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Secrecy surrounding Vava‘u Airport privatisation as PM election looms sparks concerns 

By
Kalino Latu
-

COMMENTARY: Acting Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu’s lack of transparency over the awarding of a contract to privatise Vava’u’s Lupepau’u International Airport is indeed concerning. 

Acting Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu

Hon Vaipulu said this week a New Zealand firm has received approval from the Tonga government to undertake the reconstruction and modernization of the airport. 

However, he refused to disclose the company’s name or the specifics of the project and gave no timeline for its completion. 

Kaniva News has obtained documents which raise serious questions about the project.  

We have attempted to verify the authenticity of the documents which appear to show that Cabinet has approved the New Zealand’s Intelligent Green Energy company to redevelop Vava’u Airport. 

The company was registered in Tonga on December 11, 2024 as Vava’u International Airport Ltd, according to the Tongan government’s Business Registry Office website. 

We believe this is a matter of serious public importance. 

The documents appear to show that package negotiated with the developer includes the “transfer of control and operation of the Lupepau’u International Airport to Vava’u International Airport”. 

The directors are listed as Shahroom Shah, Sandip Chopra and Liberio Riosa with registered address at Leimatu’a, Vava’u. 

Vava’u International Airport Ltd is 100 percent owned by the Intelligent Green Light. 

The company claims on its website that it provides “comprehensive airport management which ensures smooth functioning of aviation practices required for the safety of flyers, flight management and commercial operations”. 

Director fined in NZ 

One of the directors of Vava’u International Airport Ltd, Liberio Riosa, was fined tens of thousands of dollars in New Zealand, and his company, LZ Lighting Limited, went into liquidation three years ago. 

In 2021 a Disputes Tribunal hearing in Auckland ordered Riosa to pay NZ$30,000 as compensation after he was deemed to have defrauded a couple by providing failed products after they agreed for Riosa to install an off-grid power system in their home. 

Disputes Tribunal referee Sara Grayson found “Riosa engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by selling turbines that did not work as advertised,” the New Zealand Herald reported. 

The Tribunal was told that the couple paid Riosa more than NZ$40,000, but immediately after the turbines were installed, they failed to work efficiently. 

As a result the New Zealand’s Sustainable Energy Association of NZ “terminated” Riosa’s membership. 

Raw Mana announcement 

In 2021 the government announced that a British company known as Raw Mana had announced a huge airport development of Vava’u airport. 

It said it would be fully funded by private foreign investors and had the backing of the king. It did not say where the money would come from. 

It said Raw Mana had plans to lengthen the runway of the airport, to allow large aircraft to fly directly into the hub of Tongan tourism. 

It said the company was also planning to upgrade the terminal and build a renewable energy power station to supply the electricity the expanded complex will need. 

It said the overall cost of the project was estimated at US$121m (NZ$213m). 

It said the project would replace the airport’s existing building with a new proposed new 8,000m2 terminal and a cargo facility. 

“The extended 2,700m runway will facilitate landing for large aircraft at the airport,” a report at the time said. 

“Upon completion, the airport will become the country’s largest international airport and is expected to attract more tourists and improve trade with neighboring nations such as Australia and New Zealand”. 

Documents filed with Companies House ny Raw Mana in the UK show that in 2021 the company’s assets were worth £100. It was described as being involved in the construction of domestic buildings. 

 A website under the name Raw Mana described the organisation as a leading contractor in the infrastructure and operations sectors. 

It claimed to offer customers a full, custom delivery service and manage programmes from the initial concept right through to ongoing operations. 

“Working with National and Local Governments, developers and private clients, we create bespoke infrastructure solutions,” it said. 

While it does not show any physical address and person to contact, it appeared the organisation has contacts in the United Kingdom , UAE , Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Tonga. 

The website displayed a copyright year of 2021, indicating that it has not undergone any updates or revisions since that time. This suggests that the content may be outdated. 

Kaniva News has contacted Hon Vaipulu and Tonga Airport Ltd CEO Edgar Cocker for comment. 

