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Former Infrastructure Minister accuses Kalonikali newspaper of “lying” and asks why it was distributed during controversial Parliamentary meeting

By
Kalino Latu
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MP Sēmisi Sika has asked why the Kalonikali newspaper, which has links with Minister of Infrastructure ‘Akosita Lavulavu, was distributed during a Parliamentary meeting in Leimātu’a.

It has been claimed the paper, which is owned by ousted MP and Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate Lavulavu and husband of ‘Akosita, was distributed as part of the Lavulavus’ political campaign.

Reliable sources told Kaniva News the paper was distributed in the meeting along with other forms.

A copy of the agenda of the Parliamentary meeting seen by Kaniva News does not mention the paper or say it would be handed out.

A photo of the paper’s front page seen by Kaniva News shows a photograph of former Minister of Infrastructure MP Sika, former Ministry of Infrastructure CEO Ringo Fa’oliu and former Ministry of Infrastructure Director of Corporate Services Division, Kisione Tāufa.

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Fa’oliu and Tāufa have been suspended without pay by the Public Service Commission pending investigation and legal processes.

The heading of the article says in Tongan: “Lau Miliona e Aleapau Ngāue Ne Fai Tōmui mo Kovi.”

In English this means “Multi-millions worth of project contract agreements had been processed late and badly.”

The content of the story included a number of claims linking Tāufa and Fa’oliu with Sika, alleging they involved in the allegations which led to the suspension  of Tāufa and Fa’oliu.

The paper has been accused of failing to seek the side of people named in the story.

The story also raised questions about the Five Star Company’s performance  of a road sealing project. The company belonged to MP Sika’s parents.

MP Sika said he was curious after a copy of the front page of the paper was uploaded to Facebook by Siaosi Pāongo,  a Leimātu’a resident, who was outspoken about the Lavulavus,  on Saturday 22 August, the day when the meeting was held at Leimātu’a.

Commenting under Pāonga’s post, MP Sika asked:

“Was this paper with lying information distributed during your Parliamentary meeting?”

In Tongan he said: “Na’e tufa pepa fakamatala loi ko ‘eni i ho mou fakataha ‘a’ahi fakafalealea?”

In response Pāongo said ‘Etuate was responsible for distributing the newspaper to “deviate people.”

“Ko e Lavu pe koe feiga fakaheeki ae kakai lol lolotoga fakataha aahi falealea hu ene tufa kalonikali aana,” Paongo wrote in Tongan.

Tāufa told Kaniva News he was not contacted by the paper to give his side of the story.

‘Etuate was contacted for comment in an e-mail which was copied  to Parliamentary Chief Clerk Gloria Pōle’o.

The Parliamentary meeting was held to allow constituents throughout Tonga to talk with their MPs about their parliamentary constituency funding and what they need from their MPs.

As Kaniva News reported last week, the meeting between MP ‘Akosita and Leimātu’a constituents came under the spotlight after the residents complained that questions put to ‘Akosita were answered by ‘Etuate.

‘Etuate denied the accusations and said the people at the meeting were just making fun.

However, our sources were adamant that questions asked of ‘Akosita were serious and they needed her to give the answer.

The main points

  • MP Semisi Sika has asked why the Kalonikali newspaper, which has links with Minister of Infrastructure ‘Akosita Lavulavu, was distributed during a Parliamentary meeting in Leimatu’a.
  • It has been claimed the paper, which is owned by ousted MP and Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate Lavulavu and husband of ‘Akosita, was distributed as part of the Lavulavu’s political campaign.

Constituents reject ‘Etuate Lavulavu’s claims; say people wanted answers to serious questions

By
Kalino Latu
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Controversy continues to surround the meeting between MP ‘Akosita Lavulavu and Leimātu’a constituents.

As Kaniva news reported yesterday, residents complained that questions put to ‘Akosita Lavulavu during a parliamentary meeting were answered by her husband, ousted MP and Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate Lavulavu.

Our sources said residents repeatedly told ‘Etuate they did not want him to answer their questions.

