UPDATED: A toddler is dead after drowning in a flooded pit at Popua on Sunday, police said.
Vaiola Hospital Ambulance. Photo/Kalino Lātū
The Police responded to a report received on Sunday, October 13, 2024 at approximately 1.45pm.
“The preliminary investigations indicated that the incident involved a little boy, aged 1 year and 8 months old, who was playing with his siblings near an unfinished ground hole filled with rainwater”, a police statement said.
“When his older brother noticed he was nowhere to be seen, they began searching for him.
“It was explained that about half an hour later, he found his brother’s body floating in the water hole just behind their home.
“Efforts were made to pull him out and call for help, but it was too late.
It said emergency services and an ambulance arrived at the scene around 2.15PM.
“The medical personnel confirmed the little boy’s death and was transported to Vaiola Hospital.
The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding this tragic suspected drowning incident.
“Tonga Police would like to remind and advise the community to be safe in their surroundings. It is important for parents and guardians to stay alert and ensure the safety of your children during bad weather. It is also advised to say away from flooded streets and encourage your children to stay indoor during a heavy rain”.
A car has crashed on the same stretch of main road a double cab ute collided with a tree and killed a man yesterday Saturday 12.
Three different car crashes today, Sunday 13, all caused power outages
Tongan correspondent Faka’osi Maama shared a livestream video of the incident on his Facebook account.
As Kaniva News reported yesterday, Penisimani Tu’ungafasi, an employee at Fua’amotu airport, died after the ute he was in crashed on the roadside of Taufa’āhau Rd in Pelehake.
The Pelehake crash this afternoon was the third of three vehicle crashes that occurred within hours today. All three hit power poles, causing various outages on Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu.
The crashes have kept Tonga Power electricians busy since this morning.
The company said that about three separate crashes into power poles had occurred in Kolomotu’a, Longoteme, and Malapo.
No injuries were reported in the three Sunday crashes.
In its alert following the first accident, the company said a vehicle hit a power pole in Longoteme.
“Please be advised that there is currently a temporary power outage affecting your areas due to a vehicle hitting one of our power poles in Longoteme”, it said.
“Our technical team is currently addressing the situation, and we anticipate restoring power within the next two hours.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to resolve the issue.
Thank you for your patience and understanding”.
In its second alert, it said a vehicle crashed into a power pole at Kolomotu’a.
It said: “Please be advised to customers in the areas of kolomotua including areas of sopu and isileli due to an accident to one of our power poles at sopu area we will turn off power to your areas to allow for repair and maintenance to the broken power pole. The emergency power outage is planned for 1:30pm to 5pm today”.
The third accident in Pelehake caused an outage starting from Malapo to Fua’amotu.
“Please be informed that power supply to your areas will be temporarily interrupted today, Sunday, 13th October 2024, at approximately 8:00 p.m. This outage is necessary to allow our linesmen to replace a damaged power pole caused by an accident in Pelehake.
“Once the repairs are complete, power will be restored without further notice.
“We once again apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding”.
The wife of the man who tragically lost his life in a car crash yesterday had to face an incredibly heartbreaking moment when she struggled to meet her husband’s lifeless body in a hospital bed.
The wife of Tu’ungafasi struggles to accept that her husband is dead, as she is being led to see his lifeless body. Photo/Screenshot
As Kaniva News reported on Saturday, Penisimani Tu‘ungafasi died after a double cab ute crashed into what appeared to be a tree at a roadside of Taufa‘āhau Rd in Pelehake.
He apparently died at the scene before his body was rushed to the hospital.
Speeding and weather conditions were believed to be contributing factors in the crash.
Two persons injured in the crash were still in hospital with reportedly critical injuries.
A live-streamed video seen by Kaniva News this afternoon purportedly shows what appeared to be a male relative leading a woman to a hospital bed where a deceased person was lying.
The visibly devastated woman clung to the man’s body as she appeared to be struggling not to accept the fact that it was her husband lying dead in the bed.
With the man’s help, the tearful woman was finally able to see her husband.
Commenters on the video said the woman was Tu’ungafasi’s wife.
