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Tongan nobleman’s son arrested after major drug raid links to another nobleman’s son’s home

By
Kaniva Staff
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A number of police drug raids in Tongatapu have resulted in arrests which link to two sons of two of the king’s nobles.

Nuku’alofa Central Police station. Photo/Kaniva Tonga News

One son has been reportedly arrested while the other son’s home was allegedly at the centre of a raid in which police officers from the drugs enforcement unit arrested some people in relation to illicit drugs.

Police have this evening confirmed to Kaniva News the drug raids and the arrests of a number of people in various places in Tongatapu.

When provided with the identities of the noblemen’s sons Police did not deny it and said they will update their investigation tomorrow.

Kaniva News cannot identify the noblemen’s sons at this stage due to legal reasons.

The news came after recent reports said that the methamphetamine epidemic has reached all levels of society in Tonga.

“There are reports of drug use and dealing among church ministers, civil servants, politicians, traditional leaders and even police”.

This was not the first time members of the nobility were involved in drug dealing allegations.

In 2013 the Crown withdrew two of the illicit drug charges against former Speaker and Cabinet Minister Lord Tu’ilakepa due to insufficient evidence – two years after the noble was first charged in December 2010.

Tu’ilakepa’s charges came after Australian police said the noble was allegedly bribed by an international crime syndicate headed by Colombians as part of a plot to import tonnes of cocaine into Australia.

It was reported that an Australian Federal Police-led inquiry, Operation Stair, uncovered a global trafficking operation that allegedly used yachts to sail cocaine from South America to Tonga.

In 2019 Princess Pilolevu Tuita’s son-in-law Sione Filipe was arrested and charged in relation to the seizure of 242 grams of cannabis seeds brought into Tonga, at Fua’amotu International Airport.

He was also charged with drug offences for the second time after three months from his airport drug arrest. He was also accused of bribing a police officer.

Princess Pilolevu’s another son-in-law ‘Epeli Taione was convicted and received an imprisonment suspended sentence after he was charged with possession of illicit drugs.

Covid-19 update: 34 new community cases, 4 new cases of Omicron in MIQ

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

There are 34 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.

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File photo. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Of today’s new cases in the community, 21 are in Auckland, seven in the Waikato, two in the Bay of Plenty, three in Lakes and one in Canterbury.

There are 10 new cases at the border.

New Zealand has now had a total of 49 cases of Omicron.

There are 41 people in hospital, including eight in ICU or HDU.

Hawke’s Bay is set to become the 12th DHB area to have 90 percent of its eligible population fully vaccinated. The region is only 192 second doses short of this milestone.

More to come…

Tongan wife still in coma from COVID in US; never knows her husband dies and will be buried next week

By
Kaniva Staff
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A Tongan wife who is still fighting for her life in a Portland hospital in Oregon has no idea her husband has died and her family were preparing to bury him next week.

Losa ‘Ete’aki (L), Siaki ‘Ete’aki

Losa ‘Ete’aki was still being kept in a medically-induced coma after she suffered from the deadly coronavirus.

While still in hospital, the father of their three children posted on Facebook asking for prayers for her saying she was being diagnosed with Covid-19. He died the following day.

Siaki ‘Ete’aki, 50, died in his sleep on December 18, a brother told Kaniva News, saying he believed Siaki was overly stressed by his wife’s Covid conditions.

The family was expected to bury Siaki’s body on Wednesday next week.

An announcement on Facebook about Siaki’s death said his wake was scheduled for next week on Wednesday 28 (Pacific Standard Time) at 6801 SW Sunset HWY, Portland Oregon 97203.

It said after the wake the family will proceed with his burial services.

Siaki was a staunch supporter of the Tongan PTOA Global group based in the US which missions included pushing for more democratisation processes since Tonga’s democratic reforms of 2010.

Pacific Islanders in the US including Tongans have more than triple the rate of coronavirus cases in their communities than any other race in Oregon.

A report by Oregon Live said: “The Oregon Health Authority reported July 8 that there are 189.6 cases of coronavirus per 10,000 Pacific Islanders. The next highest rate in Oregon is 54.7 cases per 10,000 Black people, and white people have 12 cases per 10,000 people”.

Victim of Mt Roskill shooting named, offenders still on the run

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

The man who was fatally shot at a property in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill on Thursday night has been named.

