A Tongan man has reportedly died on an Australian farm while working in that country’s Seasonal Worker Program.
It is understood the deceased was working in a farm in Mildura, Victoria.
A relative told Kaniva news the man was from Lapaha in Tonga.
According to reports on Facebook the deceased was rushed to hospital over the weekend before he died.
The cause of his death was still
unknown.
The country’s hot weather and how hot it was for workers has been a major challenge for Tongan farm workers.
On a separate note, an unconfirmed report on Facebook says seasonal workers in Victoria who have just arrived from Tonga have absconded from a farm, angering Tongan agent who sponsored them to come to Australia.
Melise Haukoloa claimed she has cancelled their contracts and police had been contacted.
The reported
death came after Kalolo Kuea passed away at the Driscoll berry production
company in Tasmania in October.
Fifteen
Pacific islanders have reportedly died in the program since it began 10 years
ago.
Brisbane’s Courier-Mail reports
extreme neglect was a factor in the earlier deaths.
Hundreds of people are taking shelter in evacuation centres in Fiji as cyclone Sarai hammers the country.
The category two event is bringing wind speeds of around 100km/h, gusting up to 140km/h.
The storm is expected to pass close to the Kadavu island group today, and a flood warning has been issued for major rivers and streams in the western and central division.
Metservice Meteorologist Micky Malivuk said New Zealand was unlikely to experience any effect.
Meanwhile, more holiday makers will have their travel plans disrupted today.
Travel agency Flight Centre said hundreds of its customers had been affected by flight cancellations as Fiji braced itself for the storm.
A number of flights between Nadi and New Zealand were cancelled yesterday and more flights have been cancelled again today.
All flights in and out of Nadi have been cancelled, including from Auckland, until at least midnight tonight.
Flight Centre New Zealand general manager of product Victoria Courtney said the agency was working with airlines to re-accommodate passengers within the next week where possible.
Courtney said passengers should check with airlines or travel agents for the latest updates.
The Fiji National Disaster Management Office this morning said 15 evacuation centres were open and 361 people had sought shelter last night.
The body also assisted people living in low-lying areas as strong storm surges started to enter some villages along the coastal areas in the western division.
The cyclone’s forecast track shows it will pass adjacent to the main island Viti Levu and then across Fiji’s southern islands, before heading towards Tonga’s Ha’apai Group.
Tonga’s Fua’amotu Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre has been activated as Tropical Cyclone Sarai is expected to cross into Tonga waters today.
The Cyclone Warning Centre will continue to provide Tropical Cyclone advisories, alerts and warnings for Tonga on the developments of the cyclone every six hours. Advisories will be updated more often prior to its track closing into Tongan waters.
Kaniva Tonga news has a content sharing arrangement with RNZ.
A top rugby player who gave his team-mate a vicious beating did not buy his way out of a conviction by paying him $50,000, a judge says.
Japanese international Amanaki Lelei Mafi (29) had his case called yesterday before the Dunedin District Court, where, in his absence, counsel Anne Stevens QC entered a guilty plea to assaulting 29-year-old Lopeti Timani.
Last week, Judge John Macdonald indicated he would discharge Mafi without conviction if the payment was made.
It should not be seen as “an indication he somehow bought his way out of a conviction”, he said.
Timani, who was playing for the Melbourne Rebels alongside Mafi at the time of the incident last year, suffered injuries to his head and neck which took six months to heal, the court heard.
But the defendant provided letters saying his lucrative contract would likely be terminated if he was convicted.
While having “some reservations”, the judge accepted that outcome was out of all proportion to the seriousness of the offending.
Though the value of that contract was not specified, he inferred it was probably “significant if not substantial”.
Crown prosecutor Robin Bates did not oppose the discharge without conviction.
The Rebels were beaten 43-37 by the Highlanders on July 14 last year, effectively ending their chances of a Super Rugby playoff spot.
After the game, Mafi and Timani, who grew up together in Tonga, went to a South Dunedin home, where they drowned their sorrows among Mafi’s family members.