“Oh my, I am crying with her as I had experienced the same situation”, a commenter wrote.
Penisimani Tu’ungafasi (inset)
“Poor woman she struggled to face it I can wear her shoes and it is of course so difficult and indeed heartbreaking”, another commenter wrote.
“Let us extend our love and support to the widow and her children during this challenging time. May they find solace and contentment through the grace of God.”
Some residents in the Tongatapu’s Kolomotu’a and Kauvai districts are without power after vehicle crashes.
Tonga Power said the two separate outages were caused by vehicles hitting power poles or other electrical equipment in the areas.
A photo of a brown car, posted on the Tonga Power Facebook account, purportedly shows that it crashed into a power pole at Kolomotu’a, causing a power cut.
A photo of two men, apparently electricians, standing by a power pole was accompanied by the authority’s announcement of the Kauvai’s Longoteme outage.
“Please be advised to customers in the areas of Kolomotua including areas of Sopu and ‘Isileli due to an accident to one of our power poles at Sopu area we will turn off power to your areas to allow for repair and maintenance to the broken power pole.
The emergency power outage is planned for 1.30pm to 5pm today”.
In its Kauvai alert, the company said the outage started from Vaini after a vehicle hit a power pole in Longoteme.
“Please be advised that there is currently a temporary power outage affecting your areas due to a vehicle hitting one of our power poles in Longoteme.
“Our technical team is currently addressing the situation, and we anticipate restoring power within the next two hours.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to resolve the issue”.
A victim of a fatal crash on Tongatapu’s Taufa’āhau Rd was a young man who worked at the Fua’amotu Airport, Kaniva News was reliably told.
Two more people are in hospital with reportedly critical injuries.
The deceased was Penisimani Tu’ungafasi, a source at the airport told Kaniva News.
Speed is suspected to be a factor in the crash.
Footage shared on Facebook shows what appeared to be the deceased lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by her devastated family and relatives.
As we reported this afternoon, the serious crash involving a dual cab ute had closed a section of Hahake’s Taufa’āhau Rd as heavy rain and flooding hit Tonga.
Emergency services were called to the road at Pelehake, where the collision occurred.
Penisimani Tu’ungafasi (inset).
It comes after the death of an off-duty police officer on Wednesday 2.
Police reportedly said that alcohol was a factor in that fatal crash.
By Coco Lance of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission
Located on Scarborough Terrace in Parnell, Auckland, Studio Carolina Izzo is a hub of art preservation, focusing on the conservation of cultural heritage.
Led by head conservator Carolina Izzo, the studio is dedicated to maintaining taonga – cultural treasures.
During Auckland’s Heritage Festival, which runs until 13 October, the studio hosted a discussion with Tongan artist Ebonie Fifita, on the intersections of Pacific art practices and conservation.
Fifita focused on the importance of ngatu, or tapa cloth, a cornerstone of Tongan tradition.
Ngatu is made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree (hiapo), which is stripped from the stem and beaten with a mallet to create the fabric. October 2024 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Coco Lance
The craft of Ngatu
Fifita explains that creating ngatu involves multiple layers.
Ngatu is made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree (hiapo), which is stripped from the stem and beaten with a mallet to create the fabric.
The beating is what allows the pieces to be spread into thin sheets, known as feta’aki.
Koka’anga is the process by which the pieces are pasted together.
“Each piece works by two rows at a time – langanga – a measuring unit for counting progress,” Fifita explains.
She says that earlier practices used visual symbols for counting, while many techniques today rely on numbers.
Different forms of ngatu are gifted during important life events, including births, birthdays, weddings and funerals, she adds.
“The practice is intergenerational and communal.”
The craft is a feminine activity, where women come together to soak, beat and flatten the bark of the hiapo.
Fifita explains that the creation of ngatu fulfils familial and communal obligations, serving both everyday needs and ceremonial purposes.
“In past generations, it met every day needs, from clothing to bandages. Today, it is often used for ceremonies and celebrations, but its roots lie in daily practice.
“We make ngatu on sunny days, while weaving continues on rainy days. This rhythm supports our homes, much like doing laundry or dishes.”
