A local mainstream radio station in Tonga has complaint after Parliament reportedly canceled a much-anticipated live coverage session this morning.
The Kele’a Voice radio station Manager Teisa Pōhiva claimed all radio stations tasked with the Parliament’s live coverage had been cancelled.
However, there had been also unconfirmed reports on social media that the Parliament Live was aired on another AM radio station this morning.
The unexpected shutdown has confused many listeners who anticipated listening to the swearing-in of four new MPs on Kele’a Voice radio station, which was regularly shared on Facebook live.
Tonga Parliament
Concerned listeners took to Facebook just before midday to ask what was happening.
“Transparency in this country is a bloody joke”, the Kele’a Voice manager, Lawyer Teisa Pōhiva said.
Commenters on Facebook wanted answers from Parliament saying this was a highly awaited session for the people to listen to the first speeches by their MPs in the House.
The Parliament’s website said last week that the “Legislative Assembly will reconvene next Wednesday, November 23”.
It said the adjournment until further notice it previously announced was, “a decision reached during its last sitting on 1 November 2022”.
“The Hon. Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni sought the House’s approval for an adjournment to enable him and some Cabinet Ministers to accompany his Majesty King Tupou VI who led Tonga’s delegation to the COP 27 Egyptian meeting at Sharm-el-Sheikh”.
A new MP and Minister of Finance, Tiofilusi Tiueti was expected to be sworn in as well as three newly elected MPs Dulcie Tei, Māteni Tapueluelu and Piveni Piukala.
Tiueti was elected by Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku as Minister outside the Legislative Assembly to replace Tatafu Moeaki who had been unseated for bribery.
Financial authorities on both sides of the Tasman have warned people not to have anything to do with pyramid schemes, with Validus identified as a key concern.
Australia and New Zealand have warned people about joining Validus
The company, which was the subject of a Kaniva News expose in September, is described by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission as displaying the classic signs of a pyramid scheme which makes exorbitant and unrealistic promises to would be investors.
ASIC said Validus did not have an Australian Financial services license.
It said investors who have dealt with Validus should report it to their bank or other financial institution.
The Australian authority’s warnings have been echoed in New Zealand by the Commerce Commission, which said while it had not opened an investigation into Validus at the moment, it would continue to assess any information regarding Validus or any other suspected pyramid schemes.
Vanessa Horne, General Manager, Fair Trading, said anybody who became associated with a pyramid scheme should stop their involvement immediately.
“Do not encourage other people to join,” she said.
Under New Zealand laws, courts can fine individuals and companies up to $600,000 per offence if they are found guilty of breaching the provisions of the Fair Trading Act relating to pyramid schemes.
When we reported on Validus in September, we said that the New Zealand Financial Markets Authority had warned people not to trade or invest with the company.
The FMA said Validus was not registered as a financial service provider as required by the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008.
“We strongly recommend that investors do not trade or invest with entities that are not registered and/or licensed in New Zealand,” the FMA said.
As we reported at the time, the Tongan community had already been affected by scams, including pyramid schemes in which people have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Validus launched its operations with an event at the Trusts arena in West Auckland on August 5.
Validus went quiet after the FMA’s warning and Kaniva’s expose of their activities, but it appears the company is back with the same Tongan leaders and palagi representatives flying into Auckland from Australia.
They have held meetings and seminars and denied on Facebook that Validus was a scam. They invited people to join them for what they described as “an opportunity.”
Some promoters shared photos of what appeared to be an e-gift card and told their followers this was what they could get if they joined. One person promoted what she described as “Validus Active Wallets.” She praised a member who had eight accounts with Validus and received $2,337.65. The promoter said the member later had 24 accounts.
Promoters pushing the Validus scheme on social media appear to have become more cautious. In contrast with what they were saying before the FMA warning, they have now said there is no need for investors to register.
After the FMA warning and our expose, some Tongan promoters attacked Kaniva News, saying our report was malicious and an attempt to stop what had been created to help the Tongan people.
Some promoters changed their tactics and instead of claiming Validus would help people make money, began saying it was “an educational platform for cryptocurrencies trading not a financial advisor or investment company as clearly mentioned by its disclaimer.”
