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NZDF-led projects boost drought resilience of Tongan communities

By
Kalino Latu
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Tongan officials said community projects undertaken by a multinational task group led by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) were expected to reduce the vulnerability of remote communities to the impact of drought.

The projects, designed to improve water storage in two main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group, were undertaken as part of Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016 and formally handed over today to the Tongan government.

“Tropic Twilight conducted a vast field of activities that will directly improve the resilience of communities in Ha’apai in addressing some water security issues and safety equipment shortages. It was also an opportune time to collaborate with partners to address health issues,” said Siaosi Sovaleni, Tonga’s Deputy Prime Minister.

Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) Josh Wineera, NZDF Task Force Commander and Senior National Officer, said about 40 personnel from the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force worked alongside engineers from Tonga, China and the United States to improve water storage and sanitation in Lifuka and Foa islands.

Nine 10,000-litre water storage tanks were installed at churches, the fire station and city hall in Pangai, the administrative capital village of Ha’apai. The multinational task group also built a toilet block near the Pangai Ferry Terminal.

On the health front, medical personnel from New Zealand and Australia worked with Tongan medical staff to conduct environmental health tests to assess the risk of communicable diseases such as dengue and the zika virus to the local population.

Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Chantelle Ramage from the Royal New Zealand Air Force and colleagues from the United States and Australia visit a school in Lifuka, one of two main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group. LAC Ramage forms part of the multinational task group led by the New Zealand Defence Force that has been undertaking humanitarian projects in Tonga as part of Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016.
Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Chantelle Ramage from the Royal New Zealand Air Force and colleagues from the United States and Australia visit a school in Lifuka, one of two main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group. LAC Ramage forms part of the multinational task group led by the New Zealand Defence Force that has been undertaking humanitarian projects in Tonga as part of Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016.

“Apart from the construction projects, members of the multinational task group also engaged with the local communities. This included outreach activities at schools in Lifuka, which were well-received by the students, teachers and principals,” LTCOL Wineera said.

“The installation of the water storage facilities complements New Zealand’s broader development assistance to vulnerable communities across Tonga. It will go some way to increase the resilience of Ha’apai communities during seasons that are drier than normal or extend to periods of drought,” New Zealand High Commissioner to Tonga Sarah Walsh said.

Major General (MAJGEN) Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said activities undertaken as part of Tropic Twilight demonstrated New Zealand’s continuing commitment in the Pacific and marked a fresh opportunity to strengthen defence cooperation with Tonga and other international partners.

“Tropic Twilight started years ago as a military exercise to get our personnel ready to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. But it has since evolved into a major multinational activity and the projects we have been undertaking in recent years are making a positive and tangible difference to communities in the Pacific,” MAJGEN Gall said.

Tropic Twilight is a recurring humanitarian activity focused on disaster relief operations that was conducted this year in Tonga from 7 July. New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade funded the projects that were delivered as part of the New Zealand Aid Programme.

Health Ministry seeks legal advice after baby infected with MRSA is taken from hospital

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Ministry of Health has sought legal advice after a baby infected with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) was taken from hospital by his parents.

The baby was supposed to be admitted to the hospital’s isolation ward, but his parents took him home instead.

Kaniva News has been unable to confirm claims that the parents wanted to treat the child with traditional Tongan medicine.

The Ministry sent a public health nurse to the family’s home to advise the parents about the consequences the baby could face if he was not returned to hospital for medical treatment.

Health Ministry CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said in cases like this patients left hospital because of a “lack of clear communication.”

The parents had not returned the baby to the hospital at the time we contacted with Dr ‘Akau’ola.

Dr ‘Akau’ola said the Ministry kept sending medication with the nurse to the residence to make sure the baby was treated with the right medical treatment. They kept urging the parents to return the baby to hospital.

Dr ‘Akau’ola said the advice from their lawyer was that the Ministry could return the baby to the hospital under domestic violence and negligence law.

This means Police would have to obtain a warrant from the court so they could take the baby away from the parents and take him to hospital.

However, the Ministry had not done this.

The case came after a 12-year-old boy from Vava’u died on June 30 because he was infected by the MRSA.

The boy died despite being diagnosed by doctors at the hospital. The boy’s family also gave him Tongan medication.

What is MRSA? 

According to Health E New Zealand, MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. The term is used to describe a number of strains of the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, that are resistant to a number of antibiotics, including methicillin.

What is staphylococcus aureas?

Staphylococcus aureus is a group of bacteria that live on the surface of people’s skin and inside the nose. It is normally harmless: most people who are carrying it are totally unaware that they have it.

This group of bacteria can be spread quite easily from person to person through contact.

Problems occur if Staphyloccocus aureus bacteria are able to enter the body through a cut or wound.

