A Tongan prison officer who served for 24 years has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after illegally importing a .22 rifle, 1,655 rounds of ammunition and a large quantity of fireworks into Vavaʻu.

Spencer Masaniai Loloma Sikalu was ordered to serve eight months in prison, with the final 10 months of his sentence suspended for 12 months, following sentencing in the Supreme Court at Neiafu on September 16.

Justice P. Tupou KC said Sikalu’s long service as a prison officer placed a higher responsibility on him to obey the law and be a model citizen, rejecting arguments that his professional humiliation and reputational damage should mitigate his sentence.

Sikalu pleaded guilty to five charges involving the unlicensed importation of the rifle, ammunition and fireworks, and failing to declare the ammunition and fireworks.

The prohibited goods were discovered after a crate consigned to Sikalu arrived in Vavaʻu on January 3 and was flagged for inspection by the Dog Detector Unit.

When Sikalu and a customs broker arrived to release the crate on January 19, he declared that it contained a firearm and told officers he had packed the crate himself. During the inspection, officers discovered the .22 rifle and fireworks.

The Court said that as an officer moved towards another black suitcase inside the crate, Sikalu quickly grabbed it and was asked to hand it over. Customs officers opened the suitcase and discovered ammunition and more fireworks.

Justice Tupou found Sikalu knew what the suitcase contained and said that, had the customs officer not approached it, the ammunition and fireworks would have escaped inspection.

“That, in my view, was dishonest if not an attempt to conceal,” the judge said.

Police later examined the seized weapon and ammunition and found the .22 rifle was in good condition and capable of firing, while all 1,655 rounds were in good condition for use. Sikalu did not hold a licence to import either the rifle or ammunition, and authorities also confirmed he had no permit to import the fireworks.

The Crown argued that aggravating factors included the large quantity of prohibited goods, Sikalu’s failure to be forthcoming about the ammunition and the potential use of firearms and ammunition in criminal offending.

The Court said there had been a shift in sentencing for illegal firearm and ammunition imports, from fines towards imprisonment, because of the need for deterrence. Justice Tupou said such offending was increasing and warned that inadequate sentences risked allowing it to “get out of hand”.

The judge initially calculated an aggregate starting point of six-and-a-half years across the five offences but reduced this to two-and-a-half years to avoid a “crushing first period of incarceration”. A further 12 months was deducted for Sikalu’s early guilty pleas and cooperation with police, leaving a final sentence of 18 months.

Ten months of the sentence were suspended, meaning Sikalu must serve eight months, subject to any remission under the Prisons Act.

After his release, Sikalu must remain offence-free during the suspension period, be placed on probation, report to the probation office within 48 hours and complete a life-skills or other course directed by his probation officer.

The Court also ordered the rifle, ammunition and fireworks forfeited under the Customs and Excise Management Act.

The Tongan Government has rejected reports suggesting its delegation joined a mass walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, confirming a Tongan representative remained in the chamber.

The clarification follows widespread international coverage of the dramatic scenes at the UN General Assembly, where dozens of delegates left the chamber as Mr Netanyahu took the podium.

However, confusion emerged over exactly which countries participated in the protest.

An Israeli count subsequently identified 77 countries whose delegations were either absent from the chamber or left at the beginning of Mr Netanyahu’s address.

The published list included Tonga.

But Israeli officials themselves acknowledged that not all 77 countries had participated in the organised walkout. Some delegations were simply not present for the address, while others physically left the chamber in protest.

That distinction was central to Kaniva News’ decision to seek confirmation directly from the Tongan Government rather than report that Tonga had participated in the walkout.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Tonga’s position to Kaniva News this morning.

Elizabeth Kite, Communications and Engagement Advisor to the Prime Minister of Tonga, described claims that Tonga had walked out as false.

“We are unsure as to why anybody is believing these false claims of Tonga walking out when Israel delivered their statement, as this is a highly televised and public event which clearly shows — when watched — that Tonga was in fact one of the countries that remained seated,” Ms Kite told Kaniva News.

“This is available on UN Web TV, and many other platforms.

“Tonga did not walk out, and we had a representative present during Israel’s statement.”

Reports suggesting Tonga had joined the protest had also prompted strong reaction on social media, particularly among Tongan supporters of Israel.

International footage showed scores of delegates leaving the General Assembly chamber as Mr Netanyahu approached the podium, amid boos, cheers and calls from the General Assembly president for order.

The Israeli Prime Minister responded to those leaving by telling the assembly: “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t yet left this hall, please do so now.”

Tonga has previously sided with Israel and the United States in significant UN votes concerning Israel. In December 2025, Tonga was among just 12 countries that voted against a General Assembly resolution welcoming an International Court of Justice advisory opinion concerning Israel’s obligations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Former Prime Minister Dr ʻAisake Eke has rejected as “not true” Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua’s claim that failures by Eke’s former government to complete necessary land and contractual preparations contributed to delays in the multi-million-dollar Fangaʻuta Lagoon Bridge project.

The construction contract for the US$97 million project was signed by Eke’s government and McConnell Dowell Constructors Ltd in September 2025 at a ceremony presided over by the King. The project includes a 720-metre bridge across Fangaʻuta Lagoon and 2.1 kilometres of approach roads linking Nukuʻalofa with southern Tongatapu.

Eke told Kaniva News that all immediate requirements had been met and work continued until his government left office on 18 December.

“Fakafanua’s statement is not true,” Eke said.

Eke also rejected the suggestion that the delay began while he was still Prime Minister.

“The delay occurred after the new Prime Minister, Fakafanua, and his government took office,” Dr Eke alleged.

