The Asia Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRL) is taking the lead on the future of Tonga’s international membership.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 25: Tonga fans during the 2017 Rugby League World Cup Semi Final match between Tonga and England at Mt Smart Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
It comes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month dismissed an appeal by the former governing body, Tonga National Rugby League, over its expulsion from the International Rugby League (IRL).
Admitting a new Tongan member was not discussed at the IRL Board meeting two weeks ago but Secretary General Danny Kazandjian said the Asia Pacific Confederation
“will now assume formal responsibility for speaking to all Tongan parties on both the issue of the new membership and the world cup campaign.”
He said there is no requirement for an IRL member to be in place in time for the Rugby League World Cup, which is scheduled to kick off in October, but an entity must sign the tournament participation agreement.
Discussions are already underway with the Tonga government, the national team management and Tonga Ma’a Tonga Rugby League, who last year applied for full IRL membership.
The IRL also received a letter from the Tongan Prime Minister, Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, and Kazandjian said there was a commonality of purpose in what both parties want to achieve.
“Now we will allow APRL to undertake its consultations with various stakeholders.”
The Lapaha community lost one of its leading activists when Polikalepo Kefu, who was a human rights activist and LGBTQ+ president, was allegedly murdered last week.
Community Leader Kapeli Lanumata. Photo/Facebook (cropped)
A 27-year-old man charged in connection with his death is expected to appear on May 19, at the Magistrate’s Court in Mu’a.
It is understood Kefu’s body was still in hospital today (Sunday, May 9) awaiting autopsy.
The huge flow of tributes to his death not only in Tonga but from overseas has been likened to the proverb which says “you can tell the tree by the fruit it bears”.
Kefu, 41, was a true leader in the community especially the youth, said Lapaha Community Leader Kapeli Lanumata.
“He was active in the Catholic church and its groups such as the Divine Mercy and St Vincent de Paul.
Lanumata described Kefu as “humble and a true asset” for the Lapaha community, where he grew up.
“He dreamed for a better Lapaha,” Lanumata said.
“His death was truly felt in the community since he was a leading figure in everything he did”.
Lanumata said Kefu’s older brothers moved overseas, leaving him to take care of his sisters and their children including a sister who was handicapped. Kefu’s parents were dead.
From the time his death was revealed, there has been a call to redefine the Tongan word
Joey Joleen Mataele. Photo/Supplied (cropped)
for gay man (fakaleitī) and fakatangata for lesbians to make sure it covers the meaning covered by the acronym LGBTQ+ or Lesibian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer.
The word fakaleitī comes from the English word lady (leiti) and the addition of the Tongan prefix faka, which denotes likeness, at the front to make it fakaleitī means a gay man.
Tongan women said to behaving like men are called fakatangata. The word is a combination of the prefix faka and the Tongan word tangata which means man.
Supporters of the LGBT community wanted to make sure the Tongan words for LGBT people had connotations of respect and equality.
One of the founding members of the Tonga Leitii’s Association, Joey Joleen Mataele, said they had accepted and used the word Leitī for LGBTQ+ hence the Tonga Leitis Association.
Mataele said the word fakaleitī “sounds like a vulgar word”.
“When I grew up that word was not used. The word was fakafāfine or fakafefine”, he told Kaniva News.
The word fakaleiti, according to Mataele was coined by a researcher working in Tonga.
“And that everybody started using it and it became a derogatory word,” he said.
“And that’s why when we started the Tonga Leitis Association we removed the prefix faka”.
“The word Leiti is inclusive to us and we call everyone of us as Leiti, whether they are lesbians, gay man or transgender etc.”
“We just totally reject it. When we communicate with our stakeholders overseas they know it and they used to us the word Leiti.”
It is understood the locals quickly used the word fakaleitī as part of a campaign to suppress the rights of the LGBTQ+ to be equally treated like the straight men and women.
Mataele, who said the association was the oldest organisation for LGBT in the Pacific, said the word lady is more convenience and formal to use.
Joe Wilson
Joe Wilson, the director of a film titled Leitis in Waiting, about the Tonga Leitis’ Association, said he wanted to “ensure that the terminologies being referenced are more accurately described or defined with sensitivity for the individuals / groups to which they apply. Leiti (or the outmoded term fakaleiti) is a term that now has a broader and more inclusive connotation than just gay man. It can be a specific reference to the English term transgender, but also a more welcoming umbrella term for all of the LGBTQIA community.”
Kefu’s death has been seen by many as the result of a hate crime.
