MP Piveni Piukala was suspended from Parliament for a day after he was involved in a heated debate with the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Whole House Committee this morning.
Paula Piveni Piukala
Piukala had accused the government of falsifying the annual budget, and when the Prime Minister asked him to point out the specific pages that contained the alleged falsification, Piukala refused to do so and instead demanded more time to explain.
The Chairman Lord Tu’ilakepa allowed Piukala to speak, but he continued to be disruptive and refused to comply.
Piukala argued that the constitution stipulates that it was the duties of the MPs to check and scrutinise the budget.
“The king and the people are listening and waiting for us”, he said in Tongan.
Another MP, Johnny Taione, intervened and asked the Chairman to stop Piukala, but Piukala challenged Taione to a fight.
The Chairman then ordered the House security to remove Piukala from Parliament.
Lord Tu’ilakepa said if he submitted a formal report to the House on Piukala’s “inappropriate behaviour” he could be suspended for 14 days. Lord Tu’ilakepa said he decided to suspend him for just one day instead.
The incident highlights the tensions that exist in Tongan politics, and it raises questions about the role of Parliament in holding the government accountable.
Fisi’itiutina Fine’isaloi, the operator of the Fale Koloa Famili Tonga USA Trading store at Haveluloto, has been reportedly charged for selling medication without a licence.
The charges came after Police officers, together with inspectors from the Ministry of Health, raided the premise and confiscated the medication last month.
The company, which is based in Utah, Salt Lake City, claimed on Facebook that its goods being regularly shipped from the Unites States to Nuku’alofa are of “top quality” and prices were considerate.
It said thousands of customers shopped from their store.
However, the Ministry of Health said that the medication that was confiscated was sold without a license.
Fine’isaloi is due to appear in court soon.
It is illegal to sell medication without a licence in Tonga.
The Therapeutic Acts says “Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of this Act could face a fine not exceeding $2,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both; and in the case of a continuing offence, to a fine not exceeding $100 for every day or part of a day during which the offence has continued”.
The Pharmacy Acts states that only registered pharmacists are allowed to sell medication.
“Any person who fails to comply could face a fine not exceeding $1,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or both; and in the case of a continuing offence, to a fine not exceeding $100 for every day or part of a day during which the offence has continued.
The General Manager of the Vanuatu National Provident Fund (VNPF) Parmod Achary has resigned, a week after his guilty verdict was announced.
Parmod Achary
Achary was found guilty of five counts of indecency without consent and five counts of breach of the Leadership Code Act.
He pleaded not guilty in the trial, but the Supreme Court found him guilty of all charges.
Achary resigned ahead of a decision from the Fund’s board.
He confirmed his resignation to the Daily Post.
“I resigned to protect the name of the institution. The institution is more important to me than myself.
“I have worked very hard to build the institution since I came to Vanuatu,” he told the newspaper.
Achary initially resisted a request by the Finance Minister to quit.
He said he changed his mind and decided to step down following public pressure.
The minister responsible for VNPF John Salong said Achary resigning was the right thing to do.
“It is his personal behaviour that does not qualify him to be a leader and it is only proper that he resign. He knows the right thing to do is to resign,” he said.
Salong said the board has taken the decision to seek two independent legal advices regarding the general manager’s contract to avoid going to court for lawsuits.
Regarding his performance, Salong said a lot of good initiatives have been accomplished under Achary’s leadership.
He said a new replacement will be hired in the coming days.
The VNPF Board appointed Achary to lead the organisation in September 2017. He was reappointed in September 2020 for four more years.
According to the Daily Post, Achary is on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on August 2 for sentencing.
Dozens gathered Sunday at a prayer vigil in Nuku’alofa to honour and mourn the man who died on Monday.
As Kaniva News reported earlier this week, Litili Kaufusi, 39, died in a car accident after suffering a medical emergency while driving on Taufa’āhau road.
Litili ‘Ofanoa Jr Kaufusi. Photo/Supplied
Authorities were called to the scene of a road accident following reports a car had crashed onto another vehicle near the Basilica of St Anthony Padua.
The deceased was with a passenger in the car at the time of the accident, Police said.
It appeared the passenger was unharmed.
The cause of Kaufusi’s medical emergency is not yet known.
The vigil was organized by the Tonga High School Ex-Students Association 1998.
In a Facebook post, the association said that Kaufusi was a “loyal and dedicated” student and that he will be “remembered most fondly” by his classmates.
Kaufusi’s death is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time, it said.
His death came as a shock to his friends and family, especially as he was actively participating in activities preparing for the school’s 75th jubilee next month.
The prayer vigil was held at Vaiola hospital’s morgue.