However, ‘Etuate denied the accusations and said the people at the meeting were just making fun.

“They just made fun of me, but at the same time their hearts were full of love and happiness for their MP ‘Akosita Lavulavu,” he said.

Now our sources have rejected his claims.

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Rather than making fun, they said the questions directed at MP ‘Akosita were serious and the people wanted her to give the answers.

More people from other villages in Vava’u 16’s Hahake district have since spoken to Kaniva News.

A source from Holeva told Kaniva News ‘Etuate dominated most of the meeting and people were concerned about his actions.

He asked why ‘Etuate promoted the government’s and the People’s Party’s projects during the parliamentary meeting, including the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme.

“I wanted to stand up and tell him to leave it for ‘Akosita to answer our questions and talk to us because she is our MP but it was difficult because ‘Etuate was insistent and snappish no one could stop him,” another source said.

Questions directed at ‘Akosita during the  Leimātu’a meeting included asking her to explain the withdrawal of TP$15,000 from the village warden’s (“Polisi Fakakolo”) bank account under the Parliamentary constituency funding.

The meeting was told that according to a warden meeting’s minute only $3,000 was approved to be withdrawn.

This was one of the questions which provoked concern at the meeting and a call was immediately made to ‘Akosita to keep the meeting open because they wanted her to explain this, but ‘Etuate stood up and forced the meeting to close.

“These issues were raised without any jokes at all,” a source told Kaniva News.

The meeting was also concerned at how ‘Akosita defected from the PTOA party and joined the People’s Party. A resident told her at the meeting he voted for her when she was campaigning as a candidate for the Democrats.

They also wanted ‘Akosita to explain why she told the constituents to go to Neiafu to collect their pay for trees which were cut down at their tax allotments near the airport. The people went and waited for their pay,  but did not receive their money.

The meeting was also concerned at an agreement with ‘Etuate to help the village’s application to get funding for the village water supply after a typhoid outbreak last year, our sources said.

Another question directed at ‘Akosita concerning a weaving house in Leimatu’a. Work on it began during the recent election campaign, but was stopped after the election.

Our sources said people at the meeting were seriously concerned at what they described as a propaganda campaign by the Lavulavus to win the voters’ hearts.

The main points

  • Controversy continues to surround the meeting between MP ‘Akosita Lavulavu and Leimatu’a constituents.
  • As Kaniva news reported yesterday, residents complained that questions put to ‘Akosita Lavulavu during a parliamentary meeting were answered by her husband, ousted MP and Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate.

Tongan suspect arrested after fatal shooting near Smith’s Ballpark, Salt Lake City

By
Kalino Latu
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 26, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A suspect has been arrested after a fatal shooting in the area of Smith’s Ballpark earlier this month.

A probable cause statement from the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake County said Siosiua Tonga Ositamani, 24, is facing a charge of murder; knowing and intentional, a first-degree felony.

On Aug. 12, at approximately 5:20 p.m., Salt Lake City Police Department received a call that a man had been shot in the middle of the street near 54 E. Harrison Ave., the statement said. The victim was subsequently identified as Luis Melendez, 49.

Responding officers attempted to revive the victim but were unsuccessful.

“A witness leaving work in the area stated he observed three men, one with a bicycle, on Harrison Avenue, appearing to be in an argument,” the statement said. “The witness stated that he saw the taller of the two suspects, hereafter referred as suspect #1, raise what appeared to be a handgun, point it at the victim’s head and fire. The witness stated that the victim then fell to the ground. Suspect #1 and his accomplice, hereafter referred as suspect #2, then left the area on foot.”

The witness provided descriptions of both the suspects.

A canvas for video surveillance was conducted and officers located video from a residence on Major Street which showed the first suspect get into the passenger side of a black Mitsubishi Eclipse after the incident, which was parked down the street about a half a block away from the crime scene.

“The owner of the vehicle, hereafter referred as the driver, stated that he gave suspect #1 a ride because he didn’t want ‘those kind of people’ in the neighborhood,” the statement said. “Suspect #1 asked him to pick up his friend, suspect #2, down the street. The driver picked up suspect #2 near 1300 S. West Temple Street. The driver then drove them to the Fastrac Convenience Store at 802 S. 900 West.”