But Mataele said he did not want to see their organisation as being targeted.
“If it was we need to be protected and to work closely with the Police, law and government,” Mataele said.
“We don’t want to think that that is happening, because we still believe Tonga is a Christian country
“We just need justice for Poli and we pray for his soul.”
Mataele said LGBT rights were in a better position now in Tonga, compared to 30 years ago.
“It was really difficult, but now we are able to work together with various community leaders like church leaders, town and district officers,” he said.
“The mentality towards us has changed.”
He said the association had about 300 members excluding the school students.
Mataele said members included gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.
He said the organisation helped accommodate LGBT members who were evicted from home because of their orientation.
They also had scholarships for students who are LGBT as well as straight students who needed their help.
“We have awarded 62 scholarships,” he said.
The organisation helped educate its members, some of whom had gone overseas and taken up opportunities there.
The organisation is mainly funded by its annual Miss Galaxy competitions and stakeholders in Tonga and overseas.
COMMENTARY: Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa‘s answers to Kaniva News over the death of a woman who was killed in a two-car crash show he needs to learn to show empathy and sensitivity to his people when they are in trouble.
Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva Tonga)
The Prime Minister’s response was defensive and will appear to many as an attempt to deflect criticism from highly questionable practices at the Ministry of Transport.
His comments will also be seen as showing little sensitivity or understanding of the feelings of the dead woman’s family.
The Prime Minister’s controversial response was made after we asked him to comment after the Ministry of Transport issued a fake driving license to a handicapped man, allowing him to drive on the road. A court case which was reported by Kaniva News recently revealed that he had killed a 76-year-old woman in Tongatapu.
The man told the court he did not sit any driving tests and his license was issued at the counter through his mother.
In sentencing the driver, the Lord Chief Justice said: “Having regard to his physical and mental handicaps (particularly that he has the ‘mind of a child’), it is extremely regrettable that he was ever allowed to drive a motor vehicle in the first place.”
Questions and responses
Tu’i’onetoa was asked if any action had been taken against the staff who issued the license.
He was also asked to comment on the victim’s family considering legal action against his government because of how the license contributed to the death of their mother, Sitela Fungavaka, who is survived by her husband and their children.
In his response the Prime Minister e-mailed us and said: “It is not prohibited in Tonga to issue a driving license to a person under 21. Discriminating against the disabled is not allowed in the world including Tonga. There are many disabled around the world including Tonga who have been issued with driving licenses if they fulfilled all the legal requirements. Therefore the law rules. The law makes the decision. And the law makes the conclusion”.
The Prime Minister also said: “That’s why the judiciary system is in place to resolve disputes. It was a good idea to make use of the court as that was why the constitution was written and there is the third power (the courts) to resolve our disputes.
He also said: “It is not new to have vehicle crashes which claim many lives. The same thing goes to disabled and able-bodied. There still crashes and deaths on public roads. It is not a bad thing for a person to seek truth and justice in court”.
The Prime Minister’s insensitive comments fly in the face of the serious concerns raised by the Lord Chief Justice about the failure of the government to make sure those who had been issued with driving licenses have fulfilled the requirements by the law.
Good leader quality
One of the qualities of a good leader of a nation is to show empathy when their people are in trouble. In democracies like Tonga where government leaders are accountable to the voters, empathy becomes responsibility.
It is a quality of leadership which is also associated with sympathy and compassion which prove to the people that they can continue to trust their leaders.
Tongans in New Zealand see it
The 80,000 Tongans living in New Zealand have seen this leadership quality when families have lost their loved ones because the government failed to protect them or indirectly caused their deaths.
The best example was when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern unreservedly apologised to the Islamic community after the Christchurch terror attack in March 2019 which killed 51 people and injured 40 others.
She admitted the government had failed in the lead-up to the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks, after a Royal Commission later recommended a raft of legislative changes to prevent another massacre in the future.
Ms Ardern said there would be accountability and said implementing the recommendations was the “least we owe” those who died in the attacks.
She did not evade her government’s responsibility or ignore the victims and their families.
Lessons for PM Tu’ionetoa
The lesson to be learned from New Zealand is for Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa to commission an independent investigation into what appears to be fraud at the Ministry of Transport licencing unit. He should have done this once the case was revealed in court and reported by the media.
He should consider apologising to the family of the victim and announce any recommendations by an investigation about how to make sure such a tragedy does not happen again.
In doing so he would encourage the public to continue to trust his government and leadership and see him as a leader who is led by his conscience.
