A small tornado has ripped through a small town east of Nuku’alofa this morning.
The rooftop of the Catholic church hall known as Sangata Fositina mo Langi Havea was torn up when the tornado lashed through the town of Lavengatonga at about 6am today June 15.
At least two houses and a shed were damaged
Lavengatonga’s town-officer reportedly said there were no casualties or death.
The coronation of Their Majesties King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho is still two weeks away, but there is a sense of anticipation in the air as the kingdom prepares for what will be the largest event since King George V’s coronation in 2008.
Celebrations surrounding the coronation will officially begin on June 27, but the nation is already in a state of longolongo kātoanga, the feeling that public festivities are about to start.
Gifts have begun arriving for the Royal family and schoolchildren have performed traditional dances at the palace.
A nationwide clean-up campaign is underway and the government has announced a TP$200,000 (NZ$140,000) plan to dispose of derelict ships in Nuku’alofa’s harbour.
Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva said it was important that when people from overseas arrived in Tonga for the crowning of Their Majesties that the kingdom looked clean and beautiful.
This follows a massive inland clean up in various villages in Tongatapu.
Photos obtained by Kaniva News show the clean-up operation has worked and the project has met with approval on social media.
Their Majesties visited the city of Kolomotu’a on Friday and were welcomed by Hon. Pohiva and the kainga.
Kolomotu’a is where the Royal Palace in Nuku’alofa is located. It is understood that Their Majesties were invited by Namoa-‘O e-Taki Lelei group.
Princess Angelica Latufuipeka led the group in cleaning up of the city.
Fatongia/Duty
In the past couple of weeks the gates at the Royal Palace in Nuku’alofa have been open as gifts have been brought to present to Their Majesties.
Government ministries, certain villages and some groups have presented Tongan goods such as precious mats, ngatu, food and pigs. Some presentation were followed by group dances.
The presentation is known as fatongia, or duty, and has been mainly performed by those who are linked to Their Majesties in blood, responsibilities or ruling.
Last week the queen’s paternal village of Houma presented its fatongia to Their Majesty.
It was led by Queen Nanasipau’u’s brother, Lord Vaea.
They presented mats, ngatu and cakes followed by their traditional kailao, or war dance.
Performance
On Thursday about 1000 secondary and primary school students in Tongatapu performed their traditional dances for HM Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho at Pangai Lahi.
This was another fatongia in which dances that have been practised for certain occasions are presented to either the nobles, town officers or the royals before the big day.
The performance in the grounds on the eastern side of the palace was presented by six secondary schools – ‘Apifo’ou College , Lavengamalie College, Queen Salote College, Tonga College, Tonga High School and Tupou College. Two primary schools also performed for the queen.
Invitation
The government has invited 1000 special guests, including leaders, diplomats and religious leaders from overseas to the coronation.
Thousands of Tongans overseas are also expected to join the coronation and various fundraising activities have been launched by Tongan communities in the United States, Australia and New Zealand to help fund people who want to travel to Tonga for the coronation.
Many people will also be in Tonga during the coronation for the Free Wesleyan Church’s annual conference, which will be held in Nuku’alofa from July 7 – 13.
Kaniva News understands the church is organising a choir of 1000 singers to perform an oratorio to their Majesties on Sunday, July 5, at the Centenary Chapel.
The choir will sing for an hour before the church formally announce its coronation greetings to Their Majesties.
The main points
For more information
Public holiday declared for Tongan coronation (RNZI)
New look expected for Tonga coronation (RNZI)
Programme of events for the coronation (Prime Minister’s Office)
The Tongan government has announced the coronation of Their Majeties King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho will be marked with a public holiday on Tuesday, July 7.
“This special decision is a one-off, and it is part of honouring and celebrating the majestic ceremony of the formal investiture of Tonga’s reigning monarch, His Majesty King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office says.
The official program for the coronation commences on Saturday 27 June and ends on Monday, July 6.
The Tongan government has received about TOP$55.4 million grant from the Government of Japan to help udgrade and extend Faua wharf.
The grant was received yesterday after Tonga’s Port of Authority revealed last year a plan to extend the wharf starting this year.
