Tonga is the victim of the appetite for methamphetamine and cocaine in Australia and New Zealand, according to an investigation by the Guardian.
The report by Kate Lyons, said Tonga, Samoa, Fiji were
suffering because of addiction, corruption and violence caused by trans-Pacific
smuggling and a growing domestic appetite for the drug.
However, the Guardian
report said it was the demand for drugs in cities such as Sydney and Auckland
that was causing the real damage in the islands.
It said drug users in these centre paid the highest price
per gram (about NZ$314) for cocaine and had the highest cocaine use per capita
in the world.
“If we didn’t have Australian and New Zealand drug markets,
we wouldn’t have the movement of drugs through the Pacific,” researcher Jose
Sousa-Santos from Massey University in New Zealand.
John Coyne from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute,
said Pacific nations were the “victims” of being caught between Australia and
its drug supplier.
“We shouldn’t underestimate the affect of Australia for
illicit drugs has on countries in the Pacific,” he said.
Drug cartels were storing billions of dollars worth of drugs
on island beaches and offshore, the Guardian
said.
Smuggling across the Pacific has grown drastically in recent
years. The Australian Federal Police have seized about 7.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden
in yachts since 2014.
Superintendent Brett Kidner, who was senior Pacific liaison
officer for the AFP until the start of this year, said he had seen an increase in the domestic use of drug in Tonga, Samoa
and Fiji.
Taskforce
In February this year Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga
formed a Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime (TSOC) Pacific Taskforce to
combat crime in the Pacific.
Tonga Police Commissioner Steve Caldwell said the Tonga
Police had initiated a drug taskforce to combat illicit drugs.
“This arrangement will allow a stronger regional response to
fight organised crime impacting on the Pacific,” Commissioner Caldwell said.
Drug use in Tonga has been described as a “tsunami.” According to a One News report, there are five major methamphetamine syndicates in the kingdom, selling the drug for TP$400 to TP$600 a gram.
As Kaniva news
reported earlier this year, Tonga’s anti-drug task force has continued make
arrests in the kingdom.
Police seized about $US1.2 million worth of methamphetamines during an operation in Fāhefa.
Convicted criminals deported to Tonga have been blamed by
some for introducing the drug trade, but there have been accusation that people
at the highest levels of society are involved.
Highest
levels
Australian court files hold a copy of a letter written in
2010 by Lord Tu’ilakepa on behalf of
Colombian drug lord Obeil Antonio Zuluaga Gomez.
According to Australian Federal Police, Gomez wanted to use
Tonga as a hub for a global conspiracy to ship hundreds of kilograms of cocaine
to Australia and China.
Tu’ilakepa had never met Gomez, but wrote a letter to the
head of the Immigration Department offering to sponsor him so he could get an
urgent visa to come to Tonga.
“I can also vouch that [he] is an honest, trustworthy
and law abiding person,” Tu’ilakepa wrote. Gomez had done jail time for
drug trafficking.
Drug
Taskforce arrests
Tonga’ Drug Taskforce arrested dozens of people on drug
charge since Christmas.
Police officers from the Drugs Taskforce arrested suspects
and confiscated guns, ammunition and drugs in Vava’u and Tongatapu over the
Christmas break.
“The harm that methamphetamine causes in our community
cannot be overstated,” Deputy Commissioner Pelenatita Vaisuai said.
“Drugs destroy the lives of the users, harming our children
and our communities.”
Police seized about $US1.2 million worth of methamphetamine
during a drug operation in Fahefa.
Last month police arrested four men seized 55 packs of cannabis
(49.86 grams) and15 packs of methamphetamine (97.47 grams) along with drug
paraphernalia and cash.
During the Easter Public holidays, they arrested 17 people
at three different locations in ongoing drugs operations.
In April the Drug Taskforce arrested 10 men in Hofoa and
seized 30 packs of methamphetamine and
nine packs of cannabis, ammunition and cash.
They also arrested five men in Havelu and seized 15 packs of
methamphetamine. Police also arrested a 26-year-old woman from Touliki and
20-year-old man from Houmakelikao for possessing methamphetamine.
In March Quarantine Officers at the Fua’amotu International
Airport intercepted 242.22 grams of cannabis seeds being illegally brought into
the country.
The
main points
Tonga
is the victim of the appetite for metamphetamine and cocaine in Australia and
New Zealand, according to an investigation by the Guardian.
The
report by Kate Lyons, said Tonga, Samoa, Fiji were suffering because of
addiction, corruption and violence caused by trans-Pacific smuggling and a
growing domestic appetite for the drug.
The Supreme
Court has convicted a police woman of six counts of fraud.
The court
was told that Malia Kolokiloloma Fanua falsified the results of her studies at the
University of the South Pacific in order to receive funding from the Tongan
police.
Australia
and New Zealand gave aid to Tonga Police for members of the Tonga Police to
study at the University of the South Pacific campus at ‘Atele in Tongatapu.
