EDITOR’S NOTE:This commentary was edited to reflect the fact that the response from the Deputy Clerk was meant to say that the Parliament using the circular was a normal means of communication.
COMMENTARY: It is time for the practice of using circulars to make decisions in Parliament was reviewed.
Circulars should only be used on agendas that are urgent.
They should not be used on important issues such as pay rises for Parliamentarians.
Such issues should be properly debated in the House so that they can be recorded in the minutes for the public to read and also broadcast for people to listen.
As Kaniva News reported yesterday, the government’s use of a circular to canvas MPs’ views on a pay rise has been called into question.
However, the Legislative Assembly’s Deputy Clerk, Dr Sione Vikilani, said the circular was a normal means of communication approved by the House and any information sent through it was legal.
In Tongan he said: “Ko e tohi ‘avetakai ko e founga ngāue pe ‘oku ‘ataa ke ngaue’aki pea ‘oku ‘ikai ke ta’efakalao ha tu’utu’uni ‘i hono fakahoko ‘i he founga koia”.
Dr Vikilani did not respond to a question asking why a circular was used to ballot the pay hike and not a face-to-face voting in the House.
In 2018 Tonga’s former Prime Minister, the late ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, warned that using circulars in Parliament was open to abuse.
Speaking to Kaniva News, Pōhiva said the use of circulars was normal but did not allow for discussion.
MPs, especially the Opposition, could not debate whatever agenda was being circulated.
He said that traditionally Speakers and the Noble’s representatives, who were mostly the majority in the House, used it to ballot issues they wanted to be decided in their favour.
The late Prime Minister’s comments were made during an interview in 2018 about the decision to approve an invitation from the Tonga Rugby League for a Parliament delegation to attend a match.
The decision was adopted through a circular, by collective resolution of Parliament.
Prime Minister Pōhiva’s concerns are just as relevant today as they were four years ago.
Debates and voting in the House must be open so that all citizens can see how their MPs voted and debate can be held in public.
This was illustrated in our story yesterday when Dr Vikilani would not say how MPs voted on the circular.
A Parliament with secrets is not truly democratic.
Explainer – As the world reels from reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US–Israel strike, Tonga’s own unusual connection to Iran — despite having no diplomatic relations — has come into sharp focus through the growth of a faith founded in Persia, the modern Iran.
In the wake of the massive US–Israel joint operation known as Operation Epic Fury, President Donald Trump has claimed that Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of strikes targeting senior regime figures.
According to other accounts, dozens of top Iranian security and military officials were also eliminated in the coordinated attack, with as many as ten high‑ranking leaders reportedly killed when Khamenei’s fortified compound came under direct fire.
Statements attributed to President Trump described the strike as an effort to give Iranians their “greatest chance” to reclaim their country, while Iranian state media alleged that several members of Khamenei’s family were also killed, though details remain unclear.
Israeli officials told Fox News that more than 40 senior regime operatives were taken out in the first hours of the operation, underscoring the unprecedented scale of the assault.
Shared Faith, No Diplomacy
Tonga and Iran occupy opposite ends of the geopolitical landscape: one a small Pacific kingdom, the other a major Middle Eastern state deeply involved in regional conflict.
Yet the two nations share a unique, indirect connection through the Bahá’í Faith, a religion founded in 19th‑century Persia that today has a meaningful presence in Tonga.
Despite this religious link, Tonga has no formal diplomatic relations with Iran, and the two countries have never exchanged ambassadors, embassies, or bilateral agreements. Understanding how these seemingly contrasting realities coexist requires a look at Tonga’s foreign‑relations history and the remarkable spread of the Bahá’í Faith across the Pacific.
According to Tonga’s official list of diplomatic partners, the kingdom maintains relations with more than 70 nations worldwide — including Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, China, Japan, and the United States — but Iran is not among them.
The full list, recorded in Tonga’s foreign relations profile, confirms that the two states have never entered into formal diplomatic ties.
Independent diplomatic reference tools, such as Bilateral Navigator, also do not list Iran as a partner of Tonga. Instead, the platform provides only general national profiles rather than any record of political engagement between the two countries.