The former Prime Minister’s account directly challenges Lord Fakafanua’s recent public statements blaming the bridge construction delays, recently revealed by Kaniva News, on unresolved preparatory matters that he said were inherited from the previous administration.

Earlier this month, Lord Fakafanua also revealed that he had only recently learned of further land disputes affecting access to the bridge at Folaha and Longoteme. He said he had since resolved the issues through Zoom calls and social-media messaging with the affected landowners, most of whom lived overseas.

He said the necessary documents were now being sent to the affected landowners in Australia and New Zealand for their signatures.

Prime Minister Asked to Respond

Kaniva News has contacted Lord Fakafanua and put Dr Eke’s allegations directly to him, including Eke’s characterisation of the Prime Minister’s claim as not true, “’ikai ke mo’oni”. The Prime Minister has been asked to respond and provide evidence supporting his account of when the project entered delay and what caused it.

The conflicting accounts come after former Infrastructure Minister Sēmisi Sika told Kaniva News that the Government had incurred approximately TOP$7 million in what he described as penalties (tautea) during the six months from September 2025 to February 2026 because of the prolonged delay.

Sika said the TOP$7 million in delay-related costs incurred between September 2025 and February 2026 could continue to accumulate if construction of the bridge remained stalled, potentially adding another TOP$7 million by September 2026.

Lord Fakafanua later confirmed at a press conference that the Government had received McConnell Dowell’s claim for delay-related costs. However, he said the amount might be reduced through a value-engineering process aimed at lowering the cost of some construction materials.

It is now September 2026, but at his latest press conference this month, Lord Fakafanua did not clarify whether the construction had resumed or confirm whether any further delay-related costs had accrued.

The period Mr Sika identified began while Eke’s government was still in office. Eke’s government left office on 18 December 2025.

Eke Disputes Construction Halt

Eke, however, firmly disputes that construction had stopped during that period.

He claimed that, before Parliament approved the Government’s annual budget in June, Lord Fakafanua had already told the House that all land disputes affecting the project had been resolved.

Eke said that, during his tenure, the requirements that had to be met before the contract was signed were assessed by representatives of the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. He said they regularly visited Tonga to review the project’s progress and met with him and officials from the Ministries of Lands, Forestry and Agriculture, as well as the Attorney-General’s Office.

Eke said he chaired weekly meetings involving relevant government ministries, an ADB representative in Tonga, the contractor and the Project Management Unit to identify and resolve problems that could interfere with construction.

Some Land Issues Deferred

He said the project’s land requirements were divided into two categories: about nine properties needed for the immediate bridge works and others that could be addressed later.

However, he did not clarify whether these arrangements, including the agreement to resolve some land matters later, covered the properties that Lord Fakafanua now says are subject to disputes that have stalled construction.

Accordingly, Eke said in Tongan: “ʻI heʻene pehē, ne ʻosi maau e ngāue ia ke fakahoko, ʻa ia ʻoku hala ʻa e tukuakiʻi” kuo fai ʻe Fakafanua.

This translates as: The work was ready to proceed; therefore, Fakafanua’s allegation was incorrect.

Preparations Unfinished After Election

He acknowledged there had been an unresolved compensation issue involving property at ʻUmusī, where approximately TOP$10 million to TOP$12 million was being sought.

Eke said he personally met the person holding the power of attorney for the affected landowners and discussed the compensation demand. He maintained that an understanding was reached that negotiations over compensation could continue without preventing work on the bridge.

He said an agreement had been signed allowing bridge construction to proceed while final compensation negotiations continued, although no compensation had actually been paid to affected landowners before his government left office.

Eke also rejected a suggestion put to him by Kaniva News that, given Lord Fakafanua and Sika had referred to penalty charges dating back to September 2025, he should have been aware of any construction stoppage while he was Prime Minister.

“That claim is false. The work did not stop while we were still in government,” he said, adding that he only became aware of the reported delay during parliamentary debate on the 2026/27 Budget in June.

McConnell Dowell Made No Claim

He also said McConnell Dowell had not submitted a financial claim to his government for delays caused by any failure by the Government to meet its contractual obligations.

“There was no delay-related financial claim from the bridge contractor against the Government while we were in office,” Eke claimed.

He said that had he remained in government, the bridge project would not have encountered the problems it is now facing.

Kaniva News has also contacted McConnell Dowell for comment. A response is expected and will be published once received.

Sydney, Australia – A second man has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of Tongan-Australian man Alai Ahio during an alleged ambush at a Canley Heights home in May.

Ahio, 28, was among five men allegedly attacked at a house on Arbutus Street on May 19. He arrived at Liverpool Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound but died shortly afterwards, while four other men sought treatment for injuries at Liverpool and Fairfield hospitals.

NSW Police said detectives arrested the latest accused, a 37-year-old man, at Silverwater at about 10.40am on Tuesday following further investigations by Strike Force Valko.

The man, identified in Australian media as Mahmoud Atwa, was charged with murder, possessing or using a prohibited weapon without a permit, and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity.

He was remanded in custody and scheduled to appear before Bail Division Local Court on Wednesday.

Police said a 32-year-old man injured in the May attack was treated for a neck injury and remained in a serious but stable condition at the time.

Two other men, aged 23 and 22, presented at Fairfield Hospital in serious condition, while a 19-year-old man later arrived at Liverpool Hospital with an arm injury.

A 23-year-old man, identified in court reporting as Rishi Prakash, was arrested at Sydney International Airport in July and charged with murder and two counts of possessing an unauthorised pistol. He remains before the courts.

Australian media have described Ahio as a former associate of the Sydney drill-rap group OneFour. There is no suggestion that the group or the other victims were involved in the alleged attack.

Police said investigations into the shooting under Strike Force Valko were continuing. The National Tribune