Each ngatu is rich in meaning, with patterns reflecting historical and contemporary narratives: “Some of the species have seen over one hundred hands contributing to their adornment,” Fifita says.
“Some pieces have seen over one hundred hands contributing to their adornment.”
Led by head conservator Carolina Izzo, 2nd right, the studio is dedicated to maintaining taonga – cultural treasures. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Coco Lance
The role of community
The communal aspect of ngatu preservation is vital, Izzo highlights.
Fifita and her collaborators aim to ensure this practice continues across generations.
Alisi Tatafu, who works alongside Fifita, has brought the practice into schools.
“To make this…it supports women, it helps them to be economically stable and sustainable in Tonga,” Tatafu says.
The significance of ngatu extends beyond fabric; it embodies cultural heritage and family histories.
One piece showcased by Fifita illustrates Ha’amonga ‘a Maui, a stone structure in Tonga, crafted from coral rock transported by canoe.
The accompanying kapesi depicts two birds, symbolising that birds signify land and fish, and that you do not take important journeys alone.
Meaning, culture, and tradition are all interwoven into these beautiful cloths, reflecting a vision of intergenerational longevity.
Money transfer service MoneyGram suffered a major hack that exposed its customers’ personal and financial information to cybercriminals.
While the three-day-long breach began on September 20, 2024, the firm has not provided an estimate for the number of victims impacted, nearly three weeks later.
MoneyGram does boast of having more than 150 million customers, however, via its over 430,000 locations which span 200 countries and territories.The video player is currently playing an ad.
The hack exposed basic information like customer names, their dates of birth and contact information, including phone numbers, emails and postal addresses.
But the cyberattack also gave the unknown hacker, or hackers, access to much more sensitive, government-issued identification documents: scanned driver’s licenses, national identification numbers and US Social Security numbers.
MoneyGram alerted consumers to its latest findings on the case Monday.
‘On September 27, 2024, MoneyGram determined that, in connection with this issue, an unauthorized third party accessed and acquired personal information of certain consumers,’ the company said in a statement to the press.
The payments transfer company affirmed that it was working with ‘leading external cybersecurity experts’ and coordinating with law enforcement.
The firm also assured its customer base that only ‘a limited number of Social Security numbers’ had been obtained.
But as a legacy player in the payments space — whose services include traditional wire transfers and money orders, as well as app-based processing and cryptocurrency exchanges — MoneyGram holds vast amounts of private data.
‘The types of impacted information varied by affected consumer,’ the company noted in its update Monday.
‘For a limited number of consumers,’ MoneyGram stated, personal information on any existing ‘criminal investigation information (such as fraud)’ might have been accessed by the hackers.
The firm did not elaborate on how many of these investigative files were closed or still active, nor how many ended with the customer being found innocent.
Copies of the utility bills used to confirm customers’ identities, their bank account numbers, their MoneyGram Plus Rewards numbers, and even data on individual transactions (such as dates and cash transfer amounts) were also exposed during the hack, the firm reported.
‘MoneyGram’s investigation is in its early stages,’ the company said, vowing that it was ‘working diligently to determine which consumers were affected by this issue.’
The hack was reportedly an example of ‘social engineering,’ in which one of the perpetrators impersonated an employee seeking tech support from MoneyGram’s IT help desk, according to sources who spoke to the site BleepingComputer.
The hack was reportedly an example of ‘social engineering,’ in which one of the perpetrators impersonated an employee seeking help from MoneyGram’s IT help desk, one tech site said
While MoneyGram has yet to confirm or share further details on the incident, it did note that the episode was not a ransomware attack, in which data is frozen via encryption and withheld for payment.
The company, however, is still working to assess the full extent of the private data ‘accessed and acquired’ by the hackers and has ‘set up a dedicated call center’ to solicit further information from impacted customers.
MoneyGram said it will be offering any of its affected customers two years of free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
The Tonga Development Bank has paid emotional tribute to its staff member who was the main witness in the prosecution of a broadcaster, a journalist, and a governor.