While it appears that the FMA warning affected Validus’s operations, it seems they are now determined to make a comeback after what they regard as a lack of further action by the Authority.
Pyramid schemes
Pyramid selling schemes are illegal in New Zealand. They make money by recruiting people rather than by selling goods or services and often mislead recruits about the likely financial returns.
Because the potential reward offered depends mainly on the recruitment of new people to pay into the scheme, many participants will always be at or near the base of the pyramid and will not achieve the promised return on their ‘investment’.
Members of the public need to be wary of joining schemes where the promotional materials contain testimonials of high earnings from people who are not easily identifiable (for example, “Since I joined this scheme I have made $100,000 without really trying,” RS of Auckland).
Similarly, where schemes make claims such as “this is not a get rich quick scheme” or “this scheme is legal”, the question needs to be asked – why is such a statement necessary? They may be intended to disguise the fact that the scheme is illegal or that the promotional material is misleading.
A Tongatapu woman was given a suspended sentence for injuring her husband by pouring boiling water on him.
The court was told the wife was angry after she learned the husband was having an extramarital affair with another woman.
Tonga Supreme Court
The wife also had an extramarital affair with another man while her husband was away overseas on a seasonal worker programme.
Angelina Davo Latu, 24, was upset when she found out about a conversation between her husband and his lover.
On May, 18, 2022, they had an argument about the victim’s affair before she and their children left their home.
Lātū believed the husband’s lover “was saying that the victim had told her the baby the defendant was carrying was not the victim’s”, a court judgement read.
Latu confronted her husband about it “but he kept lying and that’s when she poured the hot water into a jug and took into the bedroom and poured on the victim’s right upper thigh area”.
The court was told that at around 6am the day after their argument Lātū returned to the home and after a further argument about the whereabouts of the victim ‘s phone, Lātū walked out of their bedroom. She returned with the jug of boiling water.
“When the victim tried to take the jug from her, she poured it on the victim’s thigh and groin area.
“He suffered first and second degree burns to both his inner thighs and right groin with multiple large blisters in that area. About 4% of his total body was burned”.
Seasonal worker programme
The court heard that while the victim was overseas, the defendant conducted an extra marital affair and had borne a child as a result.
When the victim returned from overseas, he embarked on an affair of his own adding more trouble to an already fragile relationship.
At the time of the offending the defendant was six-month pregnant with the couple’s third child.
The Supreme Court judge convicted Lātū for causing serious bodily harm and was sentenced to one year imprisonment to be fully suspended, for a period of one year and six months on the following conditions, the defendant is to:
(a) not commit any offence punishable by imprisonment;
(b) reside where directed by her probation officer; and
(c) complete an anger management course under the direction of her probation officer. 19.
Failure to comply with any of those conditions may result in the suspension being rescinded, in which case, the Defendant will be required to serve her sentence in prison.
Dr Ayyadurai is not a medical doctor and his claims about how Covid-19 can be treated have been shown to be wrong by senior medical specialists and researchers.
Here is what the Harvard Medical School says about vitamins:
“Clinical trials have explored the possibility that supplements may be effective. And, unfortunately, most of the evidence is unconvincing.
For example, a few observational studies link lower blood vitamin levels with a higher risk of testing positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, but studies like these cannot prove that vitamin D protects people against infection. A randomised controlled study of people with moderate to severe COVID-19 who received a high dose of vitamin D showed no benefit.
Similarly, a 2021 study of zinc and vitamin C demonstrated no benefit for people with mild COVID-19. In this study, people whose symptoms did not require hospital admission were randomly assigned to receive doses of Vitamin C and/or zinc.
The researchers found that people receiving the supplements, whether individually or combined, had no improvement in symptoms or a faster recovery when compared with otherwise similar patients receiving neither supplement.”
Here is what Pharmac in New Zealand said about hydroxychloroquine in 2020: It’s great for treating active rheumatoid arthritis, systemic and discoid lupus erythematosus and malaria treatment and suppression. Pharmac cited the World Health Organisation as saying that hydroxychloroquine had not demonstrated an overall benefit in the treatment of COVID-19.