Surveillance cameras caught both suspects entering the Fastrac convenience store.

A review of video from a business located on Harrison Avenue and Main Street shows the victim, and the suspects from a distance before, during and after the shooting.

“The victim falls to the ground and stays down after the gun is raised,” the statement said. “Suspect #1 gets down near the victim’s body and looks like he takes something from the victim. Suspect #1 is then seen running west on Harrison Avenue and south on Major Street. Suspect #2 is seen walking northbound through an alleyway.”

As the investigation progressed, an anonymous source stated that they believed the shooter to be a Siosiua, last name unknown and had also heard from several people that Siosiua was responsible for the shooting. Detectives were able to identify a man named Siosiua Ositamani, who matched the description provided by the witness. Photos of Ositamani were found and compared to video from the Fastrac and appeared to match.

On Monday, patrol officers were called to a business where Ositamani was thought to be. Officers located him inside, detained him and brought him to the SLCPD Public Safety Building to be interviewed by detectives.

Ositamani was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with detectives. He told detectives that he and a friend encountered the victim on Major Street and Harrison Avenue and that a verbal argument began between he and the victim. Ositamani said that he had a gun with him and that he got it out, fired the weapon one time at the victim and left the area.

The second suspect has not yet been identified.

Ositamani was transported to Salt Lake County Jail, where he is being held without bail.

Ousted MP ‘Etuate Lavulavu denies complaints about his behaviour during constituency meeting, says it was all done in jest

By
Kalino Latu
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Residents of Leimātu’a have complained after queries directed at their MP ‘Akosita Lavulavu during a parliamentary meeting were answered by her husband ‘Etuate Lavulavu.

Reliable sources told Kaniva news that residents repeatedly told ousted MP and Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate Lavulavu during the meeting they did not want him to answer their questions because he was not a member or staff of Parliament.

‘Etuate was also accused of interfering, altering the meeting’s agenda and pushing to close the meeting after a request to keep the meeting open because the people still had questions to ask their MP.

When asked for comment by Kaniva News, ‘Etuate denied the accusations and said the people at the meeting were just making fun.

The incident happened last Saturday during the annual parliamentary meeting in Vava’u 16’s Leimātu’a constituency.

The meeting was held as part of Parliament’s annual visit to constituencies which gives voters the opportunity to talk to their MPs about projects created using their constituency funding and tell their MPs what they wanted.

The Leimātu’a residents asked MP Akosita to explain a number of issues including a trip to China and the government’s roading project but at some stages ‘Akosita allowed her husband ‘Etuate to answer the questions for her, a reliable source told Kaniva News.

The source said some who attended the meeting were disappointed by ‘Etuate’s action.

‘Etuate was also accused of trying to dominate those who spoke at the meeting.

“ ’Etuate was just like someone who was brought to the meeting to cover for the MP when she could not answer the constituents’ queries,” our source said.

After the meeting some of the men who attended the meeting discussed their disappointments with ‘Etuate during an evening kava session in Leimātu’a, the source said.

A copy of the agenda for the meeting, seen by Kaniva News, showed that at the end of the meeting, a speech from the village was scheduled to be delivered by the Leimātu’a town officer.

The source said this was changed and the delivery of the speech was assigned to Ma’u ‘I Vaihoi, one of the Leimātu’a heralds.

When it came to his turn, Vaihoi told MP ‘Akosita the people at the meeting still needed more time with her because they still had questions to ask, the source said. He asked Akosita to keep the meeting open.

But ‘Etuate stood up and apologised to Vaihoi and the meeting before he signalled to another man, the district officer, to say the vote of thanks before the meeting was closed for the day, the source said.

“It was suspicious why he was trying to end the meeting while the residents still have questions to ask,” he said.

‘Etuate, also from Leimātu’a, downplayed his constituents’ concerns and complaints.

He told Kaniva News that what had happened during the meeting was done in jest and claimed the accusations against him were not true.

