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Government cautious over medical assistance for former Ikale Tahi flanker in Romania

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan government says it has to carefully consider what type of assistance it can make to help former Ikale Tahi flanker Sione Vaiomoʻunga, who has fallen ill in Romania.

Vaiomoʻunga has kidney disease and needs a kidney transplant.

The 25 year old played for ‘Ikale Tahi at the 2011 World Cup, but moved to Romania in 2013 where he has a contract with the Baia Mare Club.

Half way through his first rugby season Vaiomo’unga was diagnosed and treated for kidney diseases.

He cannot access medical assistance in Romania because of his nationality. He cannot return to Tonga because the medical treatment is not available in the kingdom.

Tonga’s Minister of Health Dr Saia Piukala told Parliament last week other Tongans overseas suffered from  the same sickness.

He said the issue was “delicate” because if the government offered to help Vaiomounga it would have to do the same for other Tongans in the same position.

The minister said he accepted that Vaiomo’unga had played for ‘Ikale Tahi and represented Tonga at the Rugby World Cup.

The minister made his statements after Lord Fusitu’a told the House he received requests for the government to help the sick rugby player.  The noble said these Tongans made the requests through him because they did not understand the government procedures for such requests.

Meanwhile the President of the CSM Science Baia Mare, Calin Matthew, told the Romanian website emaramures in December that the club would help Vaiomo’unga with his medical treatment.

“It will be put on the transplant list, and next year [2015] we will start a media campaign to raise funds for this purpose,” Mathew said.

“Foreigners have another transplant regimen, costs are high, but we hope that everything will be fine. Many thanks to all who helped us when he was in a serious stage of the disease, so that he could go on dialysis.”

Vaiomo’unga is a former student of Tupou College. A reliable source has told us the Tupou College Alumni held a General Meeting last month at which alumni said they wanted to help him.

The main points

  • The Tongan government says it has to carefully consider what type of assistance it can make to help former Ikale Tahi flanker Sione Vaiomo’unga, who has fallen ill in Romania.
  • Vaiomo’unga has kidney disease and needs a kidney transplant.
  • The 25 year old played in the 2011 World Cup, but moved to Romania in 2013 to play for Baia Mare Club.
  • Tonga’s Minister of Health Dr Saia Piukala told Parliament that if the government offered to help Vaiomounga it would have to do the same for other Tongans in the same position.

For more information

Nesian Rugby

Tongan team confirmed for Hong Kong Sevens 2015

By
Kaniva Pacific
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Tonga’s line-up for the 2015 Hong Kong Sevens starting Friday 27 has been announced

Twelve men’s teams will compete in Hong Kong as the world-famous tournament celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Tonga’s pool comprises Zimbabwe and Spain.

Team

  1. Jack Ram
  2. Inoke Finau
  3. Manu Tuifua
  4. Isikeli Taufa
  5. Richard Taliuli
  6. William Hafu
  7. Taliauli Sikuea
  8. Meiohihifo Kuli
  9. Kasye Greer
  10. Sosefo Ma’ake
  11. Fautasi Mau (Captain)
  12. Irwin Finau

Head Coach – Andy Katoa

S and C Coach – Tavake Fangupo

Physio – Rachel Underwood

Police officer runs over Tatakamotonga 8-year-old boy

By
Kaniva Pacific
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An 8-year-old boy from Tatakamotonga sustained head injuries after he was run over at Taufa’ahau Rd by a Police officer Monday 23 at around 10.20am.

The victim was crossing the road in front of Beaulah College when he was hit by the vehicle.

The 33-year-old officer from Nukunuku was charged with reckless driving and causing bodily harm.

He was driving a vehicle with registration plate number P1573, Police said.

It is understood the vehicle belongs to Police.

The boy was still in hospital,

“The accused is a Police Officer with Tonga Police,” Sia Adams from Police Communication Centre in Longolongo said.

“Police continue to investigate this case accordingly as no one is above the law”, she said.

Navutoka suspect may have fled to outer islands

By
Kaniva Pacific
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Tongan Police believed the 28-year-old suspect from Navutoka who beat and tied-up his 20-year-old partner locking her in a hut in a plantation in Puke was hiding in Hahake, Nukuʻalofa or has already left Tongatapu and fled to the islands of Vavaʻu.

The perpetrator illegally imprisoned the woman from Vaini and left her without food for several days before she managed to free herself and got help from people in the area. She was taken to hospital where she received medical assistance.

It was believed the incident took place on February 27.

A local newspaper has named the suspect and the victim but Police said they could not officially release their names as it could affect their search operation.

Media and Communication Officer at the Office of the Police Commissioner, Sia Adams told Kaniva News this morning the suspect was still on the loose.

She said Police have yet to capture the “suspect” and the search operation which involved Police in Nukuʻalofa, Muʻa Headquater and Vavaʻu Islands was still ongoing.

Adams said Police believed these are the fugitive’s current hiding places.

