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Meliame Fisi’ihoi’s death: Innocent mother gunned down in a case of ‘mistaken identity’

By
Kaniva Staff
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By: Vaimoana Tapaleao, Reporter, NZ Herald

Meliame Fisi’ihoi was sleeping in the sitting room of her South Auckland home when there was a knock at the front door.

Opening that door would be her final act; she was shot point blank through a crack in a side window – a bullet that might have been meant for one of her sons.

A source told the Herald Fisi’ihoi’s death was a case of mistaken identity – the gunman was heard calling out for one of her adult sons shortly before the fatal shot.

“They were knocking on the door. She got up and … just said that [her son] wasn’t there.

“They insisted and so she went to open the door and – bang.”

It has been a week since the 57-year-old mother and well-respected member of the Auckland Tongan community was gunned down in the early hours of the morning at her Favona home.

Days after her murder graffiti, including the words “Aroha Black Power”, was spraypainted on a shed next to the house.

The shooting happened at the same property emergency services were called to last month when a man – understood to be Fisi’ihoi’s son – was shot.

No one has yet been arrested for either shooting and the person or people responsible remain on the run, with police treating Fisi’ihoi’s death as a homicide.

Police were called to the house in Calthorp Close for the second time in a month just before 3am last Wednesday after receiving reports of a gunshot.

A Givealittle page has been set up to help Meliame Fisi’ihoi’s family. To donate, visit: For Our Mum Meliame.

It is understood the son was recently released from prison and is also the same man who was shot at the property last month. He suffered critical injuries but is recovering.

The source said a request had been made for police protection for that son so he could attend his mother’s funeral services this week.

“[He] is the actual person that they’re trying to get hold of – the people that are upset with him.

“He was a long-time gang member … but I think he switched [gangs],” the source said.

“He’s taking it a bit hard now because it’s cost his mother her life.”

Fisi’ihoi has been described as a woman who was known for her loving and caring nature and was heavily involved in the local Tongan community.

She was also an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.

“She was just an innocent mum. She’s got nothing to do with any activities of her son. That’s why it’s a shock.”

The source said those close to the family were trying to figure out why the alleged gunman decided to shoot.

“We’re thinking that the shooter is probably a prospect with the other group and probably panicked.”

Before the incident, extended family members from overseas had started to arrive in the lead-up to birthday celebrations for Fisi’ihoi’s mother-in-law, who celebrated her 90th birthday at the weekend.

The event, due to be held last Saturday, was cancelled as the family is now in mourning.

Neighbours scared

A resident on the street, who asked not to be named, said there was a lot of fear and frustration among her neighbours.

The first shooting incident was bad enough, but the second highlighted that police had not caught the initial gunman, she said.

“I only hope that justice will be served for the woman who lost her life and her family will one day find some sort of peace.”

Māngere MP Aupito William Sio said he knew people in the community were “genuinely afraid” but wanted to reassure them that there was now a high police presence in the area.

“This kind of behaviour is intolerable.

“The community doesn’t like it, we don’t want it and whatever excuses people might have for being involved in criminal activities, I think people needed to see there’s been a pattern so far – that family members have died as a consequence of the actions of others.”

He encouraged anyone with information in relation to criminal activity to come forward – even if it was anonymously.

“I know it’s sometimes difficult to tell on your relatives or people who are related to you, but … they’re not helping them at all, by hiding them.

“When we are silent on this evil that’s been committed, we are also participating and allowing it to happen.”

Counties Manukau acting Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers said police were still trying to identify the person, or people, responsible for Fisi’ihoi’s death.

“Police are keeping an open mind around the motive at this point and I would reiterate that anyone with information concerning this case should contact police.”

Anyone with information is asked to phone Counties Manukau Police on (09) 261 1321, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Son’s medical condition plays key role in family’s successful immigration appeal

By
Philip Cass
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The New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has allowed a Tongan couple to stay in the country.

In its ruling the Tribunal said the couple and their children had demonstrated  exceptional humanitarian circumstances which would make it unjust or unduly harsh for them to be deported from New Zealand. 

The parents had been living in New Zealand for 11 years. Their four children were all born in New Zealand.

The  husband’s  parents  were  New  Zealand  permanent  residents.

The  husband  arrived  in  New  Zealand  in  July  2008. In Tonga, the wife was employed as a teacher. They married in New Zealand in January 2009.