Vava’u International Airport could not be reached for comment. 

We look forward to their comment and clarification. 

It’s election time

While it is important to maintain an optimistic outlook regarding the redevelopment of Vava’u International Airport, it is equally important to critically assess any statements issued by the government, particularly in light of the imminent election of the new Prime Minister next week. 

Ironically, the 2021 government, in which Hon Vaipulu was a Cabinet Minister, admitted only a few days after confirming that Raw Mana would reconstruct the Vava’u airport, that a full proposal had not in fact been received.  

The then Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet, Edgar Cocker, told the media that their press release did not mean that the Government had granted approval for Raw Mana Ltd to undertake the project. 

It is noteworthy that when the media ran the story about the Raw Mana’s proposed project in October 2021, it was just a few weeks before the general election in which Hon Hu’akavameiliku was elected as Prime Minister. Hon Vaipulu became the Deputy Prime Minister in the December election. 

The timing should be a matter of concern since we have not heard any updates from the government regarding the project for about three years. 

Now claims about another proposed reconstruction project have emerged again and just as in 2021, elections are imminent. 

This sudden reappearance raises questions about the motives behind the timing and whether it is simply an attempt to influence public opinion during the election campaign period. 

According to Radio New Zealand Pacific, the Vaipulu cabinet is considering the nomination of MP Dr Viliami Latu of Vava’u 16, who also serves as Minister for Tourism, for the upcoming Prime Ministerial election. 

While the timing of the announcement may all be a remarkable coincidence, the parallels with what happened in 2021 are worth examining very closely. 

Auckland women see eye to eye on Tonga health trip

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Christina Persico of rnz.co.nz

A non-verbal, severely myopic Tongan child, moved to say ‘wow’ when looking through glasses, was one of more than 200 people seen by two Auckland women giving voluntary eye care.

Janice Yeoman and Germaine Joblin have families and practices in New Zealand, but earlier this year planned a trip to Tonga, armed with glasses and equipment to make prosthetic eyes.

Janice Yeoman and Germaine Joblin have families and practices in New Zealand, but earlier this year planned a trip to Tonga, armed with glasses and equipment to make prosthetic eyes. Photo: Christina Persico/RNZ

Janice Yeoman and Germaine Joblin have families and practices in New Zealand, but earlier this year planned a trip to the Pacific kingdom, armed with prescription glasses and equipment to make prosthetic eyes.

Joblin worked with her Auckland-based Tongan colleague, Telusila Vea, a community eyecare coordinator, to organise the outreach clinic and raise awareness of the services among the local community.

Yeoman said the response in Tonga was “overwhelmingly positive”.

“There were a lot of happy tears,” she said.

“I think they were just very grateful that we were there and that we had the time to see them and to provide custom care to them.

“It wasn’t just a screening service – each person got a custom prescription and custom glasses and a full health check.”

They saw 210 patients in four and a half days. The work included a visit to Red Cross Tonga to check the eyes of children with disabilities.

The cases they encountered were varied and included uncorrected refractive error for which they prescribed 172 pairs of glasses. There were cases of cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, keratoconus, glaucoma and pterygia.

Janice Yeoman and Germaine Joblin have families and practices in New Zealand, but earlier this year planned a trip to Tonga, armed with glasses and equipment to make prosthetic eyes.

Photo: Supplied

In her Takapuna, Auckland, clinic, Yeoman makes about 10 prosthetic eyes in a month. In Tonga, she fitted nine in four and a half days.

“Prosthetic services just don’t exist at all. There are plenty of people who were walking around with no eye and physical disfigurement, and this was really quite life-changing.”

She said they were met with welcome and gratitude. One mother told her: Oh my goodness, now he can go back to school and feel normal.

“I think it goes so much further than the individual. It’s about the families; it’s about the communities.

“It really makes a big difference in terms of how people interact with their environments, and how they learn, and all these sorts of things.”

Joblin recalled one boy, about 12 or 13 years old, who was non-verbal.