How is MRSA treated?

Because MRSA is resistant to a number of different antibiotics, it is harder to treat than nonresistant bacteria.

However, MRSA is not resistant to every antibiotic and most strains of MRSA can still be treated with vancomycin, teicoplanin and mupirocin.

For people with weakened immune systems who have become infected with MRSA, the best treatments are with the antibiotics vancomycin or teicoplanin. These two antibiotics are given as injections or through an intravenous drip and so are only given to people in hospital.

The main points

  • Tonga’s Ministry of Health has sought legal advice after a baby infected with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was taken from hospital by his parents.
  • The baby was supposed to be admitted to the hospital’s isolation ward, but his parents took him home instead.
  • Kaniva News has been unable to confirm claims that the parents wanted to treat the child with traditional Tongan medicine.
  • The Ministry sent a public health nurse to the family’s home to advise the parents about the consequences the baby could face if he was not returned to hospital for medical treatment.

For more information

Health authorities concerned after rare MRSA-related pneumonia kills boy (Kaniva News)

Ministry moves to stop what it says are lies on social media after boy’s MRSA death

Habitat for Humanity’s 100 Homes Campaign welcomed

By
Kaniva Staff
-

I welcome Habitat for Humanity’s new “100 Homes Campaign”, which will offer life-saving, storm-resistant, affordable housing to families in the Pacific, said Jenny Salesa, MP for Manukau East, who launched the campaign today.

“Habitat for Humanity’s ‘100 homes Campaign’ aims to build 100 cyclone-resistant homes for families across the Pacific by the end of this year.

“Habitat is hoping to recruit 100 volunteers and raise $100,000 to build the homes in Samoa, Fiji and, for the first time ever, Tonga.

“I am hugely impressed by the work that Habitat has been doing across the Pacific, where the repeated destruction of homes by cyclones is a persistent problem that needs an effective solution.

“Habitat has a fantastic track record building cyclone-resilient homes in Fiji and Samoa. It is notable that 899 of the 900 Habitat houses in Fiji withstood the battering from Tropical Cyclone Winston

“Cyclone Winston highlighted for me that getting Habitat for Humanity into Tonga to provide affordable, cyclone-resistant homes to ordinary people there, was imperative

“Earlier this year, I was delighted to broker a meeting between the Tongan Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Siaosi Sivaleni, and New Zealand Habitat for Humanity head Claire Szabo, which led to a signed agreement to start a building programme in Tonga.

“Habitat for Humanity homes are comparatively inexpensive, partly because families must contribute their labour to building their home and volunteers from New Zealand and elsewhere also help out.

“I congratulate Habitat for Humanity for this campaign and I strongly encourage everyone to donate money towards this vital project for housing in the Pacific and / or to join a volunteer team,” Jenny Salesa said.

Contact: Jenny Salesa 021 940 863

“Peace corps operations continue as normal,” US office says as police follow leads after attack

By
Kalino Latu
-

A brutal attack on the US Peace Corps director in Tonga will not affect the organisation’s operation the Peace Corps says.

Erin Durney, a spokesperson for the Peace Corps Office of Communications in Washington, said the woman had been evacuated to Auckland for medical treatment.

The director, who has not been named, was jogging along a footpath behind one of the residences at the waterfront in Sopu when a man attacked her on Saturday, July 16.

The Tongan Police said they were following leads in the brutal attack.

Police said they wanted to speak to a man in his late teens or early 20s in relation to the attack. He is described as Tongan or Polynesians.

The man was seen holding a green towel over his head and across his face while walking away from the area near the scene around the time of the attack.

Miss Durney said the health, safety and security of Volunteers and staff was the Peace Corps’ top priority.

“While we cannot eliminate every risk that volunteers and staff face, the Peace Corps is committed to providing world-class training, guidance and support to help reduce risks and responding effectively and compassionately when incidents do occur,” she said.

“Each Peace Corps post has an emergency action plan which is continually updated.

“Peace Corps security experts in Washington and embassy officials work closely with posts to develop and update the plan and thoroughly train Volunteers and staff to react to emergencies.

“Police investigations are underway, and Peace Corps and other U.S. officials are in communication with local authorities”, Durney said.

Meanwhile the Tongan community is raising funds to pay for a reward to find the person who was responsible for the attack.

The fundraising drive’s host, the Vake Talifolau Radio, station has written to the Tongan Police asking that the money be used as a reward for whoever helps them find the culprit.

“We are willing to proceed with the fund raising, but we still need your support, co-operation and collaboration in terms of allowing us to submit the money that we will collect to the Tonga Police,” the radio station said.