In short, Tonga and Iran have no diplomatic history, no shared political initiatives, and no recorded bilateral exchanges.
A Religion With Iranian Origins
While diplomatic ties are nonexistent, Tonga’s social and religious landscape connects indirectly to Iran through the Bahá’í Faith, one of the world’s most geographically widespread religions.
The Bahá’í Faith was founded in the mid‑19th century by Mírzá Ḥosayn ʿAlī Nūrí, known as Bahá’u’lláh, who was born in Tehran in 1817. Britannica confirms that the religion began as a reformist movement rooted in Persia before emerging as a global faith.
It grew out of the Bábí movement, also founded in Iran by the Báb (Mírzá ʿAlí Moḥammad of Shiraz) in 1844. Both central figures of the Bahá’í Faith were Iranian.
After enduring persecution in Iran, Bahá’í communities migrated and expanded worldwide, eventually establishing a significant footprint across the Pacific.
Tonga’s Significant Bahá’í Community
Tonga and its global diaspora are home to a significant Bahá’í community, regarded as one of the most active and well‑established in the Pacific.
Detailed demographic studies of Tonga’s Bahá’í population show:
The World Religion Database (2015) estimated that Bahá’ís represented 3.5% of Tonga’s national population.
With Tonga’s population around 105,000, this equates to roughly 3,600 followers.
This makes the Bahá’í Faith one of Tonga’s larger minority religions, with deep roots in Tongan society since the mid‑20th century.
The Bahá’í Faith was introduced to Tonga in 1954 by pioneers following global expansion plans initiated by the Bahá’í leadership.
The first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1958, and by the early 2000s, Tonga had dozens of local assemblies and its own Bahá’í school, the Ocean of Light International School.
Missile debris has fallen near the location of the Tongan Embassy in Abu Dhabi as Iran and the wider Gulf reeled from retaliatory strikes, while conflicting reports emerged over the fate of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Israel’s prime minister says there are “growing signs” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “gone” following US–Israel attacks that heavily damaged his compound, according to BBC‑cited briefings, even as Iranian officials insist the leader remains “safe and sound” and deny reports of his death.
Meanwhile, multiple explosions were reported across Abu Dhabi’s Corniche district — the location of the Tongan Embassy at Etihad Towers on Corniche Road — as missile interceptions sent shockwaves through the area.
Witnesses told Reuters that several rapid explosions caused windows to shake in homes near the Corniche following the incoming strikes.
The UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that missile debris fell across several parts of Abu Dhabi, reporting one civilian fatality caused by falling shrapnel in a residential area.
The attacks came as Iran targeted Gulf states hosting American military bases, including the Al Dhafra Air Base—located about 30 kilometres from the city centre—which was among Tehran’s stated objectives.
The Tongan Embassy has not yet updated the advisory it issued on Friday for Tongan residents and travellers in the region following the latest missile strikes.
Corniche Area Among Impact Zones
One witness interviewed by Reuters said she heard “five booms in rapid succession” that shook windows in a house near Abu Dhabi’s Corniche, confirming that the area around Etihad Towers experienced the shockwave from falling missile fragments or interception blasts.
The Corniche waterfront is a high‑density area home to foreign missions, luxury hotels and government buildings.
While there is no official confirmation that missile debris struck Etihad Towers directly, the confirmed proximity of explosions means the Tongan Embassy was within the affected impact zone.
Residents in both Abu Dhabi and neighbouring Dubai reported seeing missiles streaking across the sky, with air defence systems intercepting many of the threats.
Claims of Death
Reuters reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader — long seen as the architect of the nation’s anti‑US posture and regional military reach, while suppressing waves of domestic dissent — was killed in joint Israeli and US strikes, according to a senior Israeli official quoted by the news agency on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there are “growing signs” that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may have been killed in the US–Israel strikes, citing intelligence that his compound in Tehran suffered extensive damage, according to the BBC.
Satellite images earlier showed the Supreme Leader’s residence heavily hit, while Israel claims that “several senior figures” within the Iranian regime have already been eliminated during the operation.