He had no glasses on, and when she checked his eyes he needed a very high prescription – 10 diopters.

“If you’re myopic (short-sighted) or familiar with myopia, you’ll know this means he was effectively living in a world of clinical blindness,” she said.

“And when I put those lenses in front of him, he said ‘wow’.

“He could finally see our faces – mine and his friends.

“I still [get] tingles down my spine when I think of that.”

Joblin said the trip gave her a great sense of purpose.

“If you ask people, what is the most precious sense? I think studies have suggested at least 90 per cent of people suggest their eyesight.

“And so to be able to give that to them in a very immediate [way] – like ‘here are your glasses’ – in a tangible way, it’s extremely satisfying. And then to see the reactions.”

The pair also met Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni who was then the Prime Minister, who sent the Minister of Health and his team to meet them at the hospital to discuss the eye care situation in Tonga.

And they want their project – Eyes for Good – to be more than a one-time thing. They worked with local nurses offering some training, and they say they’d love to volunteer there again, possibly in a different part of the country.

“I think it’s really meaningful to go back to the same place where you’ve really established some connection,” Yeoman said.

“The last thing we want to do is just do something that doesn’t have any traction and momentum.”

Tonga approve Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide high-speed internet services throughout the Kingdom 

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The approval of the license for Starlink internet provider marks a significant milestone in expanding internet services throughout the Kingdom of Tonga, says Tonga Communications. 

In a statement this morning, the Ministry of Communication (MEIDECC), as a Regulator for Communications, said this decision allows Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, to provide high-speed internet access to residents and businesses across the islands.  

“This initiative marks a pivotal step in improving telecommunications infrastructure in Tonga, ensuring that all citizens have access to reliable internet services,” it said.  

Tonga had faced multiple challenges with its internet connectivity due to a series of natural disasters that had disrupted its undersea cable infrastructure. 

In 2022, following a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami that severely impacted the country’s internet services, Billionaire Elon Musk extended a helping hand by offering to send Starlink internet terminals.  

Starlink is considered a reliable internet service worldwide, especially in areas with limited or unavailable traditional broadband options.  

Users have reported that it provides decent speeds and stable connections.

However, performance can vary based on location, obstructions such as trees or buildings, and the density of users in the area.  

Starlink have authorized resellers to acquire their services locally through: TokoWireless Ltd (Wantok Tonga), Digicel Tonga Limited, and Tonga Communication Corporation (TCC). 

Community asks for prayers after members of Tongan family hospitalised  in NZ crash  

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A Tongan family, including children and cousins, are in hospital following a serious crash in New Zealand yesterday. 

It follows reports that one person has died and four others were injured the night before in a three-car pile-up south of Auckland.

The identity and ethnicity of the deceased have yet to be released.

It happened just a few hours before a serious two-vehicle crash forced the closure of the Waikato Expressway overnight.

In Auckland, a police spokesperson confirmed one person died after a crash on Karaka Rd at 5.20pm.

A St John spokesperson sent 11 vehicles and treated six people at the scene – three were seriously injured, two moderately and one only suffered minor injuries.

The police spokesperson said inquiries into the crash are ongoing and three people remain in hospital.

In the Waikato, a police spokesperson said they were called to the two-car crash in Meremere just before 10pm.

One person was seriously injured while another was moderately injured. Both were transported to hospital.

SH1 was closed for a period but has now reopened.

The Tongan online community in New Zealand has come together to ask for prayers and support following the tragic car crash. 

“To all my Family & Friends out there, please keep my Brother Antonio Liuono’s family, Sister Qween Esther& my niece Mary Paea in your prayers. They had a big car crash”, a poster said on Facebook.

As missile hits Israeli school, IDF pounds Yemen, believes it paralyzed all 3 Houthi ports

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Israeli military carried out a series of intense airstrikes that shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city early Thursday, in a preplanned operation that coincided with the Houthis firing a missile that hit a school in central Israel.