“Using hydroxychloroquine for prevention had little or no effect on preventing illness, hospitalization or death from COVID-19. Taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 may increase the risk of diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, drowsiness and headache.”
In other words, Dr Ayyadurai’s claims have long ago been debunked.
However, the video is still being shared by most Tongan anti-Covid 19 and conspiracy theorists. Some of them have tried to oppose Kaniva News’ articles about Covid disease, Covid vaccine and the disease’s existence.
From the outset of the pandemic, Kaniva has attempted to educate our Tongan anti-Covid and conspiracy theorists about why their fears are groundless. Failure to do some background checks on the evidence and the more irresponsible claims means that they fail to understand that most of the claims made by people like Dr Ayyadurai are widely disputed and unfounded.
The claims about treatment are among the most rational claims made on the video. In the video Dr Ayyadurai claimed there was a giant global conspiracy to make everybody have a chip, destroy the American economy, and make everybody the slave of a network of powerful figures including the Chinese Communist Party, Bill Gates, the Clintons and the United Nations.
Ayyadurai was briefly linked to disgraced American President Donald Trump and tried to have Dr Anthony Fauci, who led the US government’s fight against Covid-19, fired for advocating social distancing, vaccinations and masking.
None of Dr Ayyadurai’s claims have come true since he made them two years ago, so it is a fair bet that he was wrong about everything else.
Get vaccinated
Kaniva News believes that the only way to stay safe from Covid-19, especially with the danger of a third wave of infections, is to get immunised. Make sure you keep your booster shots up to date and make sure your family are all vaccinated.
Everyone in New Zealand aged five years or over can get a free COVID-19 vaccination. It does not matter what your visa or citizenship status is. Children under five cannot get vaccinated for COVID-19. You can find out how to get vaccinated here: https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19-vaccines/get-your-covid-19-vaccination/
‘Oku kei vilohi takai hono ‘e he kau ‘enitivesa pe taaufehi’a ki he huhu malu’i Tonga ‘a e fo’i vitiō kuo ta’u ‘e ua hono motu’a pea kuo fuoloa fau hano fakahalakai ‘a e ngaahi fa’ufa’u ta’emo’oni ‘oku tuku mai ai’.
Ko e vitiō ko eni ‘oku ‘asi ai ‘a e tangata ‘Initia fanau’i ‘i ‘Amelika ko Dr Shiva Ayyadurai, mo ‘ene taukave ‘e lava faito’o’aki e Koviti19 ‘a e hydroxychloroquine mo e vaitamini.
‘Oku ‘ikai ko ha toketā metikolo ‘a Dr Ayyadurai pea ko ‘ene taukave’ kau ki he Koviti 19 kuo ‘osi fakahalaki ia ‘e ha kau sipesialisi mo liseesa mā’olunga.
Ko e lau ‘eni ‘a e ako’anga fakafaito’o ‘a e Harvard ki he vaitamini:
“Kuo ‘ilo ‘i he ngaahi tulaila fakakilīniki ko e faingamālie ke tokoni ‘a e vaitamini pe saplimeni’ ki he ‘e ala ‘i ai hano ola. Pea, me’apango, ko e lahi taha ‘o e ngaahi fakamo’oni ‘oku ‘ikai mālohi fe’unga”.
Hangē ko ‘eni, ko e ngaahi sitati lahi ‘oku ‘ilo ai ko e si’i ‘a e levolo ‘o e toto’ ‘i he vaitamini, oku ne fakatupu ‘e ia ‘a e fakatu’utamaki ke ma’u ai kita ‘e he vailahi ‘oku ne fakatupu ‘a e Koviti 19. Na’e ‘i ai ha sitati pe fakatotolo ‘o ha kakai ne ma’u kinautolu ‘e he Koviti ka ne ‘ikai fu’u totu’a, pea ne huhu kia kinautolu ha ha faito’o ne lahi’aupito ai ‘a e vaitamini D, ka ne ‘ikai hano ola lelei taha.
Me’a tatau pe ‘i he 2021 ne ‘i ai ha sitati ne fai ki he zinc mo e vaitamini C fakamo’oni’i ai ‘a e ‘ikai ha lelei ‘e ma’u ‘e he kakai ne ma’u kinautolu ‘e he Koviti ‘i ha tu’unga vaivai pe, pea ne ‘oange ‘a e faito’o vaitamini Cmo e zinc ke faito’o’aki kinautolu ka ne ‘ikai hano ola.
