .
Kaniva News understands one of the buildings at the compound known as Si’oto’ofa Atu was badly damaged.
Apparently this was the first house fire to be reported in Tongatapu for 2016.
Authorities could not be reached for comment.
The annual festivity of fe’iloakita’ufo’ou in which church members visit church leaders and families in mainland Neiafu has been resumed after it was delayed on New Year’s Day by Cyclone Ula.
Rough seas have held up crossings and some islands are recovering from damage to crops and houses.
Outer islanders travelled to Neiafu taking fish and shellfish as gifts for their church leaders who serve churches in the mainland and operated offices there.
Churches in rural areas of Neiafu presented crops, mats and pigs when they visited.
The annual visit is a mixture of cultural and formal religious activities. There is a short prayer service and fakatūʻuta (presentation of pigs, crops, Tongan handicrafts and fish) in the Tongan way. Heralds make speeches and receive and present the gifts on behalf of the church members and the church leaders.
Valamotu Fifita Tāufa from the island of Matamaka in Vavaʻu told Kaniva News through Facebook the visits began yesterday, Monday, January 4.
“They went to meet their church leaders in Neiafu for the New Year,” Mrs Taufa said.
“It was postponed because the sea was really rough.
“Fish were absolutely fresh and beautiful,” she said, referring to the fish taken with the people to present to their church leaders.
Our correspondent in Vavaʻu said the annual visit is traditionally performed by family and relatives of those who live in the outer islands and villages in rural areas of Neiafu.
However, since everyone in various villages and islands belongs to various churches the event has become a social activity performed by churches.
After visiting their church leaders in Neiafu, people from the outer islands have the opportunity to visit their families on the main island.in Neiafu before returning to the islands.
This was an important festive activity for the people of Vavaʻu, our correspondent said.
Photos obtained by Kaniva News show people wearing Tongan formal attire of tupenu and taʻovala boarding boats to travel to Neiafu to perform the feʻiloaki.
Cyclone Ula
Tonga’s National Emergency and Management Office (NEMO) has announced that despite major destruction to fruit crops, only 10 percent of crops were affected by Cyclone Ula while she visited Vava’u.
The category three tropical cyclone caused great destruction to fruit crops, particularly in the outer island of Vava’u, and damage to a number of shelters and buildings that had not been built properly.
However, the government said root crops received only minor damage.
Cyclone Ula left Tonga on Saturday towards Fiji where it was reported to have caused no major damage in the Lau Group.
Tonga’s tropical cyclone season normally runs from November to April, but severe weather can occur at any time of the year.
The main points
The US Embassy in Fiji will send one of its officers to Tonga to provide consular services for U.S. citizens living in the kingdom on February 9 – 11, 2016.
It would be an opportunity for the officer to receive applications from nonimmigrant visa applicants in Nuku’alofa.
In a public notice released by the embassy yesterday it said the consular officer while in Tonga will take applications for American Citizen Services, including reports of birth abroad and U.S. passport applications, as well as provide notary services for documents for use in the United States.
“Appointments for American Citizen Services are available in Tongatapu on Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9, 2016,” it said.
Public Notice
Consular Officer’s Travel to Tongatapu February 9-11, 2016
The Consular Officer will travel to Tongatapu February 8-11, 2016, to provide consular services for U.S. citizens living in Tonga. Additionally, on February 8 and 9, 2016, a limited number of individuals who meet the requirements outlined below will be able to submit an application for a nonimmigrant visa in Nukualofa.
American Citizen Services:
We will take applications for American Citizen Services, including reports of birth abroad and U.S. passport applications, as well as provide notary services for documents for use in the United States.
Appointments for American Citizen Services are available in Tongatapu on Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9, 2016.
Please click here to visit our website to review the documents that you are required to present for the different services. Please note that in addition to any original document, you will need to bring photocopies of ALL originaldocuments, IDs, and passports.
Please note that we can only see applicants who have scheduled an appointment. We will not accept walk-in applications! To schedule an appointment please send an e-mail to SuvaACS@state.gov or call (+679) 331-4466.
Please note we only have a limited number of appointments available. Once we confirm your appointment, we will also inform you which documents you need to bring with you, and will also advise you the fees you need to pay. Please note that we can only accept certified bank checks in U.S. dollars in the exact amount made payable to the U.S. Embassy, Suva. For security reasons, cash is not accepted.
Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV):
Please note Tongan NIV applicants must meet all criteria listed below in order to qualify for an appointment in Nukualofa. NIV appointments are available on Wednesday, February 10 and Thursday, February 11, 2016, at the Fa’onelua Convention Center (FCC) in Nukualofa.
You must meet all of the requirements outlined in order to qualify for an appointment.
– You do not plan to travel internationally before March 31, 2016. Given the distances and processing time, we cannot guarantee that passports will be available for travel before that date.
– You must be seeking a visa in one of the following categories:
– You have NOT been refused a U.S. visa before or been removed from the U.S. or denied entry into the United States at a Port of Entry.
– You have NOT overstayed in the U.S. on a previous trip.
If you meet the aforementioned criteria and want to be considered for an interview in Nuku’alofa, please send an email to the Consular Section atSuvaNIV@state.gov. Please include the following information in your email:
Please note we only have a limited number of appointments available. Appointments will be confirmed after the U.S. Embassy received and reviewed above mentioned information. We will not accept walk-in applications!
Applicants who have immediate travel plans or that do not meet the aforementioned criteria must schedule an appointment viawww.ustraveldocs.com and must travel to the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji, to submit their application.
We cannot accept petitions for immigrant visas. All immigrant visa inquiries and U.S. legal permanent resident card inquiries should be directed to the U.S. Embassy in Suva at SuvaIV@state.gov.
A section of the government house, where police magistrate lived in Neiafu, was gutted by fire Sunday morning January 3.
There were no injuries or death reported.
The inferno which was promptly brought under control, only affected the flat where Magistrate Paula Tatafu lived.
The affected building situated next to Vavaʻu court house.
Our correspondent in Vavaʻu said Police were investigating but there was no suspicious activity behind the blaze.
This was the third house fire since last Christmas day when a fire broke out at a Chinese owned shopping centre in Neiafu.
On Friday 1 Kaniva News reported the first house fire in Vavaʻu at Veitatalo, Neiafu for the New Year after a resdential house owned by business owner ‘Isi Lutui Fakatulolo broke out at about 4am.
Of all the three blazes no injuries or deaths reported.
The first baby born in Tonga in 2016 arrived while New Year’s Day revellers were still partying and shooting off fireworks.
The official time that Tēvita Jr Tuʻakalu was born at Vaiola Hospital in Tonga was 3:15 a.m.
He was 9 pound and was healthy.
His mum’s aunt ‘Ana Lēlea Fili told Kaniva News Baby Tuʻakalau and his mum are doing well.
His mum Panitita Tuʻakalau is staying with Mrs Fili in ‘Eua, but she is from Lapaha in Tongatapu.
The baby was a blessing to the family as he was the first grandchild of her grandmother’s siblings, Mrs Fili said.
Hospital staff said there were five babies altogether that were born on the New Year’s day.