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Police at the scene of the shooting in Mt Roskill on Friday. Photo: RNZ / Jean Bell

He was Brian James, aged 23, of Auckland.

Police say a post mortem has been completed and James’ body is now back with his whānau.

They launched a homicide investigation after James was shot dead at an address on Glass Rd about 9.30pm.

Two offenders, one armed with a firearm and one with a machete entered the house, occupied by four people at the time.

An altercation then took place, during which the victim was shot dead.

Two other people – a man in his 30s and a man in his 50s – received serious injuries to their arms from the machete and were taken to hospital, where they remain in a stable condition.

The fourth person was not injured.

The offenders fled the scene and are still on the run.

Police are still trying to find them as their examination of the scene and an area canvas continue.

“A key focus for us is understanding exactly why our three victims were targeted,” said Detective Inspector Scott Beard who is heading the investigation.

“The evidence to date indicates the two offenders, who are still to be identified, did not go to Glass Road on Thursday evening by chance.”

Anyone who can assist with information is asked to come forward. Police can be contacted via 105, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting file number 211224/4140.

Body of man found inside Flat Bush home at centre of armed stand-off

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Auckland police have confirmed that a body has been found inside a Flat Bush home where a man who had been negotiating with officers gave himself up this morning.

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Photo: RNZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly

Police were called to the address at 1.15am this morning after reports of a person in distress at a nearby home in Bezar Place, followed by gunshots.

Cordons were put in place and Armed Offender Squad members who joined the police response got into the home through a window after seeing several people inside the home. They safely brought out several unharmed occupants, including a child.

A nearby resident said he saw police climb into the top of the house and remove three women and a child, who were then taken away.

A police negotiation team made contact with a 38-year-old man inside the property and continued to talk him overnight. He surrendered to police shortly after 8am and was taken into custody without further incident.

Counties Manukau District criminal investigations manager Detective Inspector Fa’amanuia Va’aelua confirmed the body of another man has been located inside the property and a homicide investigation has begun.

“We want to acknowledge the distress this incident has caused for those in the Flat Bush area who were affected.

“This is not something you expect in a residential area after a day of Christmas celebrations.

“I also want to acknowledge the bravery demonstrated by the officers who went into the home and brought the occupants out safely.”

Va’aelua said residents will notice a continued police presence in the area.

Body recovered in search for fisherman missing near Whangapoua

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

The family of a missing fisherman is being notified after a body was found off the Coromandel Peninsula.

Whangapoua Beach on the Coromandel peninsula.
Whangapoua Beach on the Coromandel peninsula. Photo: 123RF

The man was reported missing on Friday, when he failed to return from a day trip in his six-metre boat.

He had set off from the Whangapoua boat ramp at about 9am.

A search was launched involving police and Coastguard aircraft and vessels.

The body was found yesterday at around 5.40pm by a Coastguard fixed-wing plane, south of Kennedy Bay.

His boat had been located around four hours earlier approximately 24 nautical miles off the coast of Whitianga.

Police have expressed their sympathy for the man’s family and have also thanked those who were involved in the search.

Tonga drug enforcement officers complain after three years of overdue unpaid overtime wages: report

By
Kaniva Staff
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Officers working at police drug enforcement taskforce have complained after allegedly not being paid for overtime works they should have received in 2018.

Acting Police Commissioner Lord Fielakepa. Photo/Twitter

The complainants claimed the Ministry of Police’s (MOP) pay practices were surrounded by unfair treatment and favouritism.

The four months unpaid extra hours have been described as a result of a huge amount of works in which at one stage a shuttle bus was hired to transport people who were arrested and charged with drugs offences.

Recent Vava’u operation 

The police officers also claimed their pay for the recent Vava’u illicit drug operation was cut while the senior officers who joined them were allegedly paid in full.

The concerned police officers also claimed they were told they would receive their pay in question before this Christmas, but it did not happen.

The case was allegedly referred to the Ombudsman and a recommendation was made for the MOP to pay the officers, but that decision did not happen either, according to a report by the Kakalu ‘O Tonga newspaper this week.

The paper claimed the Acting Police Commissioner Lord Fielakepa agreed with the Ombudsman to pay the officers’ overdue wages.

The paper said it contacted the Ministry of Finance (MOF) about the unpaid wages and it was told the MOF wanted more information from the MOP as the unpaid wages had been long overdue.