He said Leimātu’a people were humorous people and they were just making fun of him just to make the meeting laugh.

“It’s normal to make fun against each other,” ‘Etuate said.

“They just made fun of me, but at the same time their hearts were full of love and happiness for their MP ‘Akosita Lavulavu.”

Parliamentary Chief Clerk Gloria Pōle’o told Kaniva News the meeting in Leimātu’a ended peacefully.

She said this has been confirmed to her by two Parliamentary staff who were at the gathering..

She said the parliamentary meetings were recorded in full and  would be reported to the House by each MP before they were broadcast on air and made available in Hansard.

“The purpose of the meeting was for the people of the constituency to meet and directly gave their MP whatever they wanted and the MP must be accountable to them,” Pōle’o said.

Yes, it’s bigger than all of us, but science, history and looking after each other are the key

By
Kaniva Staff
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Kaniva commentary:

There will be no repatriation flight to Nuku’alofa this Tuesday because one Tongan in Auckland has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.

It’s a grim reality that the illness of one person affects the lives of many, many, other people.

The person who got sick didn’t intend to get sick and the people who are stranded in New Zealand because of the outbreak certainly didn’t intend to be here either.

But it has served to reminded us that we are all in this together.

As Dame Valerie Adams said in the Ministry of Pacific People’s new video, the pandemic is bigger than all of us.

Pasifika people  have made  8% of overall cases in New Zealand, or about 130 people, but in the new outbreak they have made up 75% of cases.

Member for Manukau East Jenny Salesa and other community leaders have urged people to get tested and testing rates have jumped dramatically this week.

Six community testing stations have been set up in South Auckland, with more than 2000 people tested.

Dr Collin Tukuitonga, who is based in south Auckland, made the point succinctly when he said there had been a “terrific coming together” from different sectors to protect people’s health.

“It’s not a Pasifika problem it’s not a South Auckland’s problem it’s a New Zealand challenge for us all,” he said.

However, because of their close links with New Zealand,  it’s also a problem for the Pacific Islands.

Tonga and many other islands have remained free of the virus and it is entirely understandable that the Tongan government doesn’t want to risk bringing anybody back who might be contaminated.

Yesterday we reported the advice of the head of the WHO in the Western Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, who said the Pacific island nations should remember the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.

That story revolved around the voyage of the Talune, which was allowed to sail unchecked to Samoa, Tonga and Nauru, spreading death and disease as it went.

The flu struck Tonga when Queen Salote Tupou III had been on the throne for a year.

She became ill, but survived and looked after her husband, Tungi, and their newborn child.

Queen Salote later recalled: “People crept into their houses to die.”

“Some died because they were too weak to get food. People were buried like dogs – no ceremonies, just bundled into the graves.

“The people were so distressed by having their dead buried in pits together that they were going round digging them back up again.”

The death toll in Tonga has been estimated as being as high as 2000 people, or about 10 percent of the population. They  died between November 1918 and January 1919.

In reminding people of the flu epidemic, Dr Kasai wanted to remind people of how bad things were.

But it could also be a reminder of how much better things are now.

When the Spanish flu struck nobody had any idea what was happening or how to deal with it.

In contrast, governments have known what to do and have been able to provide scientifically based advice to their people.

There is a chance that an anti-viral drug will be developed and the Australian government has promised it will be available to Island governments.

And we are constantly reminded that to survive, we need to support each other.

The Covid-19 pandemic is truly bigger than all of us, but this time we are far better equipped to face the challenges that lie ahead.

– Kaniva News

Tonga suspends second repatriation flight after return of coronavirus in New Zealand

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga has called off its second repatriation flight scheduled for Tuesday next week after New Zealand announced its first locally transmitted coronavirus infections in more than 100 days.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has issued a stay-at-home lockdown order for the country’s largest city, Auckland.

Tonga’s MEIDECC ministry said yesterday the government was aware of one Tongan in Auckland has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus..

“The public is hereby advised that the second repatriation flight from New Zealand tentatively scheduled for Tuesday next week, August 25 has been suspended until further notice,” a Tongan government statement said.