The proposed plan involves expanding the wharf’s waterfront operational areas by 250 m from the wharf’s current locations which can cover up to sea areas opposite Takaunove cemetery at Vuna Rd.
The extension plan is expected to be completed by 2018.
Only two ships at the size of MV ‘Otu Anga’ofa can berth at Faua at present but the extension when completed will allow up to 10 ships to dock at the port.
A statement from government today says the new wharf will also cater for inter-island sea transportation with boarding areas specially constructed for the elderly and disabled people.
“The Passenger Terminal Building’s roof top will have an independent solar system to commence Tonga’s step towards facilities that are more energy efficient with a greater degree of energy security, and more importantly an environmentally friendly source of energy”.
Tonga’s Prime Minister, Hon Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva extended his gratitude to His Excellency, Mr Yukio Numata, Ambassador of Japan to Tonga, and the Government of Japan, the “heartfelt appreciation” of the Tongan Government and the people of Tonga with the grant. He therefore expressed his well wishes for the “bilateral relation between Japan and Tonga to continue growing in strength”.
Lord Fakafanua has written to Tonga’s Minister of Land and Survey, Lord Maʻafu, asking him to reconsider the government’s decision to distribute the land at the village of Pātanga to its settlers.
The land at Pātangata was redistributed earlier this year so electricity could be connected to the village.
According to a report in Tālanga newspaper this week, Lord Fakafanua believes the estate is his.
However, Lord Maʻafu said the government stood by its decision and that Pātangata was a government estate.
Lord Fakafanua, the noble of Maʻofanga estate, said he believed Pātanga village was one of his estates because of the outcome of a series of Land Court cases brought by his grandfather.
Tālanga has since denied stories in other Tongan news outlets that Lord Fakafanua had taken legal action against the government.
The newspaper said the noble only wrote to the Minister of Land and Survey, claiming the estate was his and asking the government to review its decision.
It has been claimed that Pātangata, which is also popularly known as Tukutonga, was joined to another block of land called Finepani.
The lands were claimed by Fakafanua Kisione Lēlea, Lord Fakafanua’s great grandfather but was rejected in a Land Court Case in 1924 according to Kakalu-‘O-Tonga newspaper.
Fakafanua Lēlea divided Finepani into two and gave the lands to two of his heralds, Sōsefo Kātoa and Kēlepi Veʻehala, Tālanga reported.
Kātoa and Veʻehala registered the lands with the Ministry of Land and Survey in December 1928 and January 1929.
Tukutonga was leased by Lord Fakafanua’s grandfather to an American citizen named Drucker with the approval of the cabinet – decision number 1041- on January 1, 1971.
However, in 1972 the cabinet changed its decision and declared that Tukutonga was part of the government’s estates.
Fakafanua took the government to court in 1975 and won his case before Chief Justice H.S.Roberts.
However, his victory in the Land Court Case – number 13 of 1975 – was appealed by the government which took it to the Privy Council.
Kakalu-‘O-Tonga quoted Lord Ma’afu as saying the government won in its appeal.
Fakafanua then began another legal action, but the case stalled and has not been pursued since then.
Lord Maʻafu reportedly said the government would stand by its decision on the distribution of Pātangata and Lord Fakafanua was free to take any legal action against government.
He said only a court decision could change the government’s decision.
The main points
For more information
Tongan legal and court system (South Pacific Lawyers’ Association)
A driver accused of smashing his vehicle into the fence of the Royal Palace and fleeing the scene in Nuku’alofa has been charged with reckless driving
Police arrested 30-year-old Seleti Mafi of Sopu Monday 8 and is awaiting trial at the Magistrate Court.
According to Police Communication Officer Telesia Adams the accused after fleeing the scene arrived at the Central Police station and falsely filed a complaint claiming his van was stolen.
However a witness told Police he saw Mafi leaving the van after it crashed into the Palace’s fence. The witness’s report led to the victim’s arrest.
It was not clear whether the accused received further charges on his false report or not.
He was remanded on bail.
The price of chicken, tinned fish and other imported food is down and the airport departure tax has gone up in Tonga’s new budget.
The government hopes the results will be longer lives for Tongans and new sports facilities for the South Pacific Games that will be used by the kingdom’s young sportsmen and women for years to come.