A man suffering a “medical event” died yesterday after being arrested by police for trying to open the doors of cars stopped at a busy Central Auckland intersection.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has been notified, and police will make enquiries into the death on behalf of the coroner, a police spokesperson said.
Police said officers were called to the incident at 5.45pm yesterday with “reports of a van parked in the middle of the intersection of Mt Albert Road and Dominion Road.
“Callers also advised that a man was walking on the road and had been attempting to open the doors of cars stopped at the intersection,” police said.
“Police located the man on Dominion Road a short time later and took him into custody for unlawful interference with a vehicle.”
A police spokesperson said officers took the man to Auckland District Custody Unit “however, on arrival, officers became concerned for the man’s welfare as he appeared to be suffering a medical event.
“Officers immediately transported the man to hospital,” police said.
“Sadly, he passed away a short time later.
“Our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.”
An online fund raising set up to offer support to the family of the father and his son who died in a crash in Sacramento has raised more than $4000 so far.
(L-R): Taniela Kata, Heneli Kata and Mo’ui Kata
Taniela Kata and his son Henelī Kata died following a vehicle crash in a Californian high way about a week ago.
It can be revealed now that four of the family were in the vehicle and two other sons had survived the crash unharmed.
Taniela died in hospital about three days before the family decided to remove Heneli out of the ventilator few days later.
A GoFundMe page set up by Mo’ui Kata, the wife of Taniela and mother of Heneli says the pair had passed away and their funeral will be held next week.
The Kaniva news has not been able to verify whether the page is genuine.
The online fundraiser was launched on Thursday with the goal of raising US$30,000.
The victims “had gotten into a horrible accident“”, the text on the page, which apparently come from Taniela’s wife, Mo’ui Kata, read.
It also said: “My husband and our three sons were driving back home. On their way home they had gotten into a horrible accident. Two of the sons made it out fine. As for my husband and one of our sons, they were both injured. Sadly they had passed away and is in a better place now. Their Funeral would be held Next Week and Any donations for our family would be very helpful. Thank you for the love and support towards my family!”
It is understood the victims, from Tonga’s Houma village, Tongatapu main island, lived in Oakland, California and were heading back from Salt Lake City when the crash occurred.
The United Nations says it was unaware of any sexual harassment allegations against its Fiji multi-country office resident coordinator Sanaka Samarasinha from his previous role as the head of UN Belarus prior to being posted to Suva.
Sanaka Samarasinha has been placed on administrative leave since May 10. Photo: UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji
However, the UN confirmed it did receive a complaint against Samarasinha in 2021 about his time in Belarus that was “investigated and closed”.
On May 26, two weeks after Samarasinha was placed on administrative leave after the UN office in Fiji received “unsatisfactory conduct complaints” against him, Euroradio published a report alleging the top UN Pacific executive was suspected of sexual harassment nine years ago.
According to Euroradio, the allegation was that Samarasinha, as the UN Belarus resident coordinator in 2014, attempted to establish an informal relationship with a woman who was looking for a job at the UN in Belarus.
“We can confirm that before Samarasinha was posted as resident coordinator (RC) in Fiji, the UN was not aware of any allegations of sexual harassment made against him in his capacity as RC in Belarus from 2013-2018,” UN coordination office communications and results reporting chief Carolina Azevedo told RNZ Pacific.
But Azevedo confirmed the UN had received a complaint against him two years ago concerning his time in Belarus.
“In 2021, the UN received a complaint regarding his tenure in Belarus, which was investigated and closed,” Azevedo said.
No further details were provided on the nature of the complaint or the outcome.
RNZ Pacific has contacted Samarasinha for comment regarding the Belarus allegations but has not received a response.
When RNZ put the Fiji allegations to Samarasinha, he said he was “deeply disturbed” by the “extremely serious and damaging allegations” and referred all questions to the UN office.
Investigation ongoing
The current investigations – which began six weeks ago – are still ongoing, Azevedo said.
“These are standard global practices of the UN’s independent investigation mechanism, following the receipt of allegations of any type of misconduct,” she said.
“During this period, the independent investigators will be speaking to staff members as part of their regular investigative procedures.”
She said while the investigation was ongoing, the process was confidential.
“Therefore, we cannot comment on the ongoing investigation, nor can we predict its timeframe and outcome.”
Azevedo said the UN now has a standard practice when dealing with complaints relating to sexual harassment or sexual exploitation.
“Any UN personnel against whom an allegation of sexual harassment or sexual exploitation and abuse has been investigated and substantiated, or who have resigned prior to the conclusion of an investigation, are included in a centralised database to prevent re-employment across the UN system,” she added.
Asked why there was a lack of transparency by the UN around the investigations, Azevedo said: “The accountability process is subject to the UN’s internal legal framework, which provides procedural fairness right.”