Ko e lau ‘eni ‘a e Pharmac ‘i Nu’u Sila ki he hydroxychloroquine ‘i he 2020. ‘Oku sai ia ki hono faito’o ‘o e rheumatoid arthritis, systemic mo e discoid lupus erythematosus mo e malēlia. Pehe ‘e he Pharmac ne pehē ‘e he World Health Organisation ‘oku te’eki lava fakapapau’i ‘oku faito’o ‘e he Koviti 19.
‘Oku si’i pe pe ‘ikai hano ola hano malu’i ‘e he hydroxychloroquine ‘a e puke pe tokoto fale mahaki pe mate mei he Koviti 19. Ko hono faka’aonga’i ‘o e hydroxychloroquine ke ta’ofi ‘a e Koviti 19 ‘e lava ke ne fakatupu ‘e ia ‘a e fakalele, tokotokakovi’ia, mamahi e kete ninimo mo e langa’ulu.
I hono fakalea ‘e taha, ko e lau ‘a Dr Ayyadurai kuo fuoloa hono fakae’a ‘ene hala mo ‘ene ta’emo’oni.
Ka neongo ia, ko e vitiō ia ko eni ‘oku kei vilo holo pe ia ‘o tui ki ai ‘a e kakai Tonga ‘e ni’ihi ‘oku nau pipiki ki he takihala ‘a e toketaa’ ni. Kau ai mo e fa’ahinga nau fakafepaki’i ‘a e ngaahi ongoongo ‘a e Kaniva kau ki he mooni ‘o e Koviti pea mo e lelei ‘o e faito’o huhu malu’i, tu’unga pe ‘i he’enau tui ki he fakamatala hala ‘a Dr Ayyadurai.
Talu pe mei he kamata ‘a e panatemiki mo e feinga ‘a e Kaniva ke ako’i ‘a e kakai Tonga ‘enitīkoviti’ mo teolikonisipiulasī ke mahino ‘oku ‘ikai ha ‘uhinga lelei ‘enau hoha’a’. Ikai ke nau fekumi ke ma’u ‘a e fakamatala falala’anga kau ki he Koviti mo e huhu malu’i pea ko e me’a leva ‘oku hoko ko ‘enau fa’u fakamatala hala hange ko e Dr Ayyadurai.
Ko e ngaahi taukave hala kau ki he faito’o ‘oku kau ia ‘i he ngaahi ma’uhala ‘oku ‘asi he vitioo’ ni. ‘Oku pehe ‘e Dr Ayyadurai he vitioo’ kuo ‘i ai ha fa’ufa’u kovi ke ma’u ‘e he taha kotoa ha ki’i chip fakakomipiuta, faka’auha ‘a e ‘ekonomika ‘a ‘Amelika, pea ke ngāue pōpula ‘a e taha kotoa ki he kakai mālohi fau kau ai ‘a e Paati Kominiusi ‘a e Pule’anga Siaina, Bill Gates, Clintons mo e Pule’anga Fakatahataha.
Ne lave foki ‘a Ayyadurai ki he palesiteni kuo tō ‘a ‘Amelika ko President Donald Trump toe feinga ke tuli ‘a r Anthony Faucci mei he’ene poupou’i ‘a e tauhi e va mama’o, huhu malu’i mo e tui ‘a e masks.
Hala ‘atā ke mo’oni ha fo’i taukave ‘a Ayyadurai talu mei he ta’u ‘e ua kuohili’ mahino ai ‘oku ne hala ‘i ha toe me’a pe.
‘O ‘o huhu malu’i:
‘Oku tui ‘a e Kaniva ko e founga pe ki he malum o hao mei he Koviti-19 ko e ō ‘o huhu malu’i. Fakapapau’i ‘oku fakahoko ‘a ho ngaahi huhu pusitaa’ pea m oho famili ke huhu malu’i foki.