In announcing the budget, Finance Minister Dr Eke said the government had made the national diet a priority in an attempt to increase the kingdom’s life expectancy from an average 65 – 69 years to 70 – 75.
He said the government understood people were free to choose what food they ate, but it was the government’s responsibility to make sure people had access to healthier, cheaper, food.
Under the new budget the price of imported chicken would be reduced to only 17.5 percent increase and tinned fish would be 12.5 percent cheaper.
Dr Eke said an inquiry had found that the price of chicken had risen by 51 percent, while the retail price of tinned fish had increased by 33 percent.
He described the finding as “shocking.”
Price rises include an increase in the airport departure tax and foreign exchange charges, which will go towards the cost of preparing for the South Pacific Games in 2019.
Customs and Revenue Minister Tevita Lavemaau said Tonga had one of the lowest airport departure taxes in the South Pacific.
The government has increased the airport departure tax from TP$65 to TP$165. This is expected to bring in TP$5.5 million a year to help with new facilities and buildings to be constructed for the Games.
Hon. Lavemaau said the facilities funded by the increased airport tax would be used after the Games by Tonga’s young sportsmen and women.
New charges will be imposed on foreign exchange, from which the government expects to collect TP$2 million a year to help fund preparations for the Games
Tonga’s budget for the 2015-16 financial year will be almost TP$500 million.
The new budget has risen by TP$26.9 million from last year to TP$329,707,700.
The total amount in the budget will rise to TP$496,324,600 when an estimated TP$166,614, 900 of overseas donor funds is received.
The biggest beneficiaries in the budget are the government’s central agencies, which will receive more than TP$99 million and social services, which will receive just over TP$94 million.
The 2015-16 budget has been allocated into seven main sectors.
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A 32-year-old man from Vava’u has committed suicide after he shot himself on his head with a 38 revolver on Friday 5 Police has confirmed this to Kaniva News.
Tonolo Halahingano from Pangaimotu was working as security guard at the Treasure Island motel in the island of ‘Eueiki in Vavaʻu when the incident occurred, Vava’u Police Superintend Netane Falakiseni said.
The dead man was found by another security guard the next day and reported to Police.
An inquest chaired by Police Magistrate Paula Tatafu to determine the cause of Halahingano’s death on Saturday 6 confirmed he died from a self-inflicted gunshot to his head, Falakiseni said.
The inquest ordered a burial service to be organised immediately for the victim on Saturday night after it found he died more than 24 hours earlier.
Falakiseni said the victim exchanged text messages with his girlfriend whom they have one child before he was found dead .
His girlfriend was in Tongatapu while the deceased was in the island.
Falakiseni said text messages retrieved from both the victim’s mobile phone as well as his girlfriend led them to believe the deceased was disappointed before the incident happened.
“At one stage he told his girlfriend over the phone he was going to shoot himself with the gun,” Falakiseni said.
“The girlfriend heard the shooting over the phone and when he tried to call him back she received no answer”.
The motel is owned by a Mexican man and he was away overseas while the incident happened, Falakiseni said.
He said there was no further investigation into the death of Halahingano but an investigation was ongoing to find out how the 38 revolver was found with bullets near the dead man.
This type of firearm is prohibited by law to be imported to the country, Falakiseni said.
Free Wesleyan Church leader Dr Tevita Havea says the church is not concerned whether the government ratify CEDAW.
The Wesleyan church, which is also known as the Siasi Uesiliana Tau’ataina ‘o Tonga and is the largest Christian denomination in Tonga, has not officially joined other churches which have protested against the government’s move to ratify the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
However, some individual Wesleyan church members and ministers joined the recent protest marches in Nuku’alofa.
Dr Havea, who is General Secretary of the Free Wesleyan Church, told Kaniva News in Tongan that the church supported its members’ freedom.
“CEDAW or no CEDAW, the Wesleyan Church’s doctrine supports the freedom of everyone, man or woman and they cannot be oppressed,” Dr Havea said.
Dr Havea was responding to questions from Kaniva News asking him to clarify the church’s stance on the convention and whether it supported protest marches staged in Tonga recently.
He said the Free Wesleyan Church’s doctrine was clear and it did not accept same sex marriage.