No one was injured by the ballistic missile, which the Israel Defense Forces said was partially intercepted outside Israeli airspace by the long-range Arrow air defense system. However, the warhead didn’t explode in the air and crashed into an empty school building in the city of Ramat Gan, with nobody hurt. It was the second missile from Yemen fired this week, along with a drone attack.

According to a statement by the Israel Defense Force, dozens of Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft participated in the strikes in Yemen, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, some 2,000 kilometers from Israel. The Houthi targets were struck at the Hodeida port — which Israel has struck twice before — and for the first time, in the rebel-held capital Sana’a, the IDF said.

The IAF had been preparing for the strike for several weeks, military sources said, and the planes were already on their way to Yemen when the Houthis launched a missile at Israel.

The projectile set off sirens in central Israel communities due to concerns about falling debris from the interception, and millions of people were forced into bomb shelters due to the attack, the IDF said.

According to an initial probe by the military, the missile was likely partially intercepted, with the intact warhead causing extensive damage to a school in the Tel Aviv suburb Ramat Gan, where a building collapsed.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited the site of the Ramat Gan school on Thursday morning. He said that the students had been temporarily relocated to a nearby school, where they would remain for the next two weeks before they return to a newly constructed building, which was already completed prior to the strike.

Modiin Mayor Haim Bibas said that shrapnel, apparently from IDF interceptor missiles, had also fallen in two places in the central city, causing minor damage but no reported injuries.

Sirens didn’t sound in the city during the attack, and Bibas said he was in contact with the IDF’s Home Front Command to understand why.

Two small fragments of an interceptor rocket were also found outside the Knesset building in Jerusalem, a spokesman announced.

“No damage was caused and the fragments of the interceptor were removed by the scene by Israel Police sappers,” he added.

In a statement published mid-morning on Thursday, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the group had fired two missiles, not one, at “specific and sensitive military targets” in the Tel Aviv area, which he referred to as the “occupied Yaffa area.”

Houthi ports said paralyzed

Israeli military sources said the strikes in Yemen were aimed at paralyzing all three ports used by the Iran-backed Houthis on the coast of the country.

All of the tugboats used to bring ships into ports were struck in the Israeli attack, as were power stations.

In Israel’s previous attack on the Hodeida port, the cranes used to unload shipments were struck.

Israel now believes that all activity at the ports controlled by the Houthis is paralyzed, sources said.

Shortly after the Houthi missile fire, the rebel group’s satellite channel al-Masirah reported strikes in Sana’a and the coastal Hodeida province, some of which it said targeted power stations in the capital as well as the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea.

It said the strikes killed nine people.

Unverified video shared on social media purported to show the aftermath of the attack, showing buildings ablaze.

The overnight airstrikes marked the first time the IDF has hit targets in Sana’a, and the third time it has struck Yemen in response to Houthi attacks, including a July strike after a Houthi drone killed a civilian in Tel Aviv.

Tonga centre Kata extends Leicester stay

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Tonga international Solomone Kata has extended his stay with Leicester Tigers.

The 30-year-old dual-code international has made 25 appearances for the East Midlands side since arriving for last season.

Kata joined the Tigers after a short stint with Premiership rivals Exeter, having previously played for Super Rugby sides ACT Brumbies and Moana Pasifika after forging a professional career in rugby league with NRL side New Zealand Warriors.

“I think my best days as a player are ahead of me and I’ll always give my all for the fans and for my team-mates while I’m here,” Kata told the club website.

Kata, a versatile back who has established himself at centre with Tigers, has featured seven times so far under Michael Cheika this season, scoring three tries to take his overall club tally to seven.

“Sol is a big talent and also a big character inside the squad,” Cheika said.

“We really welcome his decision to stay with the club as I know he is a player in demand.”

Kata is the third Tigers player in as many days to sign a new deal with the club, following England lock Ollie Chessum and Scotland prop Will Hurd.

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More serious accusations against Tonga Development Bank highlighted in Vote of No Confidence motion 

By
Kalino Latu
-

The motion of no confidence against former Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku has alleged that the Tonga Development Bank (TDB) had violated the established loan limits for clients.