Oku ‘ata ke huhu malu’i ‘a e taha kotoa ‘i Nu’u Sila ‘oku ta’u nima pe ‘ova ai pea ‘oku ma’u ta’etotongi pe ‘a honau huhu malu’i. ‘Oku tatau ai pe pe ko e ha ‘a ho’o visa. ‘Oku te’eki ‘atā ke huhu malu’i ‘a kinautolu ‘i lalo he ta’u nima’.
A man has died following an apparent hit-and-run on a notorious road south of Tongatapu.
The incident happened this morning in Nualei.
Ambulance Tonga / Kaniva Tonga
Photos and screenshots shared on Facebook this morning showed what appeared to be a report of the incident by a brother of the deceased.
One screenshot alleged the driver left the crash scene without helping the victim.
A photo also showed what appeared to be a devastated woman hugging the deceased who was lying in a bed covered in blood.
The report said the victim was rushed to Vaiola hospital by another vehicle. A livestreamed video showed some people picking up what appeared to be a body on the road before placing it into the back of a van.
Police in Tonga have yet to make a statement.
It is estimated that about 10 people had been reportedly killed in the last 10 years on this notorious section of the Taufa’āhau main road.
This morning’s hit-and-run death brings the road toll for 2022 to 13.
The news came after two people died in the early morning of September 21 on the road. In that fatality, the deceased were the driver, a 28-year-old man from Veitongo, and a passenger a 19-year-old woman from Pātangata.
A long-awaited survey of Covid-19 infections has been delayed until next year.
In a statement, the deputy director of health Andrew Old admitted to RNZ the work “has taken longer than expected”.
The ministry had originally planned to launch two surveys after the March peak of cases. An infection survey would randomly sample people to assess the prevalence of Covid-19 in the community.
The second survey, a seroprevalence survey, would assess the number of people with antibodies to Covid-19 from infection, vaccination, or a combination of both.
Former director-general of public health Ashley Bloomfield said in July he expected the surveys to start shortly.
At the time, he said the infection survey would be run over a six-month period and test 1000 people a week. The second survey would be a blood test.
“Both are well developed and nearly ready to start rolling out in the next few weeks.”
But Old today told RNZ the survey is now delayed again from the final quarter of this year until 2023. A second phase is not expected to start until July, a full year after it was initially expected to launch.
Old said the survey had taken longer to implement because of the “Covid-19 and winter illness surge on our health sector, as well as the resetting of roles and responsibilities, governance, priorities and budgets prompted by the health sector reforms.”
This had a greater impact on the survey than expected, he said.
New Zealand relies on people reporting infections, and on wastewater testing to assess the spread of Covid-19 in communities. Recent wastewater results have suggested only 35 percent of cases are reported.
The United Kingdom has had a prevalence survey in place since 2020.
Old said the surveys are helpful studies, “but not critical to our response”.
Part of the delay was caused by an additional stage to the survey being added. “This additional stage has a strong Maori and Pasifika component, which has been shaped in consultation with our sector partners, and will further enhance understanding of the impact of Covid-19 on specific communities and inform the ongoing public health response.”
In August, University of Auckland Covid-19 modeller Dr Dion O’Neale said prevalence surveys were one of the best ways to get an estimate of the true number of infections in a community.
The All Blacks and England have drawn 25-25 in New Zealand’s final Test of the year at Twickenham this morning.
The All Blacks blew a 19-point lead in the final 10 minutes of their season, leaving them to settle for the draw.
In a penalty-ridden game, the All Blacks made the best possible start to the Test with two unanswered tries to Dalton Papali’i and Codie Taylor in the first 10 minutes and never let go of the lead until the final minute of the game.
Despite regular attacks on the New Zealand line, England were unable to cross for a try until the final 10 minutes of the game, but then scored three tries to level the scores.
All Blacks first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga takes on England’s defence during the 25-25 draw at Twickenham. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand led 17-3 at half-time, with Reiko Ioane scoring their third try in the 50th minute.
A drop goal from Beuden Barrett with 10 minutes to go appeared to seal the victory for the visitors with a 25-6 lead, but England immediately hit back with their first try in the 71st minute, before Freddie Steward scored again two minutes later.