Mele Halatu’u Lokotui. Photo/Supplied
Mele Halatu’u Lokotui, 30, was a staff member of the Development Bank before her death on September 27, four days after Chief Justice Malcolm Bishop ordered the TOP$20 million pa’anga payout in the case, which also involved the Reserve Bank.
In his decision on September 23, Mr Bishop said his order was made “After considering the Plaintiff’s notice of application dated 11 September 2024 for judgment in default against the First, Second, Third and Fifth Defendants and the affidavit of Mele Hala Lokotui dated 11 September 2024 sworn and filed in support and in reliance upon Order 14 rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules”.
As Kaniva News reported, the Tonga Development Bank, CEO ‘Emeline Tuita and Board Chair Penisimani Vea sought damages from the Reserve Bank, its governor and media workers Katalina Tohi, Tevita Motulalo and Kalino Latu of the New Zealand-based Kaniva News.
The damages claim related to the broadcast and publication of extracts from a letter written by the Reserve Bank Governor to the Minister of Finance on May 17, 2024 on the subject of Regulatory Actions being taken by the Reserve Bank against the Tonga Development Bank, its CEO Tuita and Chairman Vea.
The letter reported on what were said to be serious concerns about the Reserve Bank and included an order to remove the CEO and Chairman from their roles in the TDB.
The plaintiffs sought damages for loss of profit, general damages and exemplary damages.
Action against Kalino Latu was not proceeded with.
A close relative of Mele claimed that her death may have been related to a heart disease with which she had been previously diagnosed.
It is understood the deceased was a daughter of Police Magistrate Folau Lokotui.
The Development Bank tributed its former staff member in Tongan, saying her death was a tragedy that the organisation deeply felt.
It said: “Ko e tā ʻoku matuʻaki ongo moʻoni , ki he loto fale ʻoe Pangikē ʻae Fonuá , ʻae tali ko au ki he Haú , ʻae tokotaha ngauē matuʻaki tonunga mo mateakiʻi hono fatongiá, Mele Halatuʻu Lokotui”.
A man who spent nearly a year on the run after escaping prison while on compassionate leave to attend a funeral has been sentenced to nine years for his part in a bungled scheme to import 37kg of methamphetamine from Iran inside pails of grease.
Talakai Finau’s sentence for the meth scheme, his flight from justice and other violent crimes could have been even higher were it not for his lawyer Devon Kemp, who identified an error in the Judge’s sums at his sentencing hearing in the Auckland District Court on Friday.
His descent from gainful employment to meth ring stand-over man and fugitive came after Finau survived being shot in the face a little over two years before his drug offending, Kemp told the court as he successfully argued for discounts for this and other factors including his youth and guilty plea.
A report prepared for the court said he suffered lasting physical and psychological effects from the shooting.
Finau was one of several people arrested as part of Operation Lithium, a joint police and Customs investigation centreing on a container filled with lithium grease originating from Iran. Also inside the container was 37.4kg of methamphetamine.
He initially pleaded not guilty and missed a trial date while on the run, requiring the trial to be rescheduled, but later reversed his plea, apparently on the advice of his mother. Several others are headed to jury trial for their alleged roles in the plot.
The Crown acknowledged Finau held a narrow role in the importation scheme, becoming involved only two days before the operation was terminated and police swooped in.
Talakai Finau, 23, appears at Auckland District Court for sentence on October 11, 2024, after admitting threatening to kill a businessman and his son and part of an effort to secure the release of a container with 37kg of meth hidden inside. Photo / Michael Craig
Crown prosecutor Sam Meyerhoff said it was nevertheless an important role, with Finau threatening to kill a legitimate businessman and his son to secure his identification card and therefore the release of the shipment.
“To get the import cleared they needed a man’s identification and the man needed to be threatened to get it,” Meyerhoff said.
Judge Edwin Paul, reading a Crown summary, said it appeared the consignment of grease and meth was imported in the name of a legitimate tyre company not involved in the import.
But others also allegedly involved in the scheme had used a fake email address for that company to seek information about the fate of the container.