Kaniva News contacted the MOP for comment.

The news came after it had been alleged “that corrupt public officials have worked with criminals to import and distribute illicit drugs” in the kingdom.

The revelation during a national symposium on illicit drugs in October said that “this corruptive influence has seemingly infiltrated all levels of society, including police, such that law enforcement authorities require people with exceptionally strong ethics, integrity, and courage to tackle this problem”.

King Tupou VI addressed the national symposium after he previously criticised Parliament over what he sees as a lack of effort in combatting the drug threat.

The Kakalu newspaper’s article asked whether the king knew about this drug enforcement officers’ long overdue unpaid overtime wages, implying that this could be a factor which contributed to what the nation faced in its war on illicit drugs.

Iran’s war games in Gulf a warning to Israel – Iranian commanders

By
Kaniva Staff
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Iranian war games held in the Persian Gulf this week were meant as a warning to Israel, Iran’s top military commanders say, amid concerns Israeli could have plans to target Iranian nuclear sites.

This photo from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps website shows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps taking part in five-days military exercises this week.
This photo from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps website shows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps taking part in five-days military exercises this week. Photo: AFP Photo / Iran Revolutionary Guard via SEPAH News

The Revolutionary Guards’ war games included firing ballistic and cruise missiles, and ended on Friday.

“These exercises had a very clear message: A serious, real … warning to threats by the Zionist regime’s authorities to beware of their mistakes,” Guards chief General Hossein Salami said on state TV.

“We will cut off their hands if they make a wrong move… The distance between actual operations and military exercises is only a change in the angles of launching the missiles,” Salami added.

Armed Forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said 16 ballistic missiles of different classes had been fired simultaneously and had destroyed predetermined targets.

Britain condemned the launch of ballistic missiles during the war games.

“These actions are a threat to regional and international security, and we call on Iran to immediately cease its activities,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Iran says its ballistic missiles have a range of 2000km and are capable of reaching arch-foe Israel and US bases in the region.

Israel, which opposes efforts by world powers to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal, has long threatened military action if diplomacy fails. Iran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz called on world powers not to allow Iran to play for time at the nuclear negotiations, in recess at Iran’s request and scheduled to resume next Monday.

Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear arsenal.

– Reuters

An RSE Christmas in Aotearoa

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Tom Kitchin, RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Many RSE workers around the motu are stuck here for Christmas and New Years. So what do they do? Our Hawke’s Bay reporter Tom Kitchin spoke to some.

RSE workers So'o Fala (left) from Samoa and Joel Bruno Lee from the Solomon Islands, are celebrating Christmas by the apple orchards of Hawke’s Bay this year.
RSE workers So’o Fala (left) from Samoa and Joel Bruno Lee from the Solomon Islands, are celebrating Christmas by the apple orchards of Hawke’s Bay this year. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin

The glaring Hawke’s Bay sun stares down on the hundreds, if not thousands of apple trees on the outskirts of Napier.

The mercury’s reaching the late 20s, but this might be a bit colder than what Joel Bruno Lee from the Solomon Islands and So’o Fala from Samoa are used to.

They’re long haulers at T&G Global, one of the biggest apple producers in New Zealand.

Lee has been back and forth from New Zealand to his home in the Solomon Islands for 14 years.

For Fala, it’s seven seasons.

Neither have returned home in two years, since before the pandemic began.

They each have a daughter that they have not seen face-to-face in that time.

For Christmas, it’s all about the food and sport, even if Covid-19 restrictions and bubble requirements have quietened it down.

“We were planning to have a big sport day with some of our brothers here – putting on volleyball tournament, think we cancelled that and carry on in our own bubbles,” Fala says.

The bubbles are strict and workers have only been able to keep to them since the pandemic began.

“We’re only keeping to our teams – for myself we have 10 under my leadership, ” Fala says – they are both team leaders.

“For Samoan and our culture it’s mainly food, as long as we have a lot of food on Christmas.

“As long as we have a pig, we’ll be good. We usually roast a whole pig, if not we can just we can just cut it in pieces and roast it.

“We’re going to play some sports and make some funny games to keep our minds away from families and that.”

Even if they miss their wives, daughters and extended families back home.

“Hard not being with families but yeah it’s all right – as long as we put that smile on their face by sending them some money, yeah we should be good,” Fala says.