The couple held work permits until 2009 when the wife was granted an Essential Skills work visa to work as a teacher’s aide for a Pacific church school and the husband held a concurrent work visa as her partner.

In November 2010, Immigration New Zealand declined to renew the wife’s work visa as it was not satisfied that her employer had made a genuine attempt to recruit a New Zealand citizen or resident for her position. She and the husband were granted visitor visas for one month.

The appellants became unlawfully in New Zealand in December 2010.

Over the following years the couple lodged a number of appeals and applications to allow them to stay, but each was declined.

In March 2019 they were given leave to stay so they could lodge humanitarian appeals.

The couple said that as an infant their son  was  hospitalised  with  meningitis which led to mental retardation and learning delays.  He also suffered from asthma and eczema.  His key problem was mental retardation and joint disorders with mobility issues.  This had not prevented him from attending a mainstream school  with  only  modest  support.   

However, he needed  ongoing  specialist reviews which would not be available to him in Tonga.  To develop his full potential, he needed to be able to access specialist services.

The Tribunal was told that the husband’s parents were New Zealand residents.  They relied on the couple for help with daily living. 

The husband had no house or land in Tonga and the wife’s parents lived in church properties.

The Tribunal was told the family was well-settled in New Zealand.  The wife contributed significantly  to  her  local  school  community  and  the  husband  was making a major contribution through his employment for a company that makes wastewater treatment systems.

If the appellants were deported to Tonga, the four children would be deprived  of  safe  housing,  health  facilities  and  the standard  of education  they  are  currently  receiving  in  New  Zealand.    The dependent children had spent their entire formative years in New Zealand, which was the only country they could call home.  Their well-being would be at serious risk in Tonga where there was no safe housing available for them.  The best interests of the children would be served by remaining together with their parents in New Zealand.

“The  Tribunal  finds  that  the  appellants’ settlement  here  over  the  past 11 years, the special needs of their son, the best interests of all their children in remaining  in  their  settled  life  in  New  Zealand  and  the  dependency  of  the husband’s New Zealand-resident parents on the emotional and practical day-to- day  support  provided  by  the  appellants  cumulatively  give  rise  to  exceptional humanitarian circumstances,” the report on the case said.

“Weighing the appellants’ unlawful stay against the exceptional humanitarian circumstances, most  particularly  the  detriment  to  the  son’s  education  and development and the needs of the husband’s New Zealand-resident parents, the Tribunal finds that it would be unjust and unduly harsh for the appellants and their children to be deported from New Zealand.

“The Tribunal  orders  that  the appellants and their children be granted resident visas.”

First case of Chinese killer virus confirmed in U.S.

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Erika Edwards, https://www.nbcnews.com/

Federal health officials have confirmed that a case of coronavirus has been diagnosed in Seattle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they will begin screening passengers at two additional U.S. airports: Atlanta and Chicago O’Hare.

The outbreak has spread from the central Chinese city of Wuhan to cities including Beijing and Shanghai, the CDC said on Tuesday. Cases have also been reported outside China, including in South Korea, Thailand and Japan. At least six have died.

The patient in the U.S. is a male in his 30s and is currently in good condition, the CDC said. He arrived in the U.S. around Jan. 15 after visiting Wuhan. Airport screenings did not begin until Jan. 17. The patient, who is a U.S. resident, did not have symptoms when he arrived, but had read about the virus online and when he started to develop symptoms, he immediately reached out to his health care provider.

How the US is preparing for coronavirus spreading through China

JAN. 22, 202001:43

The case in the U.S. comes amid rising concern that the illness could be transmitted through so-called super-spreaders — highly infectious patients with the ability to sicken dozens at once.

Nearly all of the 300-plus cases have been reported in China, including at least 14 health care workers who have fallen ill with the respiratory virus, a coronavirus known as 2019-nCoV.

It’s unclear whether those workers were all infected in the same place, but if so, “it just smacks of a super-spreader event,” said Michael Osterholm, an international infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota.

That’s when one patient inexplicably produces much higher levels of a virus in his or her lungs, giving the patient the ability to infect dozens of people at a time. Osterholm said super-spreader cases occurred during two well-known coronavirus outbreaks: the SARS and the MERS epidemics. The 2003 SARS outbreak reached more than two dozen countries, sickening 8,098 people. Nearly 800 died.