“The church does not believe in man marrying a man or woman and a woman. It is the same with sodomy. The church does not accept it,” Dr Havea said.
“CEDAW or no CEDAW that is the church’s stance,” he added.
He said the church’s Taulama (keep a look out) committee was “working on it,” but did not give further details about what the committee has been assigned to deal with.
Fear
Some other church leaders and Christian activists in Tonga have opposed the government’s move to ratify CEDAW because they fear it would push Parliament to set up laws to legalise same sex marriage and abortion.
There is no clause in the CEDAW agreement that says member countries must legalise same sex marriage and abortion.
The government has made it clear it has reservations about some of the articles in the convention and is concerned that nothing should conflict with Tongan laws regarding land rights, same sex marriage and abortion.
At the last meeting between church leaders and the government, the church leaders told the Prime Minister and the Attorney General they did not want the government to sign CEDAW, claiming it would be against God’s will.
Tonga’s Attorney General had made it clear Tonga’s constitution and law can only be altered by Tonga’s law makers and that the United Nations’ convention does not interfere with these powers.
The government said it believed CEDAW would benefit Tonga and that its move to ratify the convention stood, despite recent protests by some church groups in Nuku’alofa.
The government has put a hold on any further public discussion on CEDAW so it can concentrate on His Majesty’s coronation ceremonies, which will be held from June 27 to July7.
Debates
Supporters of CEDAW claim Tonga’s privilege of altering the constitution and laws was safe and Parliament could not be forced to pass bills legalising abortion and same sex marriage.
All new laws or alteration to the Tongan constitution must be approved by the king.
CEDAW supporters argued the issue was for Tongans not to elect people who would pass laws to legalise abortion and same sex marriage. They said this was possible even if Tonga did not sign CEDAW.
Supporters of the government believe the two protest marches in Nuku’alofa last month were staged by opponents of Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva.
They also claimed that some of the church leaders who led the marches misled their followers by telling them the convention would bring “evil” to the nation and that it would degrade the way Tongans respect women.
Tonga is one of the only seven countries – including the United States – not to have signed the convention.
More than 180 member countries of the United Nations have signed CEDAW. Samoa, one of Tonga’s closest neighbouring country in the Pacific, signed CEDAW 23 years ago, but has never legalised abortion and same sex marriage because of the country’s Christian beliefs.
Dedicated to Queen Mata‘aho
In December 2011 the then government decided to conduct a further series of public consultations on its move to ratify CEDAW.
After the last public consultation in February 2015, all the major stakeholders decided it was time to re-submit the ratification of CEDAW to Cabinet for consideration and approval.
The government’s decision to ratify CEDAW came on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action conference held in New York, which was marked on March 9-20.
The conference also marked the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which was called to review challenges to the implementation of gender equality and the empowerment of women that was laid out in the Beijing Declaration.
Tonga was represented at the conference by a delegation led by Her Majesty Queen Mataʻaho, The Queen Mother.
The government said its decision to ratify CEDAW on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration was made as “our humble gift to Her Majesty, The Queen Mother, Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho, in recognition of her unheralded leadership and tireless work in support of all the women and girls of Tonga.”
The main points
For more information
The Beijing Platform for Action: inspiration then and now (UN)
Princess Angelika Tukuʻaho has been applauded on social media after she released a baby sea turtle to the sea recently.
It was not immediately clear how did the king’s only daughter get the little turtle.
However, photos of the release appeared on Instagram and Facebook with captions that read:
“Tongan Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku’aho returning a baby turtle to the sea. What a great example to the rest of our Kingdom. Can we please stop snapping baby turtles to sell you can not eat them at this size anyway!” wrote the Princess’ first cousin Ivana Vaea.
“Leading by example thank you Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tuku’aho”, one commentator wrote.
“What a nice story, it’s about time someone stopped being cruel to fish”, another commentator wrote on Facebook.
The photos show the princess was escorted by a royal guard with other women at one of the coastal areas believed to be in Tongatapu, the mainland of Tonga.
The guard was shown to have handed the little turtle to the princess before she released it into the sea.
The turtle then was shown on another photo swimming and headed out into the vast blue ocean.