Anyone with information that might lead Police to the man they wanted to speak to is asked to contact the Nuku’alofa Chief Superintendent Tevita Fifita on 7717816 or 922.

The main points

  • A brutal attack on the US Peace Corps director in Tonga will not affect the organisation’s operation, the Peace Corps says.
  • Peace Corps spokesperson Erin Durney said the woman had been flown to Auckland for medical treatment.
  • The director, who has not been named, was jogging along a footpath behind one of the residences at the waterfront in Sopu when a man attacked her on Saturday, July 16.
  • The Tongan Police said they were following leads in the brutal attack.

For more information

Fundraising to find US Peace Corps’ attacker as fury surges among Tongan community 

Indecent assault ends in prison sentence

By
Philip Cass
-

A 17 years-old man from Ha’apai has been sentenced to four years in prison for indecent assault of a minor and sodomy.

The Hon. Justice Cato sentenced Sione Ketau to three years for sodomy and 12 months for indecent assault in the Supreme Court.

The assault took place on June 22 at Lapaha.

The family of the child have not accepted the man’s apologies.

The final 12 months of his sentence for sodomy have been suspended on condition that he not commit any offences punishable by imprisonment for a period of a period of two years, be placed on probation for 12 months and have no contact with the complainant.

Crown Prince attends ʻāpō service for Motuʻapuaka

By
Alpha Latu
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Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa and Crown Princess Sinaitakala were among the mourners at Motuʻapuaka’s funeral.

The king’s leading matāpule died on July 3 in the United States after he was admitted to hospital.

His body arrived in Tonga on Friday and will be laid to rest at Fakaulunafa cemetery on Saturday 23.

A service for his kāinga and friends is being held at his estate, Teʻekiu.

His matāpule Mafi E Vaohehea said a massive crowd attended Motuʻapuaka’s ʻapō (vigil) tonight.

Motuʻapuaka is one of the king’s few heralds who inherited and held lands in Tonga such as His Majesty’s nobles.

Motuʻapuaka’s roles included taking care of the fakapangai and making order during any royal kava ceremony in which the king attended

“Callous” rape earns five year sentence

By
Philip Cass
-

A Supreme Court judge has described the rape of a pregnant woman last year as a “predatory and callous” crime.

Handing down a five year sentence to Paneti Sa, 17, Hon. Justice Cato said the trauma of the rape had seriously   affected   both the complainant and her  husband. He said the baby had not been harmed.

“I have listened to the complainant  in Court,  as she bravely recounted her experience and said she  forgave   the complainant, and indeed asked for leniency for  him.

“Some gifts have been made by the family in the Tongan way,” the judge said.

Hon. Justice Cato said the prisoner knew the woman was pregnant and that her children were nearby. He also used a knife to intimidate her.

Sa was also sentenced to three years for housebreaking. The sentence will be served at the same time as the penalty for rape.

The rape took place on September 25 last year.

The judge said the prisoner’s apology had been accepted.

The final 1 month of Sa’s sentence has been remitted on condition that he lives where directed by his probation officer, does not to drink alcohol and attends courses on drug and alcohol rehabilitation and in relation to the sexual abuse of women.

The main points

  • Paneti Sa, 17, has been sentenced to five years in prison for what a Supreme Court judge decribed as a “predatory and callous” crime.
  • Sa raped a pregnant woman on September 25 last year.
  • Justice Cato said the trauma of the rape had seriously affected   the  complainant   and  her  husband.
  • The baby had not been harmed.

Last minute visit to Tonga ends in tragedy as three die and one injured in car crash

By
Kalino Latu
-

Peni Loea Musie, 44, was not so sure whether or not he would go to Tonga and his ‘Aholelei family were surprised when he contacted them last week and said he was coming.

But he was killed in a horrific accident in Tonga over the weekend and his body will be buried in Kolonga next week.

His wife Maama Niupalau and their only daughter as well as family in New Zealand have just left Auckland for the kingdom to farewell him.

Musie was in Tonga to join his father’s maternal side’s family reunion – the ‘Aholelei.

He was one of the three people killed when the rental car they were travelling in hit a coconut tree on Talasiu Road near Kolonga on Saturday 16.

The other two victims had been named by Police as  Sonatane Lātū, 14,  and Tangiloto ʻAholelei, 25 who was also the driver.

A fourth person, Soakimi Kanongataʻa, 21, was severely injured.

All the victims were from Kolonga and have connections to the ‘Aholelei family.

Peni and victims

Tangiloto was married with children and his parents live in the United States. Lātū was staying in Kolonga.

Musie’s youngest sister Simaima, who lives in New Zealand, told Kaniva News in a telephone interview that they decided to bury Musie in Tonga because their mother was still there with most of their siblings.