New virus prompts U.S. to screen passengers from Wuhan, China

“For those of us who dealt with SARS and MERS, it’s like déjà vu all over again,” Osterholm told NBC News. “When you see super-spreaders, you know you’ve got a problem.”

China’s National Health Commission confirmed 298 cases as of Tuesday evening. The majority have been reported in or near the city of Wuhan, and linked to a food market with live animals. Since the strain was first detected in December, the number of cases and their geographic spread has increased rapidly.

Severe cases have generally been limited to older adults with underlying health conditions. But increasingly, said Osterholm, younger, otherwise healthy adults are falling ill.What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses can cause a range of symptoms including a runny nose, cough, sore throat and fever. Some are mild, while others are more likely to lead to pneumonia. They’re usually spread through direct contact with an infected person.

The coronavirus gets its name from the crown-like spikes on its surface, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Corona is Latin for crown.) Including the newly identified form of the virus, there are a total of seven coronaviruses that can infect humans, the CDC says.

There is no specific treatment for the new virus, and no vaccine to prevent it. The National Institutes of Health confirmed Tuesday they are in the “very preliminary stages” of research to develop a vaccine for the new virus, but declined to provide details.

The outbreak is coinciding with massive travel in and out of China in advance of the Lunar New Year on Jan. 25, and prompted the CDC last week to start screening passengers arriving from Wuhan at New York’s JFK airport, San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles’ LAX. On Tuesday, the CDC announced that they would be screening passengers at two additional airpots: Alanta’s Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago O’Hare. All passengers whose flights originate in Wuhan will be re-routed to one of these five airpots.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization will meet to discuss whether to declare the outbreak an “public health emergency of international concern.” Such a move would help guide countries on how they should respond, usually by offering financial and/or political support. It could also recommend against practices that could be detrimental to affected regions, such as travel and trade restrictions.

“One thing that we’ve seen in outbreaks in the past is countries try to put up travel bans or propose restrictive travel in an attempt to stop the spread of an outbreak,” said Alexandra Phelan, an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law who works on policy issues related to infectious diseases.

North Korea, for example, has reportedly closed its border to foreign tourists until the current coronavirus outbreak is under control.

But, Phelan explained, such policies are ineffective because people still cross borders. “When you put travel bans in place, people don’t go through the normal processes. You lose the opportunity to give people medical information, conduct appropriate screening or provide medical treatment,” Phelan told NBC News.

House where Fisi‘ihoi’s body found defaced with Black Power gang graffiti

By
Kaniva Staff
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A vandal defaced the house at south Auckland where the body of Meliame Fisi’ihoi was found dead last Wednesday morning.

A 54-year-old woman has been charged with wilful damage in connection with the defacing of the property.

She is due to appear in Manukau District Court on January 24.

The house was spray-painted with the words “Aroha Black Power” in white on a black shed beside the house on Sunday.

The 57-year-old Tongan mother was shot dead at the Calthorp Close, Favona property on Wednesday in the early hours of the morning.

In December, a man was seriously injured after being shot on the same road. He was taken to Middlemore Hospital for treatment.

Counties Manukau Acting Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers said the investigation into the death of Fisi’ihoi is ongoing and it was too early to say whether the two shootings were related.

Auckland man killed in Tonga car crash, wife remains in hospital

By
Kalino Latu
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A wedding celebration in which an opportunity for family members overseas were expected to get together and celebrate in the kingdom has turned into tragedy after a husband died and his wife was injured in a single car crash.

Mr Taniela Manu and his wife Lavinia Kitekei’aho Manu were heading to Houma, Tongatapu before their vehicle crashed on a road at ‘Utulau this afternoon, a cousin of Lavinia told Kaniva news.

Taniela reportedly died at the scene while his wife was rushed to hospital with injuries.

The Tongan-Auckland based couple have just arrived in Tongatapu from New Zealand to attend Lavinia’s cousin’s wedding this weekend.

Photos taken at the scene, seen by Kaniva news, appeared to show the vehicle was badly damaged after it obviously collided into a tree.

Police and ambulance staff attended the crash scene.

Some photos showed an uniformed police officer and what appeared to be members of the public carrying a stretcher while others were attending to what appeared to be one of the victims.

No further details were immediately available.

Tongan authorities could not be reached for comment.