‘Emeline Tuita, TDB CEO

It also claimed that the bank’s financial status remains uncertain due to the inability of companies with government-guaranteed loans to fulfil their repayment obligations.

The former Hu’akavameiliku administration has been accused of legal violations due to its failure to present evidence of the loan guarantee to the House. It has also been accused of failing to prevent the two banks, TDB and Tonga National Reserved Bank (TNRB), from entering into a legal dispute, which is currently awaiting a court decision.

The allegations come at a challenging time for TDB as it faces a court battle while also confronting a wave of misinformation that it claims is damaging to its public image on social media.

Earlier this month, the bank urged its clients in an effort to maintain their trust following police executing a search warrant at the bank for the second time within a few months.

Vote of no confidence motion

One of the seven motions presented to the Parliament as part of the vote of confidence accuses Hon Hu’akavameiliku of failing to uphold the rule of laws which govern TDB and TNRB.  

The motion, which had been listed as number four, raised concerns among the Opposition MPs after it had been reported that in 2022, the TDB allegedly breached the lending limits set for the bank when processing a loan application. As a result, a subsequent agreement was established in which the government eventually acted as a guarantor in 2022 with a mission to resolve this matter by May 2024, the loan guarantee’s end date.

The motion said the government has yet to submit any proof of the guarantee.  

As seen by Kanivca News, the motion and a copy of the TDB 2022 Annual Report have been submitted as an appendix. It specifically referenced page three, item 39, paragraph two of the report as supporting evidence for the claims made by the movers.

Government as owner

The motion emphasised the legal obligation of the government to appoint the two banks’ boards of directors and chief executives.

It also said that the government failed to manage a dispute between the two banks, which escalated to legal proceedings that resulted in substantial fines and costs.  

It said the Lord Chief Justice had ordered that TNRB and its Governor pay TOP$15 million to TDB as part of the dispute between the two banks. It appeared that the defendants subsequently initiated a legal challenge against this ruling.

“The costs incurred will be financed through the banks’ proceeds, which may have been reserved for their development projects intended to benefit the people”, the motion said in Tongan of the banks’ legal dispute.  

The motion said that this was the first time in the history of Tonga that the two banks had engaged in a conflict that ended up in court.  

In his response, Hon Hu‘akavameiliku said in Tongan: “It is important to note that the two banks operate as separate legal entities that function independently from government decision-making processes”.

Regarding the bank’s court disputes, the former Prime Minister said waiting for the court decision would be wiser since they were still in progress. 

Possibility for Dr ‘Aisake Eke to become next PM is ‘strong and deep’: sources 

By
Kalino Latu
-

Dr ‘Aisake Valu Eke, who took the initiative to propose the vote of no confidence motion against former Prime Minister Hon Hu’akavameiliku, is reportedly emerging as a strong candidate for the position of Tonga’s next Prime Minister.

Dr ‘Aisake Eke

All 26 MPs will meet on Christmas Eve to select the Kingdom’s new prime minister. 

It follows Hon Hu’akavameiliku’s recent resignation ahead of a second vote of no confidence motion against him. 

The constitution stipulates that the Lord Speaker will issue letters to MPs calling for their nominations for leader. 

The nominations must be submitted by December 23, and the election of the prime minister will be conducted by secret ballot on Christmas Eve. 

However, people close to the MPs claimed that Dr Eke had strong support from the nine nobles and all the MPs who signed the vote of confidence motion against former Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku. 

A source said Dr Eke “is doing very well and his support is strong and deep”.  

The people’s elected MPs had been approached by Kaniva News about their preferred candidates.  

Their liaison officer, MP Dr Taniela Fusimālohi, responded in Tongan that “it is left for the Speaker to make it public when the time is right, which is December 24”.  

The numbers

Other sources said Cabinet ministers from Hu‘akavameiliku’s government, who were apparently unhappy with the vote of no confidence motion, could likely nominate a candidate.

However, the sources said they did not have the number, the same situation that led to Hu‘akavameiliku choosing to resign ahead of his vote of no confidence instead of facing the potential loss.  