“The National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) / National Taskforce met this week and considered the increasing number of COVID-19 community transmission in Auckland.

“It is understood that Pacific islanders bear the brunt of the new COVID-19 outbreak in New Zealand and it has been announced that one Tongan has been tested positive.

“Upon advice from the Ministry of Health, there is a high risk that COVID-19 will be imported to Tonga if the scheduled repatriation flight proceeds.

The Ministry of Health maintains to assess the situation in Auckland and will advise the Committee and the Government when to resume the repatriation flight.”

Meanwhile, Tongans from New Zealand who have been quarantined at the Tanoa hotel and the Fua’amotu Military base for two weeks have been released on Thursday after passing health checks.

WHO Pacific head says Spanish flu which killed 50 million should be lesson for Islands

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The World Health Organisation has urged Pacific island nations to stay vigilant against Covid-19, citing the late spread of the 1918 Spanish flu through the region as a cautionary tale.

The head of the WHO in the Western Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, the organisation believed the pandemic had entered a new phase in the region.

Dr Kasai said the increasing numbers of cases, particularly in French Polynesia and Guam, were not just a resurgence.

In 1918 at the height of the influenza epidemic, the New Zealand governor of what was then Western Samoa allowed passengers from the Talune to disembark in Apia.

In the next six weeks 8000 people – about a quarter of the population – died.

Plague ship

Still carrying infected passengers, the Talune then sailed on to Tonga, calling at Neiafu, Vava’u, Ha’Apai and to Nuku’Alofa in Tongatapu, where it arrived on November 12, 1918.

Within a few days of the Talune‘s arrival, the disease had spread with heavy loss of life.

The death toll in Tonga is estimated as being as high as 2000 people, or about 10 percent of the population died between November 1918 and January 1919.

Among the dead was the Queen Dowager Takipō.

After Tongatapu the Talune sailed for Nauru, where once again the first cases of influenza appeared ashore within a few days of her departure.

By the time the Spanish influenza epidemic burned itself out in 1919, it had infected 500 million people and killed 50 million people around the world.

Covid-19 has so far claimed 788,000 lives.

The main points

  • The World Health Organisation has urged Pacific island nations to stay vigilant against Covid-19, citing the late spread of the 1918 Spanish flu through the region as a cautionary tale.
  • The head of the WHO in the Western Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, the organisation believed the pandemic had entered a new phase in the region.

 

Kaniva mediawatch August 21, 2020

By
Kaniva Staff
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Valerie Adams

Covid-19 is real and people have to stop listening to false news, Tongan-New Zealand champion athlete Valerie Adams says.

Adams was speaking in a new video aimed at New Zealand’s Pasifika community which features prominent members of the community urging people to act responsibly.

“When people say Covid-19 isn’t real it makes me feel really uneasy,” Adams says.

“The pandemic is bigger than all of us.

“We have to be there for each other and back each other up.”

Other speakers urge the pubic to wear masks, to ask for help when they need it and to trust in science-based advice from the government, not internet rumours.

The video was produced by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, working with the Ministry of Health, New Zealand Police, SunPix, Tagata Pasifika and Pacific Media Network.

False rumours

Tongan Health Director Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola has urged people  to be more cautious with what they share on social media, after a post claiming there was a suspected case of Covid-19 at one of the quarantine facilities.

“There have been issues with social media broadcasting false rumours and false allegations,” Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said.

“We try to discourage people from spreading this unhelpful news. It is definitely not helping people.

“We urge people to provide news that come from credible sources for example, the Ministry of Health. Similarly, for us in the Ministry of Health, we always try to get health news related to COVID-19 from reliable sources like the World Health Organisation.”

Online abuse

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Pacific Response Coordination Team chairperson Pakilau Manase Lua told TV One  news that a family falsely accused on social media of breaking into a border isolation facility was struggling with what had been written about them.

“I think it’s terrible that people are finger pointing and blaming something that’s completely out of their control of this family,” Lua said.