Tongan teenager charged with murder in Melbourne to appear in court in March

By
Kaniva Staff
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An 18-year-old Tongan teenage boy accused of murdering 41 year old Timothy Williams is scheduled to appear at the Geelong Magistrates Court in March.

Setefano Pahulu Tupou did not apply for bail after facing the one count of murder. It’s believed the young man’s defence asked the court to note the client’s age, with no prior time spent in custody and that he had been prescribed prozac, Melbourne media reported.

Tupou of Tarneit had been charged with the murder of the 41 year old Colac man in Geelong.

Williams was last seen leaving a property at around 6.15pm on a Monday evening, and was not seen again until he was found unconscious in a Richie Boulevard car park in Eastern Beach just before midnight.

He was taken to University Hospital Geelong before being transferred to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with severe head injuries. He passed away from his injuries in October 2019.

Chinese ambassador praises royal family’s support for Taiwan policy; says China speaks for Tonga in UN Security Council

By
Philip Cass
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China’s ambassador to Tonga, Cao Xiaolin, has thanked the Tongan royal family and government for what he said was their support for the one-China Principle and China’s position on Taiwan.

Speaking at the launch of the Spring Festival festivities, the ambassador said China was fully convinced that Tonga would continue to uphold the one-China Principle and would not conduct any official exchanges with Taiwan in any form.

And he said that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China spoke “for Tonga and other developing countries with a view to safeguarding our common interests.”

He said China was committed to further enhancing its political mutual trust with the kingdom, by strengthening understanding and cooperation on issues concerning major concerns.

China would set up a Confucius Institute in Tonga in to help young Tongans to learn Chinese language and culture.

The ambassador described the aid provided by China to Tonga as “sincere and selfless.”

“The Chinese community here actively fit into the Tongan society and play a very important role in promoting our cooperation in economy and trade, agriculture and tourism,” he said.

“Their contributions are laudable.

“China and Tonga are like-minded partners in the international affairs. We share similar positions on many regional and international issues, and support each other on many important matters.

Ambassador Cao said the recent signing of the Phase One trade agreement between China and the United States would benefit all countries, including Tonga.

The ambassador said Sino-Tongan relationships had developed soundly.

The ambassador, who was posted to the kingdom as a junior diplomat in 1988, said the results of co-operation between the two countries were tangible.

“Our mutual trust has deepened,” Ambassador Xiaolin said.

“Both China and Tonga respect each other’s right to choose the development path suitable for our national conditions and we have established a comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development.

“China views Tonga as an equal member of the international community as well as an important cooperation partner.”

“China is the largest developing country in the world, and Tonga is a very important country in the Pacific island region. China-Tonga relations have become a role model for the international community on equal treatment, friendly cooperation and common development.

“We have every reason to be proud of the accomplishments achieved in our bilateral relations so far.”

PM’s Media Questions: Road Construction Project funding sources; debate on claims PM was a traitor; Vava’u visit and dialysis facility

By
Kalino Latu
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Kiliki ‘i he halangaope ‘i ‘olunga’ ke ke fanongo ki he faka’eke’eke kakato ‘o e ‘Eiki Palēmia’ ‘i he lea fakaTonga’. For our Tongan readers here is the full interview audio in Tongan Language

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PM’s Media Questions: Road Construction Project funding sources; debate on claims PM was a traitor; why road project began with cabinet ministers’ constituencies jumping the queue for work in electorates, targeting voters claims, Vava’u visit and dialysis facility.

Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa was interviewed by FM87.5 on January 16. An audio was provided by the Prime Minister’s office and transcribed and translated into English by Kaniva News. Some of the content of this article had been abridged and rephrased (in English) to make it clearer to our English readers.

The interview:

FM 87.5: What is the government’s plan for Tropical Cyclone Tino as it is approaching Tonga?

PM Tu’i’onetoa: The government is ready to help the public when there is a natural disaster like Cyclone Tino. The Ministry of MEIDEC and Minister Poasi Tei, NEMO, the government CEOs are ready to help and I thanked them for their hard works. I would like to warn the public this is the season of tropical cyclones which will end in March and April. We have to keep safe and stay alert. Continue on praying to God and I asked church leaders and pastors to pray together with us so that God will protect our nation.

FM 87.5: The upcoming visit to Vava’u is important. What is important about this visit?