It was seized by Customs in Tauranga on May 19, 2022, who found 37.4kg of meth hidden inside pails of lithium grease.
Ten days later, a man who, like Finau, was a member of Mt Roskill street gang the Junior Don Kings (J.D.K) asked him to obtain the identification details of a director of the tyre company to secure the release of the container.
On May 30, 2022, the director and his son parked in their driveway at home, and Finau pulled in behind them. He said he had been sent by another man involved in the business. The director was suspicious and Finau left.
The following day, Finau went to the tyre shop, saying he was willing to pay $2000 for the director’s ID. He told the director he knew where his wife worked before threatening to kill him.
The director replied he was not afraid to die.
Finau then told him he knew which school his son went to and threatened to kill him as well.
The director went to police and Finau was arrested on June 1. Police had earlier searched his home on an unrelated matter and found an AR-15-style rifle and more than 200 rounds of ammunition.
The following year, Finau was granted compassionate bail from Whanganui prison to attend a funeral, but did not return.
Talakai Finau’s mugshot, released by police as part of their manhunt in 2023. Finau absconded from compassionate bail after he was released to attend a funeral and spent 10 months on the run. His actions were labelled “reprehensible” by Judge Edwin Paul at his sentencing at the Auckland District Court on Friday.
Despite a police appeal for information and a release of his mugshot he was not arrested until 10 months later, on March 14 this year. His trial had to be adjourned as a result of his time on the lam.
Judge Paul took aim at Finau taking advantage of compassionate bail, saying it risked ruining it for others who were honest and would return.
“I find your absconding on compassionate bail, which was clearly a false claim of compassionate bail, particularly reprehensible,” the Judge said.
Finau also admitted police charges relating to the robbery and assault of a housemate while on electronically monitored bail at a Grace Foundation property in Whanganui.
Meyerhoff sought a starting point of 15-and-a-half years for the lead offences of importing meth and threatening to kill, with uplifts for the other offending that would have taken the final sentence north of 17 years.
But the prosecutor acknowledged he was entitled to discounts for his guilty plea, head injury and youth that would reduce the sentence to 14 years on the Crown charges.
Kemp sought a starting point of 10 years in prison for the importation and threats, saying the Crown failed to take into account his much lower degree of culpability compared to his alleged co-offenders. His role was analogous to a “catcher”, the term for a person who receives drug shipments, Kemp said.
“It wasn’t a particularly sophisticated affair at all, and Mr Finau’s offending was the least sophisticated of all.”
Finau was supported in court by his partner and daughter at his sentencing on October 11, who watched as he was led away after being sentenced to a little over nine years by Judge Paul. The Judge acknowledged his rehabilitative efforts while on remand.
Kemp argued his client should receive a discount for his youth. He was 21 at the time of the offending, so less able to exercise rational long-term thinking, the lawyer argued, along with further reductions for the head injury resulting from being shot in the face.
His long-standing addiction issues had been exacerbated by the shooting, but he had now completed rehabilitation programmes, not an easy thing to do while on remand, Kemp argued.
Finau was brought up without a father, struggled in school and was lured into a gang because he was gifted a motorbike, not uncommon in South Auckland, Kemp said.
He sought a 20% discount for psychological and personal circumstances, the same amount for his guilty plea and 5% for his rehabilitative efforts.
Judge Paul adopted a 13-and-a-half year start point, increased to 15.5 years for the police charges and the absconding while on compassionate bail.
The Judge then applied a 15% discount for the early guilty plea, saying that meant the victim did not need to go through the trauma of a trial and recounting the threats.
A further discount of 10% was given for youth and rehabilitative efforts in custody, alongside a 15% discount for personal factors including his fall into the gang life and his head injury which was also part of his descent into crime and away from the positive path of employment he had previously been on, the Judge said.
Concurrent sentences of a year each were imposed for the robbery and injury of his housemate, and nine months for escaping custody.
Judge Paul was initially going to impose a sentence of about 11 years before Kemp spotted an error in the calculations. He then corrected his sentence to nine years and four months in prison.
“Mr Finau, lucky you’ve got a lawyer that’s good at his maths,” the Judge said.
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