Simaima said Musie rented the car. He and his friends were celebrating their reunion before he was due to leave for Auckland.

She said Musie worked for the New Zealand Fire Services for about five years before he took another job.

Police said alcohol and speed were factors that contributed to the fatal incident.

The horrific accident came after three people were killed in a car accident in ‘Ahau on July 9 after the car they were travelling in hit a toa tree on Hihifo Rd near ‘Ahau. One woman survived with severe injuries, Police confirmed alcohol and speeding were factors in the fatal crash.

The main points

  • Peni Loea Musie was not so sure whether or not he would go to Tonga and his ‘Aholelei family were surprised when he contacted them last week and said he was coming.
  • But he was killed in a horrific accident in Tonga on the weekend and his body will be buried in Kolonga next week.
  • His wife Maama and their only daughter as well as family in New Zealand have just left Auckland for the kingdom to farewell him.
  • Musie was in Tonga to join his father’s maternal side’s family reunion – the ‘Aholelei.

Newborn baby found abandoned on side of road in Halaleva

By
Kalino Latu
-

A baby thought to be just a few hours old when it was found this morning abandoned in a bush area near By-Pass Road in Halaleva, Nuku’alofa is in a stable condition in hospital.

The newborn girl, who was found alive and was wrapped in a plastic bag,  was discovered by two nuns near the Church of Tonga chapel shortly before 8.00am.

Tongan authorities said the baby is being kept in an incubator in Vaiola hospital.

Police are investigating and looking for the child’s mother.

NZDF-led task group launches construction projects in tonga

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A multinational task group led by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has started community projects aimed at improving water storage and sanitation in two main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group.

Lieutenant Colonel Josh Wineera, NZDF Task Force Commander and Senior National Officer, said construction work being undertaken as part of Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016 was well underway in Lifuka and Foa.

Nine 10,000-litre water storage tanks are being installed at churches, the fire station and city hall in Pangai, the administrative capital village of Ha’apai. One of these tanks will be placed at the community hall in Faleloa, the home village of Tongan-born All Black midfielder Malakai Fekitoa.

Engineers from His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga (HMAF Tonga), the New Zealand Army, China’s People’s Liberation Army and the United States Army are also building a toilet block near the Pangai Ferry Terminal, a high-traffic location.

“Our international partners and Tongan colleagues have fully integrated with our NZDF personnel and we are working together to make tangible improvements to the local infrastructure. These projects will surely make a positive difference to the local community,” LTCOL Wineera said.

Medical personnel from New Zealand and Australia, meanwhile, are conducting environmental health tests to assess the risk of communicable diseases to the local population. US Army soldiers are also operating a desalination system that provides a supply of potable water to the multinational task group.

Lance Corporal Michael Salmon, an environmental health specialist from the New Zealand Army, checks larvae samples gathered by military personnel taking part in Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016, a humanitarian activity focused on disaster relief operations that is being conducted this year in Tonga. An environmental health team comprised of personnel from New Zealand and Australia is carrying out a mosquito eradication programme to reduce diseases such as dengue and zika as part of Tropic Twilight.
Lance Corporal Michael Salmon, an environmental health specialist from
the New Zealand Army, checks larvae samples gathered by military personnel taking
part in Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016, a humanitarian activity focused on disaster
relief operations that is being conducted this year in Tonga. An environmental health
team comprised of personnel from New Zealand and Australia is carrying out a
mosquito eradication programme to reduce diseases such as dengue and zika as
part of Tropic Twilight.

“New Zealand and Australian environmental health officers are working with Tongan medical staff on vector monitoring. They are checking mosquito traps and will teach the locals how to recognise certain species that might carry such diseases as dengue fever or the zika virus,” said Flight Lieutenant David Pennisi, Senior National and

Environmental Health Officer from the Royal Australian Air Force.

Tongan officials are impressed by the industry and enthusiasm of the multinational task group.

“It’s great to see the Chinese, Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and Tongan soldiers working alongside each other. This contingent is clearly well-led and they have an inclusive and respectful nature about them; they have a good sense of humour too. I also like how the junior non-commissioned officers are trusted to go about their work and make decisions,” said Commander Brisbane Lokotui, HMAF Tonga’s liaison officer.

About 40 personnel from the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, half of whom are engineers and tradespersons from the Army’s 2nd Engineer Regiment, are working alongside engineers from Tonga, China and the United States as part of Tropic Twilight. The NZDF contingent also includes medical, dental and logistics specialists.

The recurring humanitarian activity, which is focused on disaster relief operations, is being conducted this year in Tonga from 7-29 July. New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is funding the projects being delivered as part of the New Zealand Aid Programme.

 

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