Netanyahu concluded his remarks by urging Israelis to follow safety instructions from the Home Front Command, signalling that military operations against Iran are likely to continue “for as long as necessary.”
Regional Retaliation and Escalation
The Iranian missile launches followed massive US–Israel joint strikes on Iranian targets earlier in the day.
According to Emirati authorities, several waves of incoming Iranian missiles were intercepted over Abu Dhabi. Missile debris fell in areas including Saadiyat Island, Khalifa City, Bani Yas, Mohamed bin Zayed City and Al Falah, but the government also confirmed debris fell in other unspecified locations—one of which resulted in a fatality.
The UAE Defence Ministry described the Iranian attack as a “blatant violation of national sovereignty”, warning that the state reserves its full right to respond.
Authorities temporarily closed the UAE’s airspace, suspended flights at Dubai International Airport, and issued mobile alerts instructing residents to stay away from windows and move to safe areas.
What It Means for Tongans in the Region
As of publication, there are no reports of injuries involving Tongan citizens or embassy staff.
Given the proximity of the strikes to the Corniche district, Tongans living in Abu Dhabi—especially those near Etihad Towers—are urged to maintain extreme caution.
The Embassy has asked all Tongans in the UAE and across the Gulf to:
Register with the mission immediately
Avoid unnecessary travel
Monitor official safety alerts
Remain indoors during any further missile activity
Tonga has issued a public alert urging all Tongan nationals living in or travelling through the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to exercise heightened caution, following the United States and Israel launching major, coordinated strikes across Iran on February 28 — a military operation described by President Donald Trump as “major combat operations,” targeting Iranian military and nuclear‑linked sites and prompting widespread regional retaliation.
President Donald Trump announced that the United States had initiated what he called “major combat operations” in Iran, urging the Iranian public to rise up against their clerical leadership once the military campaign concludes.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said the Israeli military had launched a “pre‑emptive attack” intended to neutralise threats emanating from Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the strikes as “wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate,” accusing both nations of violating international norms.
Tehran retaliated by firing missiles towards Israel and several Gulf states hosting American military bases — including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — escalating fears of a broader regional conflict.
Explosions were heard in the city of Haifa and elsewhere in Israel, but it was not currently clear if these were impacts or interceptions.
The warning followed weeks of escalating threats from President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly signalled that the United States would take military action if Iran refused to agree to a new nuclear deal.
Early strikes by US and Israeli forces targeted the compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — a long‑standing adversary of the West known for suppressing dissent and backing regional proxy groups.
A source indicated that Khamenei had been moved to a secure location outside Tehran before the attack, though his condition could not be independently confirmed. Satellite images, however, showed extensive damage to his headquarters in the capital.
Embassy Issues Alert
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Tonga in Abu Dhabi has issued a public alert urging all Tongan nationals living in or travelling through the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to exercise heightened caution amid increasing regional tensions.
In a notice released on February 26, the Embassy warned that any escalation in the volatile geopolitical climate could disrupt travel and create unforeseen risks for Tongans currently in the region.
“Any escalation may result in travel disruptions and other unforeseen impacts for those currently in the region,” the notice stated.
The Embassy advised Tongan citizens to remain vigilant at all times, avoid unnecessary travel, and immediately register their name and contact details with the mission.
Registration will help the Embassy track and assist Tongans should the security situation deteriorate.
Tongans residing in the UAE or transiting through Middle Eastern countries were also encouraged to contact the Embassy directly for updates or urgent assistance.
The public advisory follows similar alerts issued by foreign missions in recent weeks as political and military tensions continue to rise across parts of the Middle East.
The Embassy provided official contact channels for all registrations and inquiries:
As more Tongans across the United States and the wider diaspora come forward with allegations about a recently collapsed Ponzi‑style scheme—alongside renewed concerns about an earlier, high‑profile case still awaiting trial—Kaniva News is sharing fresh FBI guidance urging anyone who believes they have been victimised to report the matter directly to its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Victorine ‘Polygirl’ (left) and Tilila Walker appear in a composite image illustrating two separate alleged investment schemes affecting the Tongan diaspora, as the FBI urges potential victims to file reports through its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Earlier this week, we reported that a Tongan woman in Salt Lake City, known on Facebook as Victorine Polygirl, had clashed publicly with investors on social media.