Tongan students in Vila “good” says Minister as USP campus reopens

By
Kalino Latu
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PHOTO: Tongan students in Vanuatu USP campus pose inside a school building after Cyclone Pam. Photo/Joyce Sikalu (Facebook)

The eight Tongan students stranded in Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam are in good condition and the University of the South Pacific’s Port Vila campus was set to re-open today (March 23).

Last week Tongan student Tupou Fa’aoa made an emotional plea for the government on Television Tonga for help, implying they wanted the government to help them return to the kingdom.

However, Tonga’s Minister of Finance Hon. ‘Aisake Valu Eke reassured Parliament on Thursday that the students were well.

Hon. Eke said the government had contacted Kisione Finau the Tongan Director of Information Technology  Services at USP’s main campus in Fiji, who has responsibility for Tongan students at USP.

Finau  confirmed the Law School in Vanuatu would begin classes today (March 23).  Finau said he had checked on the students and that their situation was good.

He said the university had looked after the students to make sure they had food, water and housing.

The university’s electricity supply in Vila had been fixed as part of the preparation to start school.

The Finance Minister said the government had been contacted by the parents of Tongan students in Vanuatu, who confirmed  the students were in good condition.

State of emergency

Vanuatu’s President Baldwin Lonsdale declared a State of Emergency across all six provinces of the Melanesian country after Cyclone Pam struck last week.

Shelter, food, health and water, sanitation and health remain key needs according, to them latest UN Relief Web service report.

Half of Vanuatu’s population, spread over 22 islands and about 166,000 people are estimated to be in need of food assistance for the next three months.

About 57,000 affected school-age children are receiving relief assistance.

There were 16 confirmed deaths and 65,000 people need temporary shelter

The main points

  • The eight Tongan students stranded in Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam are in good condition and the University of the South Pacific’s Port Vila campus was set to re-open today (March 23).
  • Tongan student Tupou Fa’aoa made an emotional plea for the government on Television Tonga for help, implying they wanted the government to help them return to the kingdom.
  • Tonga’s Minister of Finance Hon. ‘Aisake Valu Eke said the government had contacted Kisione Finau the Tongan Director of Information Technology  Services at USP’s main campus in Fiji, who has responsibility for Tongan students at USP.
  • Finau confirmed the Law School in Vanuatu would begin classes today (March 23).  Finau said he had checked on the students and that their situation was good.

For more information

State of emergency declared, ‘monster’ cyclone Pam aid effort kicks in (SBS/Pacific Media Watch)

USP Emalus Campus is set to open tomorrow! (USP)

Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for Vanuatu, Osnat Lubrani (UN)

Villagers remove jawbone and teeth from whale washed up on Kolonga beach

By
Kalino Latu
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Residents of Kolonga in Tonga have been able to remove the jawbone and teeth of a dead whale that washed up on their shore this afternoon, March 22.

The whale, of unknown species, had probably been dead for some time before washing ashore.

Photos obtained by Kaniva News show a barefoot man standing by the dead mammal while another person is inside trying to cut the jawbone.

There is blood in the sea around the whale.

In the photograph, dozens of onlookers, including a Police officer, watch while the men try to remove the bones.

Read more: Dead whale washes up on Kolonga beach

It was not clear who owned the jaw and the teeth and whether the meat was in good enough condition to be consumed.

Normally when stranded whales wash ashore in Tonga, villagers will butcher the carcasses and share the meat.

In the past bones and teeth were significant for Tongan carvers who used them to make works of art, ornamental sculptures and fishhooks.

Whale meat was a delicacy in Tonga and the incident in Kolonga today recalled the tradition of whale butchering.

Old people recall how they enjoyed going to sea to catch whales and bring them home and cook them for the family.

Villagers could identify a home where whale meat has been cooked from a distance because of the strong smell.

In the past whale meat was also sold in the fish market in the capital Nukuʻalofa and when whale hunters arrived in the capital’s harbours the news was announced on the radio.

People from the countryside would travel to Nukuʻalofa to buy whale meat.

After Tonga banned whale hunting in 1978, the practice, which brought villagers together when they shared the meat no longer existed.

The main points

  • Residents of Kolonga in Tonga have been able to remove the jawbone and teeth of a dead whale that washed up on their shore this afternoon, March 22.
  • Photos obtained by Kaniva News show a barefoot man standing by the dead mammal while another person is inside trying to cut the jawbone.
  • Normally when stranded whales wash ashore in Tonga, villagers will butcher the carcasses and share the meat.
  • In the past bones and teeth were significant for Tongan carvers who used them to make works of art, ornamental sculptures and fishhooks.

Dead whale washes up on Kolonga beach

By
Kaniva Pacific
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CAPTION: A whale washed up on Kolonga beach. Photo/ Melemanu Bloomfield

A whale washed ashore on Kolonga beach this afternoon Sunday 22.

Tongan journalist Melemanu Bloomfield took photos at the scene.

She said it appeared the whale, of unknown species, had probably been dead for some time before washing ashore.

Some of the people at the scene tried to remove its teeth, she added.

Tonga A victory over Japan first in Pacific Challenge Cup

By
Kaniva Pacific
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Tonga A finally ended their search for a victory in the Rugby Pacific Challenge Cup at the third attempt, defeating Junior Japan 60-24 in Suva, Fiji Wednesday, March 18.