“We’re just going to have Christmas calling them on the phone, and chat with them, do video calls, stuff like that,” Bruno says.

Shelly Beckett, who looks after pastoral care for RSEs at T&G says a Christmas meal will be provided.

“We’re going to provide them with a lot of fresh vegetables and hams so they can more of a traditional Kiwi kind of Christmas, and maybe some pavlovas for their desserts.”

The work won’t stop either – they’re thinning apples and will just get the statutory days as a bonus rest.

Fala and Lee are only a small share of the RSE workers staying in New Zealand.

At T&G alone, 261 RSE workers are currently in Hawke’s Bay.

For Lee, he says coming back for nearly a decade and a half has meant he has been able to help his family for a long time.

“I’m able to build my own home from the money I’ve earned from New Zealand – it’s really helpful … now I’m in the process to build another home. All the efforts that are put in here, I’m sending back home.”

It’s the same for Fala.

“I’ve been able to build a nice home for my family and even buy them a car, and looking to helping my siblings go to school, paying for all their school fees and that. Coming here has really placed my family financially.”

Even if it means not seeing their young daughters face-to-face as they grow up, a video call is never far away.

Covid-19: Fears South Auckland could be hit hard in event of Omicron outbreak

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

It is only a matter of time until there is community transmission of Covid-19’s new Omicron variant in South Auckland, says a Pacific public health expert.

Collin Tukuitonga
Auckland University associate professor of public health Collin Tukuitonga says more people in South Auckland are likely to live in big households where the threat of transmission is greater. Photo: supplied by University of Auckland

There has been a surge in case numbers around the world since the variant was first detected last month, including in South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Data from South Africa suggests the numbers of people hospitalised, or dying from the new variant are lower than Delta, but the new strain of the virus is far more contagious.

Auckland University associate professor of public health Collin Tukuitonga said the potential impact of the new strain of the virus in South Auckland was a growing concern.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about Omicron, but one of the things we do already know is that it is highly transmissible.”

He said as a result areas like South Auckland were likely to be hit hard in an outbreak, because more people were likely to live in overcrowded and multi-generational households where the threat of transmission was greater.

“Omicron is likely to have a significant impact on those communities. I would say it’s a no-brainer that that’s what’s going to happen,” Dr Tukuitonga said. “And with this variant it’s a matter of when, not if, we get it.”

A Counties Manukau District Health Board spokesperson said it was still too early to carry out accurate modelling to say what might happen if, or when, Omicron finally emerged.

They said the data was not yet available to make an educated prediction on possible numbers.

“We expect this to become clearer later in January 2022.”

The spokesperson said there were many variables that could influence the impact of Omicron in South Auckland, including the rate of transmission, the severity of infections, the impact on hospital and ICU-level care and how responsive it was to treatment.

Ōtara Covid-19 Testing Station 13 August
Covid-19 testing in Ōtara, South Auckland last year. Photo: RNZ

University of Auckland epidemiologist Rod Jackson said while we did not yet have any community transmission of Omicron in New Zealand, it appeared to be more infectious and therefore the chance of it escaping from managed isolation and quarantine facilities was quite high.

Epidemiologist Professor Rod Jackson.
Epidemiologist Rod Jackson Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro

He said if New Zealand got the high case numbers modellers were predicting in other countries like Australia, the threat of it spreading would be that much greater.

“And we know Omicron is a lot more contagious,” Prof Jackson said. “So even if the vaccine is preventing 95 percent of deaths, some cases will get through.”

He said it was purely a numbers game.

“The good news for us is we were late to the party in terms of the national vaccine roll out and we’ve vaccinated virtually everyone,” Prof Jackson said. “And at the moment that is stopping a lot of cases.”

But he agreed with the Counties Manukau DHB that it was too early to make concrete predictions on Omicron.

“At the moment, we just don’t know,” Prof Jackson said.

He said the fact the new variant was first identified in late November meant it was still relatively new.

Prof Jackson said while there were plenty of reports coming out on Omicron in South Africa, there were major demographic differences between countries that needed to be taken into account.

“People are doing their best to make sense of it. But you can’t tell until it has worked its way through a complete demographic of a population.”

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Local Democracy Reporting is a public interest news service supported by RNZ, the News Publishers’ Association and NZ On Air.

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