The Prime Minister or ‘Etuate
It is still unclear who wrote the Prime Minister’s response.
As reported last week, we queried the Prime Minister after he appeared to have mistakenly sent us an e-mail he intended to send to a person called ‘Etuate, presumably for ‘Etuate to answer Kaniva’s queries.
The only ‘Etuate we know of who was very close with the Prime Minister was ‘Etuate Lavulavu.
We asked him whether he was the ‘Etuate to whom the Prime Minister sent our questions, but he was offended and swore at us.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Tapu ange mo e ‘Eiki Palēmia’ ka ‘oku kau ‘ene tali ko ‘eni’ he ma’olalo pea ‘oku fu’u fehu’ia lahi ai ‘a hono tu’unga falala’anga ko e taki ‘o e fonua’ pea ‘oku ‘ikai ke tau fakaanga he houhau lahi ‘a e Tama Tu’i’ ‘i hono pule’anga’. ‘Eke atu ko e hā e me’a kuo fai ki he ngāue kākā ko ‘eni ‘ikai ke ne tali hangatonu kae fakaloea holo ia mo tala mai ko e mate ko e me’a pe ‘oku hoko pea ‘oku ‘ikai tapui ke foaki ha laiseni faka’uli ki taha henitikepi. Ko ha tali ia ke fai he taimi ‘oku mole ai ha mo’ui he pau’u ‘ene kau ngāue? ‘Ikai ke faka’apa’apa’i ‘e he PM ‘a e pekia’ mo hono fāmili ‘o tali mahino ko e ha e ngāue ‘oku ne fai ki ai he ‘oku fakaongoongo atu ‘a e fāmili’ mo e kakai’ he ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha me’a si’i ‘eni kuo mole ‘a e mo’ui. Ko e tali ‘eni ‘a e Palēmia ‘o Tonga’ ki he fehu’i fekau’aki mo hono foaki fakafufū ‘o ha laiseni loi ke faka’uli ha taha henitikepi ‘i Tonga pea iku mate ai ha fa’ē. ‘Oku fakaloea e tali mo tātākehe ka ‘oku tau maheni ‘i he’ene hoko ‘a e ‘ū me’a peheni ‘i muli’ ni hono fakae’a ai ‘e he kau taki maama mo lotu mo’oni’ ‘a e uho fakalaumālie ‘enau taktaki kakai ‘oku fai’ ‘o nau kole fakamolemole mo fakahā ‘e fai leva ‘a e ngāue ki ai mo hano fakatotolo’i.
The deaths of two people after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine have been reported to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM).
A dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is administered. Photo: AFP
Ministry of Health says medical staff involved in both cases do not believe the deaths are related to the administration of the vaccine and the deaths have been reported out of “an abundance of caution”.
A spokesperson said they extended their sympathies to the family and friends of the two people who have died.
Medsafe reports adverse reactions to Covid-19 every Wednesday to CARM, but will report them promptly if there is a safety concern.
The Health Ministry said it remained confident the Pfizer vaccine was safe and effective.
King Tupou VI said this morning he was dissatisfied that both the government and parliament did not keep to their promises to address his concerns over the country’s economy, education and health issues.
King Tupou VI address the nation. Photo/Screenshot
The king was fed up with the House and the government saying they gave him the same responses every year without doing anything further to resolve these issues.
He was concerned about the terrifying challenge “pole fakalilifu” of illicit drugs.
His Majesty said the government appears to have done nothing or did not do enough such as increasing the budget for the war on drugs.
He said Police and its stakeholders should be a priority.
He also criticised the government’s involvement in running economic enterprises, something he said that in democratic countries, that was the responsibility of private sectors.
The king said government boards should focus on the financial results for the shareholders and leave the daily operations to people who have been specially trained to do the job.
His Majesty said the government should be cautious in appointing its board of directors as some of them have no experience at all in the kind of works with which the boards were dealing.
“If the country’s economy was good why there was a fall in the value of the currency?” he asked.
He said the government did not support privates businesses which provide local food products and services. The king said this may have helped control the rise in Tonga’s international debts obligations.
He said every year the Members of Parliament have campaigned under the banner of honesty but the king has questioned the Cabinet ministers’ roles to submit annual ministerial and parliamentary reports.
“The Parliament failed to oversee the government of the day’s daily businesses and therefore the taxpayers and the people of the country, who have voted in the Members of Parliament, should vote prudently (“fakapotopoto”) as you were the ones who voted in this government, which is now in the House”, the king said.