Many said they were misled into believing her scheme would deliver rapid, high‑yield returns. Some accused her of being a liar (“loi”) and “mata fefeka,” (hard-faced) expressing frustration over unfulfilled payouts and unanswered messages.
While full details of the investment remain unclear, reports and complaints on Facebook indicate that a significant number of people invested substantial sums, in some cases reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Investor email reveals rising frustration
A copy of an email purportedly sent to Victorine by an investor — and obtained by Kaniva News — highlights the growing desperation among those who say they entrusted her with money, as well as the apparent lack of any formal contract or documentation supporting the investment.
“My name is Lavinia Fuapau, I zelle you $6000,” the sender wrote.
She continued:
“Back in April of 2025 for a ROI of $12,000 as you promised on advertising 2 yrs get 100% back.”
The email also raised concerns about missing paperwork:
“I have been asking you several times for my contract agreement forms but you never filled it out as you supposed to do.”
Appealing to Victorine’s sense of responsibility, she added:
“Let me remind you, what you have is blessed by the people.”
The message concluded with a blunt demand:
“I am out of patience, no patience anymore and I need you to send back… just my 12,000 that I entrusted with you.”
We have contacted Fuapau for comment.
This email reflects dozens of similar complaints across Facebook, where frustrated investors say their money has not been returned and promises of profits have not materialised.
Victorine’s social media responses
Victorine’s replies to criticism varied widely. At times, she claimed the funds were being invested in multiple business ventures in which participants would supposedly hold shares.
In other posts, she appeared frustrated—mocking investors with facial expressions—while elsewhere accusing her critics of “defaming her.”
On livestream, she showcased what she described as a soap‑making business and claimed the products were being sold in a shop. In another video, she walked through a building with an attached shop and unfinished carpentry work, saying it was a new restaurant.
These posts appeared intended to reassure investors that their money was being used to build legitimate businesses.
However, many viewers were unconvinced. Commenters argued that the sums Victorine collected were far too large for such small ventures to generate meaningful returns.
Several accused her of being “fake” and “pretending,” dismissing her demonstrations as insufficient to justify the funds taken.
Some also alleged she used investors’ money to build a luxurious home in Vavaʻu and purchase an expensive vehicle. Kaniva News was unable to verify these claims.
FBI advises victims to report immediately
In earlier communications with Kaniva News about Ponzi‑style operations affecting the Tongan community, the FBI emphasised that anyone who suspects they have been defrauded should act as quickly as possible.
The FBI advises victims to take the following steps:
Contact local, state, or national law enforcement to report what happened.
Submit a detailed complaint to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.IC3.gov, including names, dates, phone numbers, promises made, and all communication records.
The Bureau notes that even if a report does not immediately lead to enforcement action, victim submissions help investigators identify patterns, link related cases, and build evidence against suspected perpetrators.
The FBI also encourages victims to speak to someone they trust, noting that shame, embarrassment, or anger are common reactions — but reporting can turn those emotions into constructive action.
This guidance is particularly relevant now as Victorine’s alleged scheme draws comparisons with previous affinity‑based frauds targeting Tongans, including HyperFund, Validus, and Tongi Tupe — all of which left many families financially devastated.
FBI’s call for Tongi Tupe victims still open
Following our report earlier this month on Tongi Tupe and its founder Tilila Siola’a Walker Sumchai, who is set to stand trial in March 2027, several readers contacted Kaniva News saying they were victims and still hoped to recover their money.
The FBI’s appeal for potential victims remains open, nearly three years after the case began, as investigators continue to identify those affected by the Tongi Tupe investment programme.
The FBI is urging anyone who believes they were victimised to complete its official questionnaire to support the ongoing federal investigation.
Walker has been charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, securities fraud, and selling unregistered securities.
Court documents allege she defrauded more than 1,000 investors of over US$13 million, promising guaranteed returns before diverting the money to personal expenses — including gambling — and using new deposits to pay earlier investors.