By 4am the next day, the men were intoxicated.
Mafi objected to “coarse language” being used by Timani in front of his female relatives, the court heard.
The pair agreed to fight in the lounge.
Judge Macdonald called it “an extreme overreaction”.
The burly forwards exchanged blows but were eventually separated.
Fearing for his safety, Timani fled the house to nearby Bathgate Park, where he called his brother in France and asked him for help.
Mafi found him and the violence continued.
The defendant punched him repeatedly in the head and Timani believed he was also kicked numerous times.
Mafi later admitted inflicting the blows and explained he had become “enraged” that the victim had insulted his family member.
He said he only stopped punching Timani when he thought he had “had enough”.
In the days after the assault, the victim was pictured with a heavily swollen face and two black eyes.
Timani — who is currently contracted to La Rochelle, in France — told the Sydney Morning Herald he thought he was going to die during the sustained beating.
Both men were fined $A15,000 for breaching team protocol.
In a victim impact statement, Timani said the ordeal had had a profound impact on him, both financially and emotionally, which was ongoing.
He said he believed the assault — and the “concussive symptoms” stemming from it — could have shortened his playing career by a year.
Mafi must pay Timani the $50,000 reparation within a week, Judge Macdonald ordered.
A letter of apology would also be passed on to the victim, the court heard.
Prime Minster Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa said the king has given him a good reason why he rejected his request to have him become a member of the Privy Council.
His Majesty also declined a proposal by Hon Tu’i’onetoa to
increase the power of the Minister of Police over the Police Commissioner.
Again the Prime Minister said the king gave him another good reason for it.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said King Tupou VI told him that their
monthly audiences would help sort out any differences either between the privy
council and cabinet or between the king and the Prime Minister.
“That’s an opportunity for us only to meet and no one else,
to discuss issues regarding the country as a whole,” Hon Tu’i’onetoa said in
Tongan.
As Kaniva news reported last night, the Prime Minister revealed the rejections by the king during a meeting with the Tongan community in Auckland on Monday.
The Prime Minister said in their recent audience with the
king at ‘Atalanga in Auckland they
discussed the regional trade deal known as PACER Plus.
The Prime Minister told Kaniva
news this afternoon he was the one who brought the trade treaty to Tonga
with the idea that if “we need growth
in economy, we need free trade or free from the barriers of Trade.”
Hon Tu’i’onetoa said the king did not agree with Tonga signing
the treaty when the government endorsed it in 2015.
During their ‘Atalanga audience the king finally agreed to ratify the PACER Plus after he listened to what Hon Tu’i’onetoa told him about the economic deal.
The Prime Minister said Tonga would sign PACER Plus early
next year.
“This has been achieved through a discussion that involved
feveitokai’aki spirit and with respect to point of arguments,” he said in
Tongan.
Police Commissioner and Minister of Police
The Prime Minister said the king maintained his view that police
force should be controlled by the Police Commissioner rather than the minister.
He said the king believed if the force was controlled by the
Minister of Police it could open opportunity to politicise certain events or
activities.
“I respect his view,” Hon Tu’i’onetoa said.
He said that when he was Police Minister he deeply felt the fact
he had no power over the Police Commissioner.
He said times had gone by and he had begun to believe it was
better for him as minister to not have control over the police.
“I may use that power to arrest my political rivals if I have issues with them,” Hon Tu’i’onetoa said.
The king and Hon Tu’i’onetoa’s audience came after the king rejected repeated requests by the Late Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva to meet the king after the king dissolved Parliament in 2017.
The constitution stipulates that the prime minister must report to the king to discuss government matters.
The king has rejected a proposal to allow Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa to become a member of the Privy Council.
The king has also declined a request by the Prime Minister to give the Minister of Police more power over the Police Commissioner.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa
made the revelation during his meeting with some members of the Tongan
community in Auckland on Monday.
He told the
meeting King Tupou VI rejected the proposals during their audience this month.
The Prime
Minister said that while he was Police Minister he felt disappointed when he
saw that the minister did not have much power over the Police Commissioner.