PM Tu’i’onetoa: This is an opportunity for me to be part of the the king’s visit to Vava’u to open the newly built  Vava’u Police station. That will be an opportunity for me to meet the governor, business community, church leaders and those who will attend and meet with me there. Most excitingly this will be an opportunity for me to meet the civil servants there. I will also visit the new road project and will talk to the people about their most urgent needs.

FM 87.5: You previously invited anyone from the PTOA party to hold a debate with you about their description of you as a traitor. Can you clarify that?

PM Tu’i’onetoa: That’s true. In one of our programmes I said I would welcome anyone who wanted to debate with me on the accusation laid against me saying I was a traitor. But I intended to hold the debate in Parliament as I have heard the topic was currently debated in other places. But in my view the right place for this debate is in Parliament. This programme we are doing I am just updating the people on what is currently happening. A journalist had contacted me and asked to come and recorded a programme with me on the new road construction project. But I told them I was fully booked for my work schedules. This included the government’s budgeting programme for 2020/2021, natural disaster planning, working with the Education Minister on the issue of school drop outs and the low pass rate for Tonga’s national exams in 2019 and the needs to speed up the work to establish dialysis facility in Tonga. I want it to be done as soon as possible so our dialysis patients overseas can return to Tonga. I also want to look at the policing plan and the fight against drugs and others. The New Zealand and Australian Prime Ministers recorded a programme in which they wanted to update the public using one  news media before sharing that programme with other media. I am doing the same thing here in Tonga.

FM 87.5: In the previous budgets the road construction policy allocation was increased  from TOP$5 million to TOP$10 million and former deputy PM (Sēmisi Sika)  commented on an estimate of TOP$500 million which was rounded up to an amount closed to TOP$492 million and TOP$611 million you mentioned in the last programme. You two have the same estimates. There were concerns whether the government has the money.

PM Tu’i’onetoa: I respect the former Minister of Infrastructure (Sēmisi Sika) and the former Minister of Police. It’s part of politics that  we have different opinions, talents, experiences and different ways of how we trust God. The Lord has given us various talents and various people to help us. I clearly understand that this was a huge project. The biggest road construction project ever held (in Tonga) was by former Prime Minister Lord Sevele’s government in 2006, as far as I remember. And this is the second biggest road project I am doing. We are talking about more than 2000 kilometres to be filled and constructed in this project. We planned for this. There were new roads included in the project which had not been shown in the Ministry of Survey’s land mapping like the ngutungutu roads (roads running between the land boundaries and its 50 feet mark distance from the sea.) These roads are important because they will become roads for tourists. When these roads are completed they will help boost tourism, and they also added economic values to lands and properties in these areas.   We were well prepared to implement this project right from the beginning when the People’s Party was established and it was written in our party’s constitution. I publicly announced this on the day I was elected Prime Minister. The Opposition MPs, including Sēmisi Sika, Penisimani Fifita, MP Mo’ale Fīnau and MP Veivosa Taka  declared their policy priorities (on the day of the premiership election)  and they were different from us. They did not include any plan to construct roads. These eight Opposition MPs agreed with the late Prime Minister that the most important project for the country was the Popua National Park, the new golf course and the six new bills the majority of the people did not accept. My priority was to have works to do and not to remove powers. The six new bills we are talking about were to remove powers. They wanted power while I wanted to work (for the country) and to do things to  meet the people’s urgent needs.

FM 87.5: You have been accused of using the government’s new road project to target voters in the next general election in 2021. Not only that but also there have been concerns after the government began constructing roads at its cabinet ministers’ constituencies jumping the constituencies’ queue. What’s is the truth about that?

PM Tu’i’onetoa: That was totally wrong. As I told Parliament on September 27, 2019, if I was elected Prime Minister this was what I was going to do. I said the road project could take four years and I have divided that into two-year terms. I  also said this will only happen if staff of the Ministry of Infrastructure follow through, otherwise it would cause problems to the project. Some of them appeared to have not believed in me and still trusted the former Minister. There was a need to change that and for them to follow our new government’s plans. We agreed with the late Prime Minister (‘Akilisi Pōhiva) when ‘Etuate Lavulavu was the Minister of Infrastructure, to approve TOP$164 million per year for new roads constructions and repairs. This meant the former government had approved a TOP$494 million estimate for the project’s three-year term. What the former minister (Sēmisi Sika) should have done was to continue on constructing the roads. We undertake to construct the roads even though we have not yet had the total amount of funding needed. It was in our heart and we prayed to God and asked for help. I and my cabinet and the people too  prayed for this very significant job.