Tonga A’s scores were obtained through collective efforts and after tries were made by Liueli Simote, Siale Talakai, Frank Havea, Leiataua Kilifa and Topiese Ahia.

The tournament was set up as one of the IRB initiatives to raise performances and provide necessary infrastructure and to support Pacific rugby union teams to continue to compete at the highest level.

The Rugby Pacific Challenge Cup  has split the six nations involved into two pools with Argentina Pampas XV, Samoa A and Junior Japan in Pool A and the Fiji Warriors, Tonga A and Canada A in Pool B.

They Teams played those in the opposite pool across three matchs day – 10, 14 and 18 March – with the finals day taking place next Monday 23 March.

Emotional plea for help from Tongan students stranded by Cyclone Pam

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tongan students stranded in Vanuatu  have appealed to the Tongan government for help in the wake of Cyclone Pam.

Student Tupou Faʻaoa made an emotional plea for help in a telephone interview with Television Tonga.

Faʻaoa said the students had not experienced a situation like this before.

She said they were trying to come to terms with the disaster.

They had also been told a prisoner had escaped and was still on the run in the area.

“Our home and families are in our thoughts, but there is nothing here that can make us feel at home,” Faʻaoa sobbed.

Faʻaoa said they had no clean water to drink and relied on food given to them by Fijian students who had already been flown back to Fiji by their government.

They could not access their bank accounts as ATM machines were still down.

Tongan government

The Prime Minister’s office has not confirmed whether it will bring back the stranded students, even though it appears that four students studying in Vanuatu on New Zealand scholarships have already returned.

In a statement yesterday the Prime Minister’s office only said that 14 Tongan students were registered as being at the Vanuatu campus by the Ministry of Education.

It said one student was studying on a Tongan government scholarship, three students were there on New Zealand government scholarship, three students were on Australian government scholarship and seven students were studying privately.

However, Faʻaoa said there were eight Tongan students at the campus, seven female and one male.

She said there had been 12 altogether, but four who were on New Zealand government scholarships had already left.

MP Samiu Vaipulu, the member for Vava’u 15,  told Parliament yesterday that other countries which had citizens at the Vanuatu campus had already repatriated their students.

Hon. Vaipulu said Vanuatu was in a state of emergency and there were shortages of food and water.

He said the remaining Tongan students should be returned before someone was killed.

Lord Nuku asked the government whether it had enough funds to deal with the situation in Vanuatu.

Finance Minister ʻAisake Eke said Tonga had enough money to deal with the situation.

He said the government had TP$26 million (NZ$17 million) as its reserve fund left by the former government and TP$5 million (NZ$3.3 million) set aside for payment of loans.

Cyclone Pam

Cyclone Pam, a category five storm,  was the strongest to hit the South Pacific in the past 30 years.

It wiped out all villages in Vanuatu, with the unconfirmed death toll being put at 44.

The Melanesian country of 260,000 is desperately in need of clothing, food, basic shelter, medical supplies, water and other necessities.

A total of eight deaths have been confirmed in Port Vila, which is home to about 40,000 people, but aid agencies say the death toll is likely to rise.

The main points

  • Tongan students stranded in Vanuatu have appealed to the Tongan government for help in the wake of Cyclone Pam.
  • Student Tupou Faʻaoa made an emotional plea for help in a telephone interview with Television Tonga.
  • Faʻaoa said they had no clean water to drink and relied on food given to them by Fijian students who had already been flown back to Fiji by their government.
  • The Prime Minister’s office has not confirmed whether it will bring back the stranded students, even though it appears that four students studying in Vanuatu on New Zealand scholarships have already returned.

For more information

Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu will run out of food ‘in a week’ (The Independent)

UNICEF Vanuatu appeal

USP Emalus campus

New images reveal Port Authority Tonga massive clean-up operations

By
Kaniva Pacific
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Tonga’s Port of Authority began disposing of derelict ships in Faua Harbour and sea areas in Nuku’alofa harbours.

The Ports Authority Tonga said it commenced the cleaning operation on February 21 and will continue until all the vessels have been removed.

“This complex operation involves the removing of old abandoned vessels, laid up vessels and wreckages stranded on the reef of Nuku’alofa.

“On  21st February, Ports Authority Tonga  dismantled and sunk the MV Waimanu and MV Marie Princess , followed by the MV Takuo and MV Toko 5 on 28th February at the North West of Hakaumama‘o and approximately 30 miles North North East of ‘Atata Island (latitude 20.58.3 longitude 175 13.4 west)

“The General Manager of Ports Authority Tonga, Mosese Lavemai said that, “PAT is happy to assist Government and be a part of the beautification process for the upcoming Coronation in July.”

“The cleaning up and maintenance of the port of Nuku’alofa is our responsibility, and I am pleased that this Government administration has endorsed the process which we have for many years attempted to enforce but to no avail because of legal issues and unpaid tariffs by the vessel owners,” he further added.

The process involving heavy machinery is solely funded and provided by the Ports Authority, which is expected to cost more than TOP $200,000.

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