He said he
told the king during their audience the Prime Minister should be in the Privy
Council so he could thoroughly update him and his councilors of what happened
in the cabinet and the executive government.
In his response regarding the proposal to increase the Police Minister’s power the king told him to toe the line (“taki taha tu’u pe i hono laini.”) When he declined the request for the prime minister to be appointed a member of the Privy Council the king told Tu’i’onetoa “you choose your own Cabinet Ministers and I choose my own Councilors.”
Hon.
Tu’i’onetoa was responding after a member of the Tongan community asked him during
the meeting in Mangere, South Auckland about the roles of the Police
Commissioner and how it worked in relation to the Minister of Police.
Hon.
Tu’i’onetoa is the third prime minister since the democratic reform in 2010 .
There have been concerns that while the government is democratically elected, some
of its key appointments are made by the king and his Privy Council who they are
not accountable to the people. These included the appointments of the Police
Commissioner and the Attorney General.
Lord Tu’ivakano was the first Prime Minister after the move to democracy in 2010. He quickly realised there were issues with the existing constitution and how it stipulated the appointments of these key positions. Lord Tu’ivakano finally endorsed a report by Constitutional Law expert from the Commonwealth, Peter Pursglove, who reviewed Tonga’s 2010 constitution.
In his
report, which was published in 2014, Pursglove said Tonga’s 2010 constitution was
poorly written, promoted secrecy, compromised the role of the judiciary and
parts of it may have been illegal.
Pursglove said the Privy Council lacked any democratic composition or accountability.
Police Acts – Parliament’s report
In 2015 Parliament was told the Police Acts needed to be amended to give more power and authority to the Minister of Police.
Parliament said the call for amendment to the Acts was raised by the former Prison Commissioner Sione Falemanu and senior officers during a parliamentary visit to Hu’atolitoli Prison.
According to the Tonga Police Acts the Police Minister could meet with the Police Commissioner to give him direction of what the Minister would like the Commissioner to do for the safety of the community.
Former Police Minister Mateni Tapueluelu reportedly said the fact the Police Commissioner was not appointed by the Cabinet according to the constitution while the minister is being appointed by the Cabinet made it difficult for them to work together for the benefit of the community.
Tapueluelu
said that in New Zealand the Prime Minister, on the advice of Cabinet,
recommended the appointment of the Police Commissioner to the Governor General.
King’s
first response for the country
The
revelation by the Prime Minister was the first time the country has received a
response from the king after a raft of six bills were tabled by the late
‘Akilisi Pohiva’s government in Parliament earlier this year.
The bills
included giving the government, rather than the king, control over key judicial
and police appointments.
The bills were first submitted to Parliament by Lord Tu’ivakano in 2014 although the noble and his former government ministers and MPs did not support the bills this year when ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s government submitted them to Parliament after public consultations.
Previous proposal for Privy Council
Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa‘s deputy, Sione Vuna Fā’otusia, told a press conference in Nuku’alofa in 2017 that the then government proposed to amend the Constitution so that Cabinet ministers become members of the Privy Council.
Hon. Fa’otusia said this was to allow the ministers to talk and discuss directly with the king any laws or any amendments to the constitution right from the beginning to the end before the king chose to sign them off or not.
He said it
was a good idea to get the king involved in the process right from the start so
he could really understand why MPs wanted to make or amend those laws.
He also said
the judicial committee which advised the king in Privy Council had caused
instability in Tonga.
“These
committee members were people we did not know,” the Minister told the press conference.
They were
not chosen by the people, he said.
The
committee was chaired by Lord Dalgety of Sikotilani Tonga and few other law
lords, the Minister said.
Hon. Fā’otusia
said many of the amendments to laws and the Constitution passed by Parliament
were vetoed by His Majesty because of this judicial committee.
“If the
judicial committee did not agree with laws and
amendments to the constitutions which were already passed by the
Parliament that’s the end of it” the Minister said.