Before Hu’akavameiliku quit, he had nine MPs who could support him after his Minister for Lands and Survey, Lord Tu’i’afitu, resigned last month. Of the nine remaining members, four were People’s Members of Parliament (PMPs), including the Prime Minister, two were Nobles’ Members of Parliament (NMPs), and three were Non-Elected Members of Parliament who could not vote on the VONC, according to the constitution. The two remaining nobles resigned after Hu’akavameiliku’s resignation, reducing the number of supporters for Hu’akavameiliku to only four.

This means a new PM candidate from Hu’akavameiliku’s supporters needed 10 more MPs to win. He could count on five MPs who supported Hu’akavameiliku – Tevita Puloka, Dulcie Tei, Sione Taione, Veivosa Taka and Mo’ale ‘Otunuku – and possibly two NRs who have often sided with Hu’akavameiliku, Lord Tuiha’angana and Lord Fakafanua.

On the other hand, Dr Eke reportedly said he was confident he had the number after submitting the vote of no confidence last month.  

He had the seven PMP signatories, who were Dr Langi Fasi, Mateni Tapueleuelu, Dr ‘Aisake Eke, Piveni Piukala, Kapeli Lanumata, Mo’ale Finau and Vatau Hui. They were also guaranteed the vote of Dr Tanieta Fusmalohi, who was still returning from overseas. So they secured eight guaranteed votes in addition to the seven members of nobility MPs, totalling 15 votes—sufficient to ensure a clear victory.

Background 

Dr Eke received his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia after conducting his research on, “An exploratory study on the quality of service in the public sector in Tonga”, completed in 2013. 

He was a former Secretary and Minister for Finance.  

As Kaniva News previously reported, Dr Eke, who was one of the witnesses for the convicted Lavulavu couple, has pledged to fight to clear his name after the Supreme Court judge said he was not telling the truth. 

Dr Eke had given evidence that non-government schools were allowed to set their own fee system and that it was acceptable to write a cash receipt of the value of the barter item tendered. 

Justice Nicholas Cooper said Dr Eke provided no proof for his claims and that all his credibility was gone. 

Dr Eke said what he provided to the Court was true and he stood by those statements. 

“Non-government educational establishments in Tonga are free to formulate their operations and policies and how school fees are paid”. 

Lulutai airlines silent over crashed SAAB aircraft insurance questions

By
Kalino Latu
-

Growing concerns emerged one year following the crash of the Lulutai SAAB 340 aircraft, which resulted in the plane being no longer operational.  

Poasi Tei, Lulutai CEO

The aircraft slid off the runway at Tonga’s Fua’amotu airport in December 2023 and hit a concrete block. 

As Kaniva News reported previously, a preliminary report from the investigation into the crash organised by the Ministry for Infrastructure’s civil aviation department detailed damages, including hydraulic fuel loss and other safety problems.  

The report also said there were signs that the aircraft’s record may have been deliberately disabled. 

With technical assistance from the Australian Safety Transport Bureau (ATSB), the Chief Investigator is expected to submit a final report at the completion of the investigation.

Insurance concerns

Some members of the public who asked not to be identified told Kaniva News they wanted to know whether the SAAB 340 was insured, and if not, they wanted to know why.  

Some said Lulutai was a government-owned asset, and it is responsible for ensuring effective management practices that minimize potential losses that may adversely affect taxpayers. 

We have contacted Lulutai chief executive Poasi Tei for comment.  

The Opposition mentioned in its recent vote of no confidence motion, which led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku, their ongoing concerns about Lulutai’s financial status. 

It said there were concerns about mishaps with Lulutai flights and the failure of the government to submit to Parliament a specific statement on these incidents or any plans to prevent air accidents and ensure air safety in the future.   

Chatham aircraft leasing

The concerned citizens believed that had Lulutai properly managed the maintenance of the SAAB 340 and insured it, it would not have been necessary to hire Chatham Airlines from New Zealand to provide services during peak seasons. 