COMMENTARY: The resignation of Immigration Minister Michael Wood has left the Tongan community in New Zealand uncertain about the future of a long looked-for amnesty for overstayers.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood this week confirmed he had sent a letter of expectations to the agency’s chief executive “setting out the Government’s expectation that these sorts of deportations should only occur in extremis – in circumstances that absolutely require it”. Photo/Supplied
Wood said during a meeting with the Tongan community in South Auckland last month that the government was considering an amnesty, but he could not say when a decision would be made.
But with an election looming, now advocates of an amnesty do not know what will happen.
Pacific community leaders and migrant groups and NGOs have long been advocating for an amnesty.
The Green Party has long called for an amnesty programme for people who have overstayed their visa and for temporary visa holders to be granted residency.
New Zealand has not had an amnesty scheme in place since 2000, when 7000 people were able to apply for residency if they were “well-settled.” There are currently an estimated 14,000 overstayers in New Zealand.
Overstayers from the Pacific Islanders were particularly vulnerable during the Covid-19 epidemic and many RSE workers were trapped for a long time.
In 2020 the Pacific Leadership Forum identified families of overstayers as being vulnerable during the COVID-19 lockdown. They petitioned Parliament for an amnesty so that overstayers could receive the full range of support from the government.
“Let us show sympathy and compassion to our most vulnerable, our overstayers,” the petition said.
The petition attracted 11,119 signatures and the Petitions Committee recommended that Parliament take note of it. In February this year – three after the petition was submitted – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he would look at it.
Tongan community representative Pakilau Manase Lua told RNZ recently some Tongans still had nothing to go home to after the volcanic eruption which devastated their country last year.
He said people were terrified they would be deported.
“They might have been here during the lockdowns and they couldn’t go back,” Lua told the national broadcaster.
“Or they were here on a temporary visa and it was difficult to go back due to the eruption so these people are probably wanting to find a better life, and what better place than Aotearoa New Zealand.”
“These are people who are often already working,” Lua said.
Overstayers were contributing to the economy, but were not eligible for benefits, he said.
Action needed
There are only three months left until the national election in October and there have been no further announcements about the amnesty. Some people believe that the government is unlikely to offer an amnesty, as it would be unpopular with many New Zealanders.
Some Tongan community leaders have said the government should offer a limited amnesty, similar to the one that was offered in 2000 which allowed well-settled overstayers of about 7000 to apply for residency.
A group of Irish officials who visited New Zealand earlier this year said their country had initiated a programme to allow illegal migrants to gain full legal status.
The Herald reported that the amnesty scheme was available to adults who had lived in Ireland for four years and three years for children. Asylum seekers could apply after two years.
Why cannot we have something like this here?
About 2500 Tongan overstayers have been living in New Zealand for many years and have made a valuable contribution to the country. These are the blue collar workers who do work New Zealand is inviting many Pacific island people to come and do.
These overstayers are worried about their future and the future of their families. They deserve to know what the future holds. The government needs to provide clarity so that people can plan for their lives.
A 39-year-old man died after crashing his vehicle into another vehicle in Nuku’alofa on Monday morning, police said.
Lītili Kaufusi from Haveluloto, who was working for the Ministry of Health, was picking up a guest from the Nuku’alofa Hotel in central Nuku’alofa.
Litili Kaufusi
They were heading South on Taufa’ahau Road just passed the Basilica of St Anthony Padua when they unexpectedly hit another vehicle that was in front of them.
“The passenger noticed at this time that the driver’s body stiffened, causing him to step on the gas pedal and accelerate to a speed of 70 km per hour”, the police said.
“This caused the vehicle to climb on top of the runabout at the intersection of Taufa’ahau and Mateialona Roads and it swerved to the left side of the road where it scraped the back of two vehicles at the Lulutai Airline parking lot before it ran over a vendor tent next door then crashed onto an olive tree.
The deceased was rushed to the Vaiola hospital where he later passed away at around 10.40 am on the same morning.
“The doctor’s report is still pending, but it is believed that the driver’s health condition caused him to lose control of the vehicle, leading to the accident”, a Police statement said.
“This is the fifth road death in the Kingdom so far this year. Police are urging drivers to be aware of their health conditions and to pull over if they feel unwell while driving. They are also reminding drivers to obey the speed limit and to be careful when changing lanes”.
Mourners took to Facebook to offer tributes to Kaufusi.
“Fly high, I wish I could talk to you one more time. Life is so unfair, but you will forever live in our hearts,” read one message written by one of his USP university classmates.
“Fly high Litili you’ll always be in our thoughts and prayers.”
“We lost a beloved friend, brother, and son in a tragic accident yesterday,” it said.