Auckland, NZ – An elderly Tongan woman who says she lived in “constant fear” of her neighbours, including facing machete threats and an alleged attempt to run down her grandson, has been awarded $5000 after the Tenancy Tribunal found Kāinga Ora failed to protect her.
The woman, who has name suppression due to safety concerns, has lived at her Kāinga Ora home since 2019, the New Zealand Herald reported.
For years, she said, she endured escalating violence, harassment and intimidation from the family living next door at another Kāinga Ora property.
According to the Tribunal’s findings, the elderly woman and her family endured relentless intimidation from their neighbours, including racially‑charged abuse shouted over the fence and rubbish regularly thrown into their yard.
Loud music was blasted late into the night, rocks were hurled at the family, and they faced repeated threats of violence — several involving a machete.
Despite reporting the incidents numerous times, the woman said Kāinga Ora’s only advice was for her family to “keep to themselves” and avoid any engagement with the neighbours.
Machete threats and near‑miss with a vehicle
Police were called to three separate incidents involving the male partner of the neighbour, who lives at the property with the primary female tenant and their children.
In one incident in March 2024, the man stood at the elderly woman’s front gate holding a machete while shouting threats.
In the most serious situation, on 10 June 2024, the man allegedly threatened to kill the woman’s son while armed with both a shovel and a machete. He was later charged, though convicted of a lesser weapon‑related offence.
Another frightening moment occurred when the woman’s 14‑year‑old grandson was walking home from school. The neighbour allegedly chased the teenager with his car, driving onto the grass verge. The boy escaped only by hiding behind a parked boat.
The Tongan elder told the Tribunal the ongoing violence left her afraid to go outside. She suffered major health issues during this period, including a recent stroke.
At times, she was so fearful she stayed with her daughter instead of sleeping in her own home.
She initially hoped Kāinga Ora would remove the neighbours, but her declining health meant she eventually asked to leave the property altogether.
Kāinga Ora response criticised
Kāinga Ora acknowledged it had been notified about police call‑outs, noise problems and abuse.
However, it told the Tribunal the situation was “complex”, claiming there had been aggression “on both sides” after an altercation between the male neighbour and the Tongan woman’s son.
The agency also argued it could not terminate the neighbour’s tenancy because the man making the threats was not a listed tenant.
Tribunal adjudicator Melissa Allan was not satisfied with that explanation.
She ruled that Kāinga Ora should have applied to end the neighbours’ tenancy, saying the standard of proof required was civil, not criminal.
“The landlord only needed to prove that the tenant has been interfering with the reasonable peace, comfort and privacy of the neighbouring tenant,” she said. “The tenant has not felt free to move about her property and has been subjected to unreasonable levels of noise, rubbish being thrown, screaming, yelling and threats.”
By failing to act, Allan found, Kāinga Ora breached its responsibilities as a landlord.
The Tribunal ordered Kāinga Ora to pay the Tongan grandmother $5000 in compensation. The agency is now working to transfer her to a home that better matches her health and safety needs.
For the woman and her family, the ruling marks a long‑awaited acknowledgement of years of fear.
Utah, US – Two men alleged to be members of the Tongan Crip Gang have been indicted on federal firearms charges following a mass shooting at a Latter‑day Saint meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, where two people were killed and several others injured.
Toutai’s phone also contained documentation of events hours before the shooting. Photos and videos reportedly showed him and Maka, who was holding a small black pistol consistent with the Ruger LC9.
Ryan Daniel Toutai, 32, known as “Lost One,” of Salt Lake City, and Fineeva Pomona Maka, 26, known as “Finloc,” of Millcreek, were both charged by a federal grand jury on Wednesday. Toutai faces one count of unlawful disposition of a firearm, while Maka is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges stem from the January 7 shooting at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints meetinghouse in the Rose Park area. Police responding to multiple “shots fired” calls found several victims with gunshot wounds. Two men — Sione Vatuvei, 38, and Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46 — died from their injuries. Six others were transported to hospital.
Officers recovered .40‑caliber casings, 9mm casings, and a Ruger 9mm semi‑automatic pistol at the scene.
