Tongan Police have launched a manhunt after an incident they described as – a machete attack that occurred as part of the ongoing fights among school students.
Police are looking for the whereabout of a father and a son from Tofoa who attacked Nelson Tuʻitavake of Kolofoʻou with a machete last Saturday 15 at the Lopaʻukamea bus stop, Radio and Television Tonga reported.
The victim was admitted to Vaiola hospital and was in stable condition, the report says.
No further details reported.
Police have identified the man who has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of the Chinese shopkeeper at Halaleva in February 20.
He was Kefu Kalavi, 19, of Ma’ufanga and Police arrested him on November 12 following a nine-month period of investigation. He appeared in court the same day.
Dao Jin He, 31, was found unconscious in his shop by a Chinese friend.
He was then rushed to Vaiola Hospital the same day but died at about 7.30am February 21.
Kalaivi remains in Police custody and is expected to reappear in court on January 19, 2015.
A student severely beaten and sustained a large cut in his face following a fight among students in Nuku’alofa was caught on a video first uploaded into Youtube on November 10, 2014.
The video shows a boy got knocked out and was lying unconscious on the road while he was kicked in the head.
Warning – the video contains offensive language in Tongan and the fighting may shock viewers
Women, apparently related to the boy were heard crying and calling the name Sali while the boy was lying unconscious on the road.
The women were among the people who helped to protect the boy while he was being attacked.
The boy has a large cut in his face.
The fight spreads and more fights continued while the injured boy was taken to the roadside and was later taken on a pick-up van.
Kaniva News could not be able to confirm the authenticity of the video and whether the claim the fight was between Tonga College students and Liahona High School students was true or not.
However according to information we have it suggested the video was the latest after or before a fight reported on local media in the first week of November. Following that fight a student from Apifo’ou college was seriously injured after he was allegedly beaten by students from Liahona High School. The victim was admitted to hospital and was in a critical but stable condition.
The Labour Party has today elected Andrew Little as its 15th Leader in the party’s 98 year history.
Andrew Little was elected by a majority in the third round of a preferential four-way Electoral College contest.
The turnout in the Party section was just under 70% (7% more than in 2013), and Party individual financial membership has increased by over 48% since General Election Day September 20th 2014.
“The Labour Party congratulates Andrew Little, who has been elected as party leader in a robust and highly democratic process,” says Labour Party President Moira Coatsworth. “Andrew’s leadership will have the full support of the whole Labour Party.”
“Our members, caucus and affiliates had a very strong field of candidates to choose from. Andrew, David, Grant and Nanaia all ran strong campaigns and, collectively, they formed an attractive and compelling face for Labour. Our heartfelt thanks go to them for the positive and uplfting tone of the campaign, and for the personal effort they put in over the past seven weeks since the election was triggered”.
“Andrew has the leadership skills and the vision to win the trust of New Zealanders and take Labour to victory in 2017. I have no doubt he will go on to become a great Labour Prime Minister who builds a stronger, fairer and more sustainable New Zealand.”
A violent attack on Tonga’s largest prison by two armed robbers on November 9 left a son of a prison warden injured.
Heamani Lopeti and Penisiliti Malafu entered a house at the Hu’atolitoli compound and attacked the 18-year-old son of Si’i-Kae-Ha Taufa with a machete. The teenager who was sleeping in the house injured his leg.
Police said Penisiliti was a former prisoner while Lopeti is currently a prisoner but was on a weekend leave while the incident happened.
The robbers left the house in a rental car they used with mats Police estimated to be  TP$7,200.
The duo were later spotted speeding by a police patrol car prompting a pursuit that ended after the accused car hit a tree on Taufa’ahau Rd.
No one was injured in the accident and the stolen goods were recovered from the boot of the car.
The accused were expected to appear in court this week.
A two-day formal exhumation service in Ha’apai last week honoured two Tongan heroes who helped establish Christianity and formal education in Tonga.
The ashes of the Rev Tevita Tonga Mohenoa and the Rev Pita Vi were dug up on November 12 and moved to their new resting place in Tuʻumoelau, Pangai, Haʻapai the next day.
The two men were buried at Feletoa cemetery in Haʻapai 119 years ago.
The cemetery belonged to King Taufa’āhau I, but is now owned by the Tongan government which is going to turn it into town allotments which will be distributed to locals.
The Rev Tonga Mohenoa was the first Tongan to be formally educated in 1868 after Dr Egan Moulton arrived in Tonga to establish formal education in the kingdom.
It is claimed this was the first of its kind in the South Pacific.
The Rev Mohenoa was first Head Tutor of Tupou College from 1869-1880 and then became the first Tongan Superintendent Minister of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (FWCT) in Ha’apai District from 1882-1895.
Pita Vī was one of the first Tongan converts to Christianity in Tonga and was a teacher and pastor for King Taufaʻahau I.
The Rev Vī is famous in Tongan history for accompanying King Taufaʻāhau throughout the islands in his attempts to Christianise the kingdom and to free Tongans from being slaves under the absolute rules of the Tuʻi Tonga and his nobles.
The exhumation started with a prayer service and a speech by the governor of Haʻapai, Lord Tuʻihaʻangana,
Dr Rev Tevita Tonga Mohenoa Puloka, who was one of the church leaders who conducted the service, said Rev Mohenoa was the first Dux of Tupou College in 1868.
Tupou College is the oldest secondary school in the South Pacific outside Australia and New Zealand.
It was named by HM King Taufa’ahau Tupou 1 and was established on February 14, 1866.