To obtain
funds to pay for the study, police had
to sign a promissory note to repay the fund to Tonga Police if they failed to
pass or complete the subjects.
The accused
has been
taking a Bachelor
of Art, majoring in
Pacific Policies since 2005.
She was
charged on the following counts:
That on
January 26, 2017 she made a false document
by altering her exam results of
her subject, Legislation
(no. LW112 at
the University of the
South Pacific) from
“C” to
“B+” on her Notification of
Exam Results for
Semester II in
2016 with the intention that Tonga
Police would act on it as
if it was a genuine document.
That on
January 26, 2017 she made a false document
by altering her exam results for
her subject, Courts
& Dispute Resolution
(no. LW113 at the University of
the South Pacific) from “C” to “A” on her
Notification of Exam
Results for Semester II
in 2016 with the intention
that Tonga Police would
act on it as
if it was a genuine document.
That on
January 26, 2017, she
used the forged
Notification of Exams for Semester
2 of 2016 as if it was genuine by submitting it to support her
Promissory Note application
for further funding from Tonga Police, knowing that that exam result was a forgery.
That on July 11, 2017, she made a false document by altering her exam results for her subject, Legal Ethics (LW306 at the
University of the South Pacific) from
“C” to “B+”
in her Notification of Exam Results for Semester 1 in 2017 with the intention
that the Tonga Police would act on it as if it was a genuine document.
That on
July 11, 2017, she
made a false
document by altering
her exam results for her subject,
Tourism in Less Developed Countries, (TS310 at the University of the
South Pacific) from “C” to
“B” in her Notification
of Exam Results
for Semester 1 in 2017
with the intention that
the Tonga Police
would act on
it as if
it was a genuine
document.
That on July
11, 2017, she used the forged Notification
of Exam Results for Semester 1 of
2017 as if it was genuine by submitting it to support her Promissory Note
application for further funding from
Tonga Police, knowing that that exam result was a forgery.
Fanua
pleaded not guilty to all six counts and elected trial by Judge alone.
The court was told the accused printed out statement from USP and falsified her results.
After hearing extensive evidence from police and USP witnesses Judge L.M.Niu said the only person able to make the change to the document was the accused and that he had done so in order to obtain a financial benefit from the police. She had been praised by the Commissioner of Police because of her falsified records.
“I am
therefore satisfied, on the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the accused, with the intent to deceive the Tonga
Police, made a false document by making a material alteration by altering the
result C to the result B+ in respect the subject Legislation and by altering
the result C to the result A in respect of the subject Courts & Dispute
Resolution in the genuine USP Notification of Exam Results printout which has
been produced as Exhibit C,” Judge Niu said.
“I therefore
find the accused guilty of the charges
in counts 1 and 2.
“I am also
satisfied, on the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the accused, with the intent to deceive the Tonga Police,
made a false docwnent by making a material alteration by altering the result C
to the result B+ in respect of the subject Legal Ethics and by altering the
result C to the result B in respect of the subject Tourism in Less Dev.
Countries in the genuine USP Notification of Exam Results printout which has
been produced as Exhibit A3.
“I therefore
find the accused
guilty of the charges in counts 3
and 4.
“I am also
satisfied on the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the accused knowing
that the two said genuine printouts have
been forged by
the said alterations which she
had made to them, used them by
submitting them to support her
promissory note application for further
funding from Tonga
Police knowing that those exam
results were forgeries.
“I therefore
find the accused guilty of the charges in counts 5 and 6.”
The
main points
The
Supreme Court has convicted a police woman of six counts of fraud.
The
court was told that Malia Kolokiloloma Fanua falsified the results of her
studies at the University of the South Pacific in order to receive funding from
the Tongan police.
A teacher at ‘Eua High School has been arrested after Police seized cannabis plants grown at the school compound, Police said today.
‘Eua Police disrupted a cannabis growing operation and arrested the 42-year-old man from Tufuvai ‘Eua this morning at around 8:30 am following an ongoing drugs operation.
“Police located 51 cannabis
plants growing inside and outside the ‘Eua High School compound,” says Deputy
Commissioner Pelenatita Vaisuai.
The suspect is a teacher at ‘Eua High School and was arrested by Police while watering the cannabis plants.
Thirty three cannabis plants were seized from inside the school compound, and 18 plants were seized from an area immediately outside of the school compound.
“This is a significant result as part of the
main objective of police operation is to help the community feel safe and we
are hopeful the operation will have a positive effect in reducing drug related
harm in the community.
The impact of any ongoing supply of illicit drugs
on a community results in huge social harm, negative health implications and
financial harm, particularly to drug users and their families.”
Anyone who wishes to give information anonymously
about criminal activity can do so by ringing Police Emergency number 922 or
22782.
The suspect is in police custody while investigation
continues.
The Mormon church in Tonga has denied media reports that it
is helping to pay off the kingdom’s debt to China.