Phone evidence links defendants to weapon
According to federal charging documents, both Toutai and Maka had previously been photographed holding the Ruger pistol that was recovered after the shooting. Police seized Toutai’s phone under a search warrant and found numerous photos and videos showing him handling the firearm weeks earlier. The serial number on the gun in the images matched the Ruger found at the scene.
Investigators also found documentation of events hours before the shooting. Screenshots showed Maka holding a small black pistol consistent with the Ruger LC9. Maka, a multi‑convicted felon on parole at the time, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. His GPS ankle monitor data placed him at locations consistent with the evidence.
Both defendants appeared in videos claiming affiliation with the Tongan Crip Gang alongside other alleged members, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
Defence attorney: prosecution strengthened by digital evidence
Defense attorney Nathan Evershed, commenting generally on cases involving digital evidence, said phone records, videos, and photos significantly strengthen prosecutions.
“These are the kinds of cases that they love to initially enact because it can put someone behind bars for a very long time,” he said. “And there’s a possibility when someone’s behind bars for a very long time, other people are more comfortable with cooperation with the police.”
Evershed added that although the current federal charges are not homicide‑related, they can still give prosecutors leverage in complex investigations where witness cooperation is limited.
No homicide arrests yet
Although the firearms charges represent significant progress in the investigation, police have not yet arrested anyone for the two homicides that occurred during the shooting.
Toutai was previously arrested last month for obstruction of justice, allegedly hindering the homicide investigation. State and federal prosecutions are expected to proceed separately but may involve the same investigators.
The defendants are scheduled to appear in federal court on the new indictment next week.
Israel has launched what it calls a “pre‑emptive” attack on Iran, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying the operation was carried out to “remove threats to the State of Israel.”
The announcement came early Saturday as large explosions were reported in central Tehran and air‑raid sirens sounded across Israel.
Katz declared an immediate nationwide state of emergency, urging Israelis to remain close to protected areas amid fears of an imminent retaliatory strike from Iran.
“The State of Israel has launched a pre‑emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” he said in a statement released shortly after the explosions were reported.
Iranian state media confirmed that several blasts were heard in Tehran, with witnesses describing thick smoke rising above major districts of the capital.
The exact targets and the extent of the damage remain unclear, though Israeli officials have indicated the strike was launched in anticipation of what they described as an “immediate” missile and drone attack from Iran.
The attack marks a dramatic escalation in longstanding tensions between the two regional rivals, coming months after a series of cross‑border confrontations and amid renewed international disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Israeli authorities also closed national airspace as a precautionary measure, while the military issued what it called a “proactive alert” to prepare the public for potential incoming fire.
Reports from international media suggest the United States may also be participating in the operation, though Washington has yet to publicly confirm its involvement.
This is a developing story. Updates will follow as more information becomes available.
Promoters of the outlawed BG Wealth Sharing scheme have announced they will hold a meeting in Tonga today to advance their investment operation, directly challenging not only the current ban but the Supreme Court’s 2022 warning that anyone involved in Ponzi‑style schemes will face harsh penalties.
Their move comes as financial authorities intensify their alerts, with the National Reserve Bank of Tonga issuing escalating warnings and urging the public to distance themselves immediately from the scheme before more people suffer serious financial harm.
It follows a joint warning issued by New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and its Tongan counterpart, which cautioned that the BG Wealth/DSJ EX scheme—linked to a wider network known as TXEX—relies on aggressive multi‑level recruitment tactics and is connected to 813 duplicate websites and 30 related entities.
Both regulators described the BG scheme as a “scam.”
A woman identified as Siani Kijlstra, also known as Siosiani Uata, went live on Facebook this morning, urgently announcing that a so‑called “leadership team” would be in Tonga today, Friday 27 February, to hold a session with people interested in the BG Wealth Sharing scheme at Haʻateiho.
Another post seen by Kaniva News indicated that the event was scheduled to take place at 7pm at the Tonga Tauʻataina Church hall.
In her livestream, Kijlstra said in Tongan: “Inivesi tuʻo taha fakatuputupu ki he pāʻangangalu,” claiming that a single investment would continue to grow “until the end of time.”