The Supreme Court has found a husband and wife guilty of multiple charges of sexual assault.
The husband
was found guilty of eight charges, including two counts of rape and four counts
of serious indecent assault.
The wife has
been found guilty of five offences, including
three of serious indecent assault, and one count of abetting rape.
The case was
heard before Judge Niu in Vava’u.
The offences
occurred on January 11 this year after the complainant and several other
people, including the husband and wife, had engaged in a lengthy drinking
session which began the previous night.
The
complainant had vomited twice during the evening. At around dawn on the 11th
the husband and wife offered to drive her home.
The
complainant said was very drunk and the last thing she remembered was the woman
showering her in a house.
She told the
court that when she woke she was naked and the husband and wife were having sex
beside her. The husband and wife then performed a series of sexual acts on her.
She was
eventually able to escape from the house in which she was being held.
She told the
court she found shelter in another house and eventually her cousin came and
collected her.
The
defendants denied her accusations and gave evidence that the complainant had
willingly participated in certain acts, but also that they (husband and wife)
had quarreled over the girl’s presence.
Judge Niu
said the case revolved around whether the complainant had consented.
He found
beyond any treasonable doubt that the complainant had not consented to any of the acts and therefore
found the husband and wife guilty.
The judge ordered
that the complainant not be identified.
Editor’s note: This story is edited to correct what we have earlier on said Lord Tu’ilakepa owned a quarryand that he has offered to sell rocks for TOP$70 per heavy truck load if the government used his quarry for the road project. That was not correct.
New Zealand-based PTOA supporters protesting against the rule of Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa staged large demonstrations in Mangere, South Auckland yesterday.
For more than five
hours the protesters sang hymns and waved anti-government banners in defiance
of the restrictions put in their way by police, who kept them across the road from the meeting venue.
The meeting was held at the hall of the United
Church of Tonga Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.
Undercover and uniformed police officers stood in front and among the protesters to prevent them from moving across to the other side of the road where Hon. Tu’i’onetoa was meeting with some members of the Tongan community.
Hundreds of Democratic party demonstrators appeared to have been well organised and disciplined for the largely peaceful rally. The only exception came when the Prime Minister’s supporters launched themselves at the Democrat supporters.
Members of Tongan community meet with the Prime Minister. Photo/Kaniva Tonga
As
Kaniva news has already reported a clash ensued following exchanges of
words from among the protesters and their opponents, who had gathered on the church property.
PTOA
supporters held banners calling for PM Tu’i’onetoa to step down and calling him
a traitor.
Hon.
Tu’i’onetoa told the meeting at the hall he was happy to meet them for the
first time.
He asked for their help in his attempts to build the nation.
PM Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa and Chief Secretary Edgar Cocker. Photo/Kaniva Tonga
Prime Minister’s Project
Hon Tu’i’onetoa told the gathering what he has described as the “Prime Minister’s project.”
This was
his cabinet’s main priority of filling and sealing all roads in Tonga.
The Prime
Minister reminded the audience this was a project created and approved by the
former government of ‘Akilisi Pohiva, which had been deferred.
He said then when he was elected he decided to put the policy into action.
He said the project was named as his project to facilitate the work required and so he could deal with problems and change laws if necessary.
TP$6 million down payment deal
The Prime Minister said two of his noble cabinet ministers offered to sell rocks for TOP$70 per heavy truck load if the government used their quarries for the road project.
Kaniva understands the nobles were Lord Ma’afu and Lord Nuku.
The Prime
Minister said based on how the government calculated the costs for the rocks,
it could spend nearly $20 million on the project if it accepted the nobles’
offer.
He said the nobles also made a down payment of $6 million, which was $3 million for each of them, to be paid to them in advance and the government would settle the balance within 10 years.
Hon
Tu’i’onetoa said nothing had been agreed or approved at this stage.
He said the nobles’ offer could save about $36 million because the other three quarries the government could use cost $200 per heavy truck load.
If the
government used these quarries it could spent $56 million to complete the
project. He said the government did not have that much money.