They believed it costs a lot of money for Lulutai, which one expert previously claimed operated at millions of loss, to hire the Chatham Airlines aircraft.  

The latest was last week when Lulutai Airlines said a chartered Chatham ATR 72 aircraft would make 12 scheduled flights a week from Tongatapu to Vava’u and return. 

Government funded

The vote of no confidence motion claimed the government had invested $21 million in Lulutai Airlines as its shareholding and an additional $2 million in its current financial budget. Still, it failed to submit any financial statement to the Parliament.  

Hu’akavameiliku, in his response to his latest vote of no confidence motion, said that Lulutai Airlines was a government-owned company. He also referred to what his government announced last month, saying it finally approved Lulutai Airlines Limited to become a public enterprise.

He also claimed that budget statements had been submitted to the House. 

As Kaniva News reported previously, the Hu’akavameiliku government was accused in the House of hiding behind the Companies Act to allow Cabinet Ministers to continue as members of Lulutai’s Board of Directors, although the law says they can only retrain members within 12 months.

Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku insisted that it was up to the government to consider when it was fit to cease its membership.  

The government has fully funded Lulutai Airlines since its inception in 2020.

Man jailed for 12 years after two knifepoint carjackings including mother and daughter on Tongatapu 

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A man has been jailed for 12 years and 10 months after admitting to stealing two cars at knifepoint in two separate incidents on Tongatapu. 

Justice Nicholas Cooper, in sentencing, said Taniela Vaka, 42, had been indicted at the Magistrate Court, and the details of his offences and charges were not available to him.  

In the first incident, Police apprehended the prisoner and interviewed but, “Extraordinarily, it appears he was then released on bail. For a man who had just admitted an armed robbery that appears to raise some serious questions,” said Mr Cooper. 

The court heard that on 20 November 2023, the victim was walking to his car at approximately 11.30pm, having bought groceries from a store in Kolofo’ou. He got into his vehicle.

Mr Vaka got into the front passenger seat, produced a knife and instructed the victim to drive. 

Mr Vaka directed him to drive to Ananā. As he drove, at knifepoint, he took an opportunity to flee and jumped out of the car. 

The victim went to the police and reported the loss of his car, worth approximately $20,000.00 and the groceries and cash therein, worth about $5,782.00. Albeit that only $50.00 was made up in cash. 

Mr Vaka was arrested that same day. He was interviewed on 4 December 2023 and admitted his involvement in the offence.  

Mother and daughter

In the second incident, a mother and 27-year-old daughter were in their car at their gate on 23 January 2024. They were waiting for the husband and father of their family to lock the front gate and get in their car to join them. 

Instead, Mr Vaka, armed with a knife, got into the rear seat and, at knifepoint, commanded the two women to drive. 

He took a handbag belonging to one of the victims and stole cash from it, TOP $1,000.00 and NZ$ 200.00. 

Mr Vaka then got out of the vehicle, but not before threatening both ladies that he would return to find them at their home if they reported this offence to the police. 

A member of the public who knows Mr Vaka saw the women being threatened in their car with a knife and raised the alarm.  

“The police chased him, but he hid. He evaded them initially”, the court heard. 

The Police attended to the victims and recovered the knife from the car. 

Mr Cooper said: “I note that no details as to this weapon have been provided, either for this offence or the last”. 

“No circumstances have been provided to explain Mr Vaka’s arrest”. 

Calculating his jail term, Mr Cooper said: “That gives a sentence of 12 years and 10 months’ imprisonment”. 

“Regrettably Mr. Vaka has committed offences of this kind time and again.  

Drug Addiction

“He indulged in drug use and, I have no doubt, then robbed and stole to fund that habit.  

“He did not care about the harm and fear he caused. 

Mr Cooper also said he refused to suspend any part of Mr Vaka’s sentence since he “ clearly is a high risk of re-offending and to society at large” 

“He must serve his full term and no part can be suspended. His sentence will be back dated to his first remand, 21 May 2024”. 

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