On her Facebook page, she heavily promotes the scheme and urges Tongans to join—behaviour consistent with the recruitment‑driven nature of Ponzi operations, which rely on new investor money to pay earlier participants like Siani.
Several promotional banners on her page also show that Zoom sessions are being run for both Tongan and Samoan audiences.
While the BG scheme has triggered warnings across Australia, California, Canada, the United Kingdom and several European countries, Tonga has already demonstrated that breaches of its bans can lead to prosecution.
As Kaniva News and other media reported in 2022, police officer Vaiola Tupa, 41, of Ngele‘ia, and ‘Anaseini Siulua Pongi, 36, of Te‘ekiu, were among those fined for promoting an illegal pyramid scheme.
The Nuku’alofa Supreme Court ordered them to pay $4,000 each or face imprisonment in default.
In its ruling, the court emphasised that the sentence should serve as a warning that pyramid and Ponzi networks are illegal in Tonga, and that anyone attempting to operate such schemes will face severe penalties.
Warnings From History
While promoters of the BG scheme remain vocal and aggressive in their marketing, critics argue the operation mirrors past scams such as Validus and Hyperfund, which collapsed about two years ago and left hundreds of thousands of investors — including many Tongans — unable to recover their money.
Those schemes also inspired locally developed Ponzi operations run by Tongans, including Tongitupe and the 6K Gifting Co‑operative (6K). Both schemes promised returns of up to $6,000.
Tongitupe founder Tilila Siolaʻa Walker is set to stand trial in the United States in March 2027, while her New Zealand‑based co‑founder, ‘Ofa Siasau, is facing a warrant of arrest for failing to repay $26,000 owed to a Tongitupe victim.
In early April 2025, Frances Saimone — identified as the overall leader and “banker” of the 6K Gifting Co‑operative — and promoter Patricia Pousini pleaded guilty in the Manukau District Court to charges of promoting a pyramid scheme.
Saimone was fined $33,306, while Pousini was fined $10,200.
The Tonga Meteorological Service has confirmed that Tropical Depression TD09F has intensified into Tropical Cyclone Urmil, a Category 1 cyclone, as of Friday afternoon.
According to the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), the cyclone was centred near latitude 18.7 degrees south and longitude 168.1 degrees east, placing it approximately 1770km west of Nuku’alofa, 1850km west of Ha’apai, 1890km west of Vava’u, 1770km west–southwest of Niuafo’ou, and about 1950km west of Niua Toputapu.
The advisory was issued at 4pm today, with the next update scheduled for 4am Saturday 28 February 2026.
Cyclone moving slowly over Vanuatu
TC Urmil is currently tracking slowly westward over Vanuatu. Meteorologists say the cyclone’s maximum sustained winds near the centre are about 35–40 knots (70–80 km/h), consistent with a Category 1 rating under the Australian cyclone classification system.
Despite the upgrade, authorities say Tonga faces no immediate threat.
“On its current track, TC Urmil is moving slowly over Vanuatu. This system does not pose any threat to Tonga for the next 24–48 hours,” the advisory states.
No warnings for Tonga
As of this afternoon, no tropical cyclone warnings or alerts have been issued for any part of Tonga.
The Meteorological Service will continue to monitor the system closely, particularly its movement over the weekend.
A track map released by MEIDECC shows TC Urmil circulating west of Fiji and Vanuatu, far from Tonga’s island groups. The map confirms the cyclone’s projected path keeps it well removed from Tongan waters over the next two days.
While the cyclone does not currently threaten the kingdom, authorities recommend the public stay informed through official channels, particularly if weather patterns change.
The next official update is expected early Saturday morning.
A 35‑year‑old man from Ha‘asini is in police custody after being charged in connection with the death of an 85‑year‑old man reported in December last year.
Deputy Police Commissioner Tevita Vailea
Deputy Police Commissioner Tevita Vailea told Television Tonga that officers executed a search warrant at the accused’s residence, where they discovered cannabis and unlicensed ammunition.
These findings have resulted in additional charges relating to illegal drugs and firearms.
Police say the homicide investigation remains ongoing.
Police have released no further information about the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death.
Police are urging the public to come forward with any information that may assist the investigation.