The Prime Minister lashed out at his critics who alleged that the government had paid $3 million each to the nobles.
The criticisms
The PTOA supporters
have criticised the Prime Minister for the deals, saying they involved a conflict
of interest.
Some
critics claimed the Prime Minister’s supporters have accused the late ‘Akilisi
government of nepotism and favouritism, but now the Tu’i’onetoa government has done
the same thing
The Prime
Minister was welcomed at the meeting with positive comments from the audience
who at times applauded him and his Chief Secretary, Edgar Cocker.
Hon
Tu’i’onetoa did not reply to a question from Tagata Pasifika correspondent John Pulu who asked him during the
meeting what would he like to say about the protesters who rallied outside and
called for him to step down.
It was
not clear why Hon Tu’i’onetoa did not respond to that question after he
responded to a first question by Pulu.
It
appeared the Prime Minister may have
been affected after he tripped over the edge of the carpet and fell to his knee
on his way from the microphone to his seat when he finished his opening speech.
However, he appeared to be fine later on.
Pulu said
he did not pursue the question and felt for the Prime Minister after he fell
over.
Request to donate tar
Hon Tu’i’onetoa asked the audience during the meeting to donate one drum of tar for each of their families in Tonga.
Some who spoke during the meeting supported the idea while some raised concerns at how this donation could be collected and organised to make sure no one abused the opportunity.
Hon Tu’i’onetoa said he had just returned from Norway and had asked the Norwegian Prince if he could donate 150 drums of tar to Tonga. The Prime Minister reported that the Prince said he would talk to the petrol company about it.
As Kaniva news
reported previously, the Minister of Infrastructure said the government would
help families who had no family members overseas. In the case of constituencies
like Vava’u, where kava plants were their major source of income, people could
trade in kava for their tar.
A peaceful protest against Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa yesterday in South Auckland turned violent.
While hundreds
of the protesters continued to demonstrate peacefully, singing hymns and chanting
slogans, a clash erupted after some of the Prime Minister’s supporters opened a
gate and launched themselves at the protesters from across the road.
These
were members of a security force used by the church authorities to guard the
United Church of Tonga Taufa’ahau property where Hon. Tu’i’onetoa was holding a
meeting with some members of the Tongan community.
Police at the scene called for backup.
Several
police cars arrived and the clash was quickly brought under control.
The clash was caught on video which shows what appeared to be a woman who came to the fence of the church and began exchanging words with some of the Democratic party protesters from across the road.
Controversial figure Kelekōlio Tapueluelu, who vowed
to interrupt the demonstrators, his sons and friends could be seen in the videos
during the clash with the protesters.
He was also seen talking to police officers at the gate in an attempt to make sure the Prime Minster’s vehicle could not be identified by the protesters when it left the gate about 10pm.
However, when the vehicle arrived at the gate the
protesters realised it was his and booed it.
The tension on both sides of the road was a mixture of joy and a sense of controlled threat.
By-standers who were taking photos appeared to be
expecting something immense to happen.
At the same time, the Prime Minister was speaking to
some members of the community inside the church’s hall.
Hon Tu’i’onetoa appeared emotional and tearful at
times while he was talking to the audience.
A Tongan church leader in Auckland said today he did not want his organisation involved in partisan politics.
Secretary of the Tākanga ‘A e Kau Taki Lotu Tonga, Sione Tu’itahi was speaking ahead of today’s community meeting with visiting Tongan Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa, at which supporters of the Tongan democratic movement are expected to protest.
Tu’itahi
said his organisation did “not know much” about the discussions on social media
about the protests.
“We’ll leave it to the police,” he said.
News media were invited to the meeting, Tu’itahi said.
In Tongan he said: ” ‘Oku ‘atā ki he ngaahi kautaha ongoongo’ ke nau ‘i he fakataha’ ‘o tānaki ha’anau ongoongo, ka ‘oku ‘ikai ha taimi mavahe ‘o e Palēmia ke fakataha mo e kau faiongoongo’ pe konifelenisi ongoongo.”