The king has raised his serious concerns this morning while he was addressing the nation during his livestream opening speech to mark the beginning of the mid-year parliamentary session 2021.
Ko e Tōfolofola’
Tō folofola huufi ‘o e Fale Alea ‘O Tonga, 6 ‘o Me 2021.
‘Oku ou fakafeta’i ki he ‘otua ‘oku tu’u ai e lelei ‘a Tonga pea mo ‘ene tauhi ma’ae kakai ‘o e fonua. ’oku laumalie lelei ai ‘a e ‘eiki sea ‘o e falealea, ‘eiki palemia , moe kau minista ‘o e kapineti , kau fakafofonga ‘o e hou’eiki nopele, pea pehe ki he kau fakafofonga ‘o e kakai.
‘Oku ‘ikai fakafiemalie ‘a e ‘ikai ke fakahoko ‘e he fale ni ha ngaue, hili ‘a e ngaahi palomesi moe tali ‘i he huufi ‘o e falelalea ‘i he ta’u takitaha. koe ta’u kotoa ‘oku tataki atu ‘a e tokanga ki ngaahi makatu’unga ‘e tolu, ko e mo’ui lelei, ako , moe tu’unga faka’ekonomika ‘o e fonua. ka koe ta’u kotoa koe tali tatau pe kae ‘ikai ke ai ha ngaue makehe ‘e fakahoko.
Kimui ni mai na’e tataki e tokanga ki he pole fakalilifu ‘o e faito’o konatapu. ka ‘oku ha mai ‘oku si’is’ii pe, ‘oku te’eki ke ai ha ‘inasi e vahe’i makehe he fale ni pe koe pule’anga ke fakafepaki’i ‘aki ‘a e pole faingata’a ko eni. ‘oku totonu ke fakamu’omu’a heni ’a e potungaue polisi moe ngaahi va’a ‘oku nau fengaueaki fakataha.
Kuo fuoloa ta’u koe tokolahi e kau fakafofonga ‘o kau ai e ni’ihi e faleni ‘oku nau taumu’a‘aki ‘a e fili ki he fale ‘a e kaveinga ‘o e faitotonu.koe fe leva ’a e ngaahi fakamatala ngaue fakata’u ‘a e kau minister koe ha ‘oku to’o ai ‘e he pule’anga ‘a e ngaahi faingamlie mei he sekitoa fakatupu koloa taautaha ‘a ia ‘oku tefito ai ‘a e ngaahi no mei muli. ‘oku matuaki mahu’inga ke mahino koe ngaue ‘a e pule’anga ke fakalele ‘a e puleanga kae ‘ikai koe kau he ngaahi pisinisi.
Kuo tu’o lahi ‘ene feinga ke fakalele ‘a e ngaahi ngaue ‘a ia ‘i he ngaahi fonua fakatemokalati koe fatongia ia ke fakahoko he ngaahi pisinisi.
‘Oku fiema’u ke fakatokanga’i lelei ‘a e ngaahi poate ‘a e pule’anga koe’uhi koe poate ‘e ni’ihi ‘oku fakahoko ‘a e fakalele faka’aho ‘o e ngaue ‘e he kau memipa ‘o e poate ‘a ia ‘oku si’isi’i ‘enau taukei ‘i he mala’e koia. ka ‘oku fiema’u ke tokanga ‘a e poate ki he ola fakapa’anga ma’ae kau ma’u ‘inasi, kae tuku ‘a e fakalele ‘o e ngaue faka’aho ke fakahoko ia he kau ngaue kuo ‘osi teu’i mo taukei ngaue.
Kapau ‘oku fakafiemalie ‘a e tu’unga faka’ekonika ‘o e fonua pea koe ha leva ‘oku holo ‘a e mahu’inga ‘o ‘etau pa’anga ‘o fakatatau ki he pa’anga ‘o e ngaahi fonua muli ‘oku tau fefakatau’aki.
‘Oku toe hiki moe ngaahi mo’ua mei he hu koloa mei muli ka na’e mei lava pe ke holo ‘i hono ngaue’aki ‘a e me’atokoni ‘oku fakatupu fakalotofonua ka ‘oku ‘ikai foki ke tokoni’i lahi ia ‘e he pule’anga .koe tokolahi ‘o e ngaahi ngaue’anga fakalotofonua ko ‘eni ‘oku nau tu’u ‘i he mo’ua lahi pe kuo nau tapuni.