“There’s also a lot of hateful messaging, and very vitriolic feedback from members of the community, when in actual fact they’re a victim of something that’s been around for some time now.

There was a lot of fear in the community as no-one knew when and how the virus re-emerged.

Vaccine

Australian’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promised to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine to the Pacific if Australia develops a supply of working drugs.

So far most countries in the region – including Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati – have remained free of coronavirus.

The Australian Government struck an agreement with UK-based drug company AstraZeneca to locally produce a vaccine which is currently being trialled at Oxford University.

Mr Morrison said Australia planned to use its aid program to “roll this sort of support out to our Pacific neighbours.”

Aid groups have urged the Australian government to increase its aid budget to pay for the distribution of vaccine.

Rugby Union

World Rugby, the ruling body for rugby union, has released a film about the 2020 Pacific Combine, which was held in Fiji earlier this year.

The event brought together 24 players from Tonga, Fiji and Samoa to show off their talents and learn new skills.

Tonga was represented by Leonaitasi Feke, Paea Fonoifua, Roy Lolesio, Rodney Togotea and Katilimoni Tuipulotu.

Pacific Combine lead coach Willie Rickards the level of raw talent in the players should make all three nations feel confident about what the future holds.

Top Combine players received a scholarship in World Rugby’s Pacific Island placement programme.

Judicial shortages pose threat to court system in dealing with illicit drug cases in Tonga, Chief Justice warns

By
Kalino Latu
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The effective operation of the courts in Tonga is under threat due to problems of increasing class A illicit drug caseloads, the Lord Chief Justice Michael Whitten said.

The growing problem of delays in these cases have undermined access to justice, he said.

“Over the last 12 to 18  months, a surge in class A drug-related offenses has caused significantly increased caseloads in the Supreme Court criminal division. Without additional judicial resources , many cases would be at risk of inordinate delays which in turn poses a threat to the due and fair administration of justice in the kingdom,” the Chief Justice said.

Mr Whitten has announced the appointment of an Acting Supreme Court judge as part of the court’s attempts to deal with the backlog of these court cases.

As Kaniva News reported last week, ‘Elisapeti Lavakei’aho Makoni Langi has become the first Tongan woman to be appointed to the judicial position in the kingdom.

“Langi’s appointment is initially for a period of four months with effect from 1 September 2020,” Whitten said in a statement.

“To assist in meeting this challenge, on 30 July 2020 His Majesty, King Tupou VI, in Council, approved the appointment of Mrs Langi as Acting Judge of the Supreme Court pursuant to clause 88(2) of the constitution of Tonga.”

The Chief Judge’s statement comes after Kaniva News reported last year that the Office of the Attorney General was on the verge of collapse (“ta’e’aonga”.)

The claim was made by Lawyer William Clive Edwards Snr during an interview in a video clip released on Facebook.

Edwards alleged the process of submitting prosecution and criminal proceedings to courts were repeatedly delayed because the Office could not “cope” with the work overload.

The lawyer said he believed the Office was understaffed or the experienced law officers were on leave or had left the country for good.

Auckland family to confirm bringing father’s body home as police identify driver in fatal head-on collision

By
Kalino Latu
-

Family of Tongan-Auckland based father who was killed in a head-on collision in Tonga would find out today when they can bring his body home.

‘Aisea Kaifa. Photo/Facebook

“Yes ‘Aisea’s body will be returned but will confirm that this Friday,” his daughter Lexia Kaifa told Kaniva News.

As we reported last week ‘Aisea Lolongo Kaifa, 66, died in the two-car crash on Hihifo Road near Sia’atoutai at around 10pm Saturday 11 August.

Police said the New Zealand resident died at the scene.

It is understood ‘Aisea was in Tonga on a business trip.

Police believe the driver of the other car overtook a vehicle before it crashed into the oncoming car driven by ‘Aisea killing him instantly.

Meanwhile Police have charged the driver of the vehicle, Simione Ikahihifo, 55, with reckless driving causing death in relation to ‘Aisea’s death.

The Hala-‘O-Vave accused remained in Police custody while Police investigation continues, Police said.

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