The All Blacks were also forced to play the final minutes of the game with 14 players after Barrett was yellow-carded for a professional foul while trying to prevent England’s first try, and the hosts crossed the line with a minute to go to secure the draw.
Earlier today, Georgia recorded the greatest moment in their rugby history, landing a penalty in the final minutes to stun Wales 13-12 in Cardiff. Scotland also beat a 14-man Argentina 52-29, while South Africa overwhelmed Italy 63-21.
Toa Samoa scored two tries in the Rugby League World Cup final in Manchester this morning, but were unable to stop a dominant Australian side from winning the title.
Samoa’s Jaydn Su’a (R) tackles Australia’s Nathan Cleary during the Rugby League World Cup Men’s final between Australia and Samoa at Old Trafford stadium. Photo: AFP / Oli Scarff
After leading 14-0 at half-time, Australia went on to win 30-10.
Samoa were the first Pacific Island team to reach the final in the tournament’s history, but after a solid start they were no match for Australia, as the holders ran in six tries on their way to yet another World Cup crown.
Australia have now won nine titles from the last 10 Rugby League World Cups.
Two early tries from Latrell Mitchell and James Tedesco set Australia on course to continue their domination of the competition.
Liam Martin’s third try of the tournament, after a sustained spell of Samoa pressure, gave the holders a 14-0 lead which they held until the break, before another converted try from Cameron Murray in the second half put Australia in total control.
To their credit, the Samoans did not give up and nearly brought the house down when Brian To’o deservedly got them on the scoresheet with a well-worked try, getting fans dreaming of a remarkable comeback.
The Kangaroos quickly dashed any such hopes with another try, a second of the game from Tedesco, before Samoa did have one more memory to take home from a memorable tournament as Stephen Crichton intercepted the ball and crossed the line.
Mitchell had the final say for the brilliant Kangaroos with another fine try in the final minute, ensuring that since 1972 Australia have only returned from one World Cup without the trophy in their hands.
The king of Tonga hopes a centre for diabetes in the United Arab Emirates will one day deliver its services in Tonga.
According to current World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, 19.1 percent of males and 24.5 percent of females in Tonga have diabetes. The figures are matched by much higher levels of obesity, a situation which has led Tonga to be christened “the diabetes heavyweight of the Pacific.”
King hopes that his people could one day access such services in the Kingdom of Tonga
“Tonga is on the heavier end of the obesity statistics for the Pacific Islands with 69 percent of the adult population being obese”.
King Tupou VI was at the United Arab Emirates this week and he was given an opportunity to visit the Imperial College London Diabetics Centre (ICLDC) in Abu Dhabi.
A statement from the Palace Office in Tonga said: “His Majesty King Tupou VI wanted “to ascertain the potential of a partnership in addressing Non-Communicable Diseases in particular diabetes and its related illnesses”.
The king was welcomed by Dr. Nicolas Richards, the Executive Director of the Centre together with his senior staff team.
The Centre is the first healthcare facility established by Mubadala Investment Company in partnership with Imperial College London in 2006.
It has treated more than 100,000 patients and is a state-of-the-art outpatient facility that specialises in diabetes treatment, research, training and public health awareness”.
“Imperial College London (ICL) is a leading science-based university with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Mubadala’s partnership with ICL brings best-in-class expertise in diabetes care to the region, where the condition is among the region’s most critical healthcare issues”.
“The Centre implements Robust Process Improvement (RPI) concepts and methodology in designing and updating clinical and managerial processes with an emphasis on quality of care as well as patient safety and satisfaction”.
The Palace Office said His Majesty “shared his hope that his people could one day access such services in the Kingdom of Tonga”.
Deputy Director-General of the Public Health Agency Dr Andrew Old said current modelling indicated cases could rise to a peak similar to that seen in July – between 10,000 and 11,000 cases per day.
He encouraged people to ensure they were up to date with their vaccinations, stay home if they were symptomatic, test if unwell and to open doors and windows as much as possible if they were entertaining over the summer months.
Old said there was also “good evidence that mask use reduces transmission”.
The ministry would be publishing a “summer checklist” to help people prepare, he said.
New Zealand remained in a “strong position” to manage the ongoing Covid-19 cases but Old cautioned: “We’re not out of the Covid woods yet”.