‘Oku ‘ikai ke fakahoko ‘i he fale ni ‘a ‘ene ngaue koe vakai’i lelei ‘a e ngaahi ngaue ‘a e pule’anga ‘o e ‘aho, koia ‘oku taau ke vakai’i lelei ‘e he kau totongi tukuhau moe kakai ‘o e fonua ‘a ia ‘oku nau fili ‘a e kau fakafofonga falealea, kenau fakahoko fakapotopoto ‘enau fili he koe pule’anga ‘oku ‘i fale ni koe pule’anga ia na’a mou fili ai.
By TVNZ / One News and is republished with permission
Fiji has recorded a Covid-19 death – a man who was confirmed to have the virus just yesterday.
The 55-year-old was in intensive care at Lautoka Hospital and military and police have surrounded and locked down the facility, with around 400 staff and patients quarantined inside.
He had been in hospital for a surgical procedure on April 19.
It’s believed he infected two doctors there who tested positive in the last two days.
According to FBC News, the source of the man’s infection remains unknown but he has refused swabs and tests on two occasions.
Unions are worried that doctors and nurses will move to Australia following the government’s freeze on public sector salaries.
Under new government rules, three-quarters of people working in the public sector are unlikely to get a salary bump until at least 2024.
No government employee earning over $100,000 a year will get a pay rise until 2024. And those with salaries with between $60,000 and $100,000 will need to prove exceptional circumstances.
It’s not only bureaucrats in Wellington – it includes border workers, hospital staff, prison guards and social workers.
Sarah Dalton of senior doctors’ union The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists said it was a poor decision by the government.
“It’s not a reasonable ask for our health workforce to say ‘hey, just go backwards. But by the way, can you run these extra clinics, can you deal with these overloaded emergency departments, can you cope with this not fit-for-purpose building?’ It’s just too many things, and it suggests that this health workforce isn’t valued,” Dalton said.
Even minimal inflation, Dalton said, will have people behind by at least 5 percent in the next few years. Rent costs and interest rates are expected to rise too.
Nurses Union spokesperson Glenda Alexander said, in places like Auckland, $60,000 – the wage freeze threshold – doesn’t go far.
“There are lots of people in that zone who are very much struggling to make ends meet.”
However the Taxpayers Union said restraint in the public sector is exactly what is needed right now, describing public debt post-Covid as “ballooning”.
Spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke said the private sector had been feeling it the last year and the public sector should also make some sacrifice.
“While $60,000 isn’t a huge salary, it comes with a level of job security that you wouldn’t see in the private sector. So a pay freeze is a pretty small price to pay for that, especially when you consider it’s only for three years.
But Alexander said many in the public sector had already offered a lot.
“Our nurses responded when required, right at the outset of this pandemic, and have been making a huge contribution to keeping our border safe, dealing with the returnees… they’ll feel like this is a bit of a slap in the face.”
She said this might actually be the final push for some to leave for Australia.
“I think if the borders were more open, this would be a deciding factor,” she said.
“Before Covid struck a lot of our nurses were going to Australia even for a six-month period to pay off mortgages and earn much more. That could be an enticement now.”
Dalton thought the same. She said Australia already paid 40 to 60 percent more for specialists, so this freeze might just send talent packing.
“We certainly hope it doesn’t exacerbate it, but it absolutely might. We think not even allowing people to keep pace with inflation and the cost of living is a really poor way to treat a critical workforce that the Minister of Health has already acknowledged has significant shortages,” Dalton said.
Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins said the sector needed to show restraint, as others in the private sector continued to feel the effects of the pandemic, and the move would help preserve public sector jobs.
The National Party has already condemned the move, saying nurses are not responsible for the government’s incompetence.
“The government needs to reconsider and reverse immediately this pay freeze and take responsibility for out of control public sector growth,” Mark Mitchell said.
Ousted Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate Lavulavu’s use of the name ‘Etuate Fakaleitī in his response to a question from Kaniva News has been criticised for belittling the LGBT community.
‘Etuate Lavulavu
He was also criticised for using another name in his response as ‘Etuate Ta’emali or ‘Etuate Unmarried.
The name ‘Etuate is Tongan for Edward. The word fakaleitī comes from the English word lady (leiti) and the addition of the prefix faka at the front to make it fakaleitī means a gay man.
The names ‘Etuate Fakaleiti and ‘Etuate Ta’emali have negative connotations in Tonga of decrying the importance of gay people and unmarried men being treated equally with straight men and married people.