FM 87.5: The road constructions began right from your constituency and constituencies of your cabinet ministers. We normally began government projects according to the order of the constituencies from Tongatapu 1 down to Tongatapu 17. Why is that?

PM Tu’i’onetoa: It is very difficult to work together with people whom we do not hold the same beliefs. We need to begin with people who believe in us and then end up with the unbelievers. The same thing applies to contractors for whom we outsourced the road project. We will use the contractors who we hold the same belief before those who we do not have the same belief. The same thing also went to civil servants like the Ministry of Finance’s staff. This does not mean they were bad. It just that the work could be dragged on if their views were different from us. This was the reason why we began the project from our own constituencies as we wanted to begin with the people who we have the same stance. This project belonged to everyone from babies to adults because everyone used the roads. It’s different from the Popua National Park because only some can go and use it. This project is not an election campaign tool. We are just implementing what I told Parliament on the day of the premiership election. Those who are working at the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Survey, Prime Minister’s Office and all services which have links to this project let’s work together to make it a success. Those of you who did not agree and did not believe just take a break. We have seen how people were happy with the project. They donated free meals for the workers and constructors that’s the kind of heart we need. When the roads are good the people can go to their plantations from which they can make money to build their families and tourism. This will open up various economical benefits to the country as a whole.

FM 87.5: Have you anything else to talk about?

PM Tu’i’onetoa: The former Deputy Prime Minister (Sēmisi Sika) said he was informed there was no money. Last year TOP$7 million was returned to Treasury from the Ministry of Infrastructure. The Ministry could not use that money for what it had been allocated for in the budget. Last year also more than $50 million was returned from other ministries for the same reason.  This showed we have plenty of money returned to Treasury. This project is being implemented within the laws. I would like to remind the public of my background.  I was an auditor and Auditor General for more than 30 years and there was nothing new to me when it comes to financial matters. Most of the financial forecast I made in the past had been succeeded. So I ask the people of the nation to trust me and give me your heart. Let’s allow Jehovah to lead our road construction project so that we succeed.

Heartfelt message sent to Fineasi Sila’s friends before his life support withdrawn

By
Kalino Latu
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A friend of a Tongan man who died at the Liverpool hospital in Sydney messaged their kava friends and told them to meet at the patient’s bedside to pray and wait until he was taken off life support.

Peni Na’a said in a Facebook status that this was an opportunity the family have arranged for Sila’s friends to visit him.  

Na’a told Kaniva news the deceased was working before he fell unconscious on Tuesday.  He said it appeared Sila suffered a heart attack.

He said they have the fakafāmili (prayer) with Sila at 7pm last night before the ventilator was turned off.

“It’s a pity he died,” Na’a said.

Some friends who could not make it to the hospital responded to Na’a’s message and sent their love to the deceased.

“Sad news. Kiss Fineasi for me,” a responder wrote.

“I could not make it. Send my love to Fineasi,” another wrote.  

The kava clubs with which Sila used to spend time were shocked by the news.

They described Sila as someone who was easy to get along with.

It is understood Sila’s body would be flown back to Tonga to his family.

US citizen arrested while picking up parcel of illicit drugs from Vava‘u Post Shop; two others arrested in separate incidents

By
Kaniva Staff
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An 66-year-old man with United States citizenship attempted to pick up a parcel with illicit drug from Neiafu Post Shop, police said.

Police seized the parcel and found 18.05 grams of cannabis oil in it.

A search warrant of the suspect’s residence at Tapana island resulted in seizure of 0.28 grams of cannabis.

On Tuesday 14 January police arrested a 64-year-old man from Leimātu’a and seized 1,430 of illegally imported ammunition.

A 59-year-old man from Ha’ateiho was also arrested on the same day from one of the bonded warehouse in Nuku’alofa with three firearms, a .22 long rifle and two shotguns.

All three accused have been charged accordingly and to appear at the Magistrate Court at a later date.  

Acting Deputy Commissioner Tevita Vailea says that Police are committed to disrupt and detect the supply of drugs and hold those responsible to account.   

“Police, Partner Agencies and Community together will win this war against drugs and safeguard our children and the future of Tonga from its ill effects.    We encourage anyone who may have information about drug related offending to contact 22782.”

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