From Tonga, the lotu (religion) and ako (education) were brought to Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
“Such is the significant contribution of Tevita Tonga Mohenoa as the first educated person of the Kau Helohelo ‘o e Matematika ‘a Dr. Molitoni [Dr Moulton’s best scholars in mathematics],” the Rev Puloka said.
After he converted to Christianity, Pita Vi became King Tauf’ahau’s teacher and pastor. The king was baptised by the Rev John Thomas on August 8, 1831, at his home Pulela’ā, Pangai, Ha’apai. Pita Vi died in Ha’apai in 1893.
Mohenoa and Vi’s remains were re-interred at Tu’umoelau, which was named by Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho.
The cemetery is owned by the Ha’apai District of the Free Wesleyan Church in Tonga.
Dr Puloka said the exhumation services respected the Tongan custom of the fonua (land) known as taufatungamotu’a.
The formal cultural part of the ceremony was led by two heralds from Haʻa Tufunga (the king’s carpenters) Ma’u ki Monotapu ‘o Ha’a Talafale and Latu Tufunga ‘o Loto Ha’angana.
The main points
• A two-day formal exhumation service in Ha’apai last week remembered two Tongan heroes who helped establish Christianity and formal education in Tonga.
• The ashes of the Rev Tevita Tonga Mohenoa and the Rev Pita Vi were dug up on November 12 and moved to their new resting place in Tuʻumoelau, Pangai, Haʻapai the next day.
• The Rev Mohenoa was first Head Tutor of Tupou College from 1869-1880 and then became the first Tongan Superintendent Minister of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (FWCT) in Ha’apai District from 1882-1895.
• Pita Vī was one of the first Tongan converts to Christianity in Tonga and was a teacher and pastor for King Taufaʻahau I.
The G20 leaders had made a clear signal to the global community that we must now unite, and in partnership muster all available resources to fight Ebola at its source to save lives and prevent its spread.
Ebola is a global crisis and there is an urgent need to address the larger issues raised by pandemics such as Ebola, especially the need to strengthen health systems globally and build country preparedness.
World leaders including US President Barack Obama, Chinese and Russian Leaders are currently in Brisbane, Australia in a two-day summit.
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today released the following statement on the G20 Leaders’ statement on Ebola:
“We welcome the call to action on Ebola by G20 Leaders today. This is an important commitment to combat Ebola and address the terrible human and economic impact of the outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
We also welcome the G20 Leaders’ call for the World Bank Group to explore new flexible mechanisms to deal with the economic impact of future comparable crises. We are exploring a global pandemic facility that could use insurance and other market mechanisms to make resources immediately available and more broadly share costs and risks. This would save precious time and lives, and sharply reduce the impact and costs of pandemics.”
What is ebola?
The Ebola virus causes an acute, serious illness which is often fatal if untreated. Ebola virus disease (EVD) first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in Nzara, Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola river from which the disease takes its name (WHO).
(Source AP) — A three-try burst in six minutes raced Tonga away from the United States in a 40-12 rugby win at Kingsholm on Saturday.
Tonga conceded an early try to the Eagles before edging ahead 14-12 by halftime. It was still that score when Tonga erupted with three quick tries, to No. 8 Viliami Ma’afu, fullback Vunga Lilo, and winger David Halaifonua. Kurt Morath converted two and Tonga suddenly led 33-12.
The Tongans with a late converted try, their fifth, to captain Nili Latu won a second successive test for the first time in 18 months.
Until they beat Georgia 23-9 in Tbilisi last week, the Tongans had not win their previous six tests.
The United States started and finished the first half with tries to wing Tim Stanfill and flanker John Quill, in his first appearance this year, and managed to limit Tonga to three points while captain and flanker Scott LaValla was in the sin-bin.
The Eagles, coming off a win over Romania, finish their European tour against Fiji in France next Friday, while Tonga meets Scotland in a week.
Tonga 40 (Fetu’u Vainikolo, Viliami Ma’afu, Vunga Lilo, David Halaifonua, Nili Latu tries; Kurt Morath conversion, 3 penalties, Latiume Fosita conversion), United States 12 (Tim Stanfill, John Quill tries; Folau Niua conversion). HT: 14-12.
The Tongan Appeal Court will urgently hear an appeal by the Supervisor and Chairman of Tonga’s Electoral Commission against a judgment to nominate Sione Tupouniua after the nomination of candidates closed on Friday, October 24 at 3pm.
Tupouniua had his nomination application rejected after he arrived late at the Election Office.
He appealed the Election Office’s decision and the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa on November 10 upheld his appeal and ordered the Election Office to process Tupouniua’s nomination.
The Election Office did not agree with the Supreme Court’s judgement against its decision and on November 12 Tonga’s Acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu lodged an appeal for the Election Office.
Tonga’s general election will be held on November 27.
Tonga Rugby Union has named its team to play against US this weekend.
The Īkale-Tahi have great courage to play and win against the US after they thrashed Georgia 23 – 9 last Sunday in Tiblis.
Tonga will play against the United States Eagles at Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester, England, this Saturday, November 15
The team,
1 Tevita Mailau
2 Aleki Lutui
3 Paea Faʻanunu
4 Tukulua Lokotui
5 Joe Tu’ineau
6 Sione Kalamafoni
7 Nili Latu
8 Viliami Ma’afu
9 Sonatane Takulua
10 Kurt Morath
11 Fetu’u Vainikolo
12 Hemani Paea
13 Siale Piutau
14 David Halaifonua
15 Vungakoto Lilo
Reserves
16 Elvis Taione
17 Sione Lea
18 Sila Puafisi
19 Lisiate Fa’aoso
20 Hale T Pole
21 Taniela Moa
22 Latiume Fosita
23 Otulea Katoa