As Kaniva News reported last week, Lavulavu was responding after we asked him whether he was the person to whom Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa contacted to write the response to our questions. The Prime Minister appeared to have mistakenly sent to us an e-mail he intended to send to a person called Etuate, presumably for ‘Etuate to answer Kaniva’s queries.
Lavulavu, who is no stranger to courts, controversy or convictions did not deny it. Instead, he was evasive, swearing, dismissive and said there were many people called ‘Etuate.
In his response he said: “It can be Etuate Hafoka, Etuate Manuefetoa, Etuate Uata, Etuate Tuionetoa, Etuate Havea, Etuate Kuila, Etuate Kavenga, Etuate Taukolo, Etuate Hopoi , Etuate Cocker, Etuate Tupou, Etuate Tutoe, Etuate Fakaleiti, Etuate Taufalele, Etuate Taemali, Etuate Ta’e’iloa, Etuate Afeaki and just like many ‘Etuate there were also uu-etuate and uu-sione”.
The phrase uu-sione with which Lavulavu ended his list of names is known in Tongan as kapekape fakapoto or a calculated making up swearing words. It’s a mixture of the swear word ‘us_ and the name Sione to make it sounds he was referring to the plural form of name Sione by adding the sign of plural form word ‘ū at the front of the name, but the speaker’s intention was clearly swearing.
When Kaniva News shared the story about Lavulavu’s response last week, commentaters quickly blasted it as his mockery of gay men and unmarried people.
A commenter suggested that Lavulavu should be punished.
Another said he appeared to think he was above the law.
The criticisms of the Deputy Chair of the Tonga People’s Party came while the LGBT community was mourning the death of the Tongan human rights and LGBT activist Polikalepo Kefu.
His brutal killing last Friday night has sent shock waves across Tonga and overseas.
Kefu was known for his work with Tonga’s Red Cross, the local media association and as a voice for youth.
He was also president of the local LGBTQI+ rights group and always a staunch support of local movements which fight for the right of gay people.
Last year Lavulavu attacked Tonga’s crisis centre for women (WCCC), saying its service was not needed in Tonga.
He reportedly said the organisation was only operating to get funding to help its employees and staff.
WCCC is the largest and most effective service provider to women and children in Tonga who are victims or survivors of violence.
WCCC’s Director ‘Ofa Gutteinbeil Likiliki was reported by local media as saying “It is a real shame that ‘Etuate Lavulavu made this political statement making baseless claims.”
An Arizona man has been indicted in Alaska on a federal charge of abusive sexual contact involving a 16-year-old girl who was seated next to him on a flight from Phoenix to Anchorage, federal officials said.
Kepueli Talaiasi, 58, of Mesa allegedly touched the girl, a stranger, as she sat in a middle seat between him and his adult son, who slept during most of the flight Monday, according to an indictment issued April 29 and a memo filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska.
The office asked the federal court to order the continued detention of Talaiasi, saying he posed a threat to potential seatmates if he boarded an aircraft to return to Arizona pending trial.
The girl managed to pass a message to her father who was in an another row of seats on the plane and he contacted the flight crew, which separated the girl from Talaiasi, the office said.
Talaiasi was arrested after the plane arrived in Anchorage, the office said.
According to the memo, Talaiasi during in an interview with the FBI “acknowledged having bad thoughts upon seeing the minor next to him, and described the devil tempting him” and said he “had given in to the temptation….”
Online court records didn’t list an attorney for Talaiasi who might comment on his behalf.
“If convicted, Talaiasi faces a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison, followed by five years to lifetime supervised release. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska.
Three men have pleaded not guilty to murder following the death of Māngere grandmother Meliame Fisi’ihoi.
Meliame Fisi’ihoi, 57, died when she was shot at her home on Calthorp Close, Favona. Photo/Facebook
Police said the 57-year-old was watching television in the early hours of the morning when she heard a noise.
They said she was shot when she approached her lounge window.
She died on January 15, 2020.
Today, Falala’anga Momooni Iongi, Viliami Mounga He Ofa Iongi and Manu Hori Iongi entered not guilty pleas to charges of murder at the High Court in Auckland.
The public gallery was packed during the brief appearance this morning.
The trio were remanded in custody by Justice Sally Fitzgerald until July 7, 2021, with a trial date set for May 2022.
The 55-year-old was 
Kepueli Talaiasi, 58, of Mesa allegedly touched the girl, a stranger, as she sat in a middle seat between him and his adult son, who slept during most of the flight Monday, according to an indictment issued April 29 and a memo filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska.