The
planned protest has led to heated exchanges with political rivals.
As
Kaniva news reported last night,
former Tongan policeman Kelekolio Tapueluelu threatened to disrupt the
demonstration.
Tu’itahi
said the Prime Minister’s office in Tonga had asked his organisation to work
with the Tongan consulate at ‘Atalanga to organise a meeting.
It
is being held at the United Church of Tonga Taufa’ahau Tupou IV at Grey Street,
Mangere.
“This
meeting was not a meeting for political parties,” he said.
“The
Takanga ‘a e Kau Taki Lotu Tonga wants to remain apolitical.”
Tu’itahi
said he felt the meeting with Hon. Tu’i’onetoa
would be safe.
“We
have made contact with police and they will be there to keep the peace.
“We
respect the rights of the people to protest according to the law, but we do not
want people to protest on church property.”
He
said the Tākanga ‘a e kau Taki Lotu Tonga had twice asked the public in radio
broadcasts to keep the peace.
“We
trust the police will make sure everyone abides by the law.”
The
main points
A Tongan church leader in Auckland said today he did not want
his organisation involved in partisan politics.
Secretary of the Tākanga ‘a e kau Taki Lotu Tonga, Sione
Tu’itah,i was speaking ahead of today’s community meeting with visiting Tongan
Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa, at which supporters of the Tongan democratic
movement are expected to protest.
Climate change was the single greatest threat to Tonga and the Pacific Island countries Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa told the UN climate change meeting in Madrid this week.
The Prime Minister told the COP 25 meeting said Tonga’s vulnerability to
climate change made it the second most at-risk country in the world.
His comments came after a report that says the effects of climate change
in the Pacific have happened a lot sooner and are a lot worse than had been
predicted.
Dr Elizabeth Holland at the University of the South Pacific said the
report made a dire forecast about the future of the ocean and that drastic
action was needed soon.
Urgent
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said Tonga stood in solidarity with all other Small
Island Developing States in calling for urgent action to combat climate change.
“The effects of climate change continue to threaten the environment,
land, the ocean and marine resources, upon which the livelihood and existence
of our people depend.
“In the course of time and as science tells us, these impacts are
rapidly exacerbating our vulnerabilities and swiftly eroding our capacities for
resilience.
The Prime Minister said the kingdom had suffered unprecedented rates of
coastal erosion, inundation, flash flooding, sea-level rise and intense tropical
cyclones.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa cited the Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Kainaki II
Declaration and called for urgent climate action to reduce global greenhouse
gas emissions.
During the Conference, the Prime Minister and the Tongan delegation met
with the Asian Development Bank, the Green Climate Fund, the International
Solar Alliance and representatives of New Zealand and Norway to foster closer
mutual cooperation in the fight against climate change.
Projects managed by the
government and funded by international donor organisations include US$23.8
million being spent on the Climate Resilient Sector Project and US$26.1 million
being spent on renewable energy in the outer islands.
Other projects included the Tonga Renewable Energy project of US$53.2
million for solar batteries in Tongatapu, Matafonua, Kolovai and Fahefa, the
US$20 million Nuku’alofa Integrated Development fund , the US$45 million
allocated to the Fanga’uta Bridge and the proposed Climate Resilient pathway
projects with the Green Climate Fund of US$250 million.
Terrifying
crisis
Fijian Prime Minister Frank rank Bainimarama told the Madrid conference several western countries were only paying
what he called lip service to the vulnerability of Pacific countries, while
actively denying scientific consensus.
The Fijian leader said humanity was on the cusp of a terrifying crisis.
And Samoa’s delegation warned the conference: “Your turn will come.”
“While Samoa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are victims now
of the impacts of climate change, as sure as the sun rises in the East and sets
in the West, your turn will come, sooner rather than later,” H.E Aliioaiga
Feturi Elisaia said.
“There is a misguided notion to portray climate change as a small island
developing states concern only.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. Climate change crosses borders
by force and uninvited and does not discriminate by size or might.”