Elder ‘Aisake Tukuafu has denied reports in the Indian Sunday Guardian of rumours that the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had offered to help Tonga with its
sovereign debt to China.
The debt is estimated to stand at U$160 million.
The newspaper offered no source for the rumours and said they
had not been confirmed or denied.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does
not help governments pay off loans from other countries,” Elder Tukuafu said.
“Media reports that the Church is doing this for Tonga are
not true.
“In fulfilment of one of its core purposes, the Church has
helped, and continues to help the people of Tonga in a variety of ways through
humanitarian, education and other charitable work.
“This work is supported by volunteers and funded by the
donations of Latter-day Saints and others in Tonga and throughout the world.
“Our focus is to do as Jesus Christ has taught and shown,
which is to relieve suffering and help individuals and families improve their
lives.”
The Sunday Guardian
said that census estimates showed that 18-20% of Tongans considered themselves
practicing members of the LDS Church.
The newspaper claimed that statistically, Tonga was the most
Mormon country on earth.
Reuters reported last November that Tonga had received a
reprieve from Beijing on the timing of its debt payments after it signed up to
China’s Belt and Road initiative.
The extension was granted shortly before Tonga was due to
start repaying it debt to China.
Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva’s political adviser, Lopeti
Senituli, told Reuters repayments had been deferred for five years.
The
main points
The
Mormon church in Tonga has denied media reports that it is helping to pay off
the kingdom’s debt to China.
Elder
‘Aisake Tukuafu has denied reports in the Indian Sunday Guardian of rumours
that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had offered to help Tonga
with its sovereign debt to China.
The Australian Christian Lobby’s fundraiser for Israel Folau has topped $1.5 million as the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney pledges his support to his “Christian brother”, claiming the way his support was cut off by GoFundMe was telling of “ a new and ugly Australia”.
The campaign has raised more money in less than 24 hours than the defunct GoFundMe appeal did over four days, amassing $1,527,274 in donations as of 11.36 AEST.
The former president of the Human Rights commission Gillian Triggs has weighed in to support Folau, telling ABC presenter Patricia Karvelas he was entitled to his view that “we are all going to hell”.
According to the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), the shock move by the US site has proved an accidental PR triumph for Folau – dramatically expanding his support base as a rush of outraged donors flocked to Folau’s new funding raising site after it was launched shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
The ACL, which is handling the new legal war chest for Folau, says the swell of donors in the first 12 hours had been so “phenomenal” the fund was expected to reach up to $1.5 million by Wednesday – double the amount raised on GoFundMe in four days.
While the funding goal on the GoFundMe site was to raise a $3 million legal war chest, employment lawyers told The Australian the legal fees for Folau’s contract dispute in the Federal Court would generally range between $400,000 to $500,000, and could reach $1.5 million if Folau lost his case and was granted leave to appear in the High Court.
That prompted the ACL to insist once the fund reached $1.5 million there be a full review of likely legal fees to ensure no excess donations are accepted.
President of the Law Council of Australia, Arthur Moses, told The Australian that given Folau’s legal battle was “in essence a contract dispute, at first blush the $3 million seems rather excessive”.
He said the courts and the justice system had yet to grapple with the “ethical issues” raised by crowd funding litigation.”
“Mr Folau has the right to bring whatever case he is properly advised to bring, the concern is to ensure that nothing is said that induces the public to donate money based on a misunderstanding of what the case is about or what it will achieve,”, Mr Moses said.
Archbishop Glenn Davies said the original social media post that cost Folau his $5 million contract “canvassed some basic tenets of the Christian faith” and was “posted without malice.”
“Israel Folau’s right to express his faith and act according to his conscience is of fundamental importance in any democracy, and it is of great concern to many Australians that this right is being denied and vilified. Many are wondering whether they will be next,” Archbishop Davies wrote.
“What Israel Folau is going through may shine a light on an issue which is vital to our democracy and of crucial importance for Christians — freedom of speech, freedom of worship and freedom to live according to our faith.”
He said the way in which Folau’s motives had been “impugned” and his avenues of support cut off spoke of “a new and ugly Australia where dissent from narrow cultural views is not tolerated.”
The ACL set up the fundraising campaign for the former Wallabies star on its website after Folau’s successful GoFundMe page was closed by the US-based crowd-funding platform yesterday.
By 5.39pm, $1,084,000 had been donated via the link on the ACL site — with the group also promising to tip in $100,000 of their own money.
Folau launched his GoFundMe appeal for $3 million on Friday and had raised $750,000 in four days from more than 7000 donors. But the fundraising platform pulled the campaign yesterday, saying it violated their terms of service and announced it would refund all donations.
“As a company, we are absolutely committed to the fight for equality for LGBTIQ+ people and fostering an environment of inclusivity. While we welcome GoFundMe’s engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion,” GoFundMe Australia’s regional manager Nicola Britton said.
But Martyn Iles, the managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, stepped in to host a reborn online appeal for funds.
“On behalf of the Australian Christian Lobby, I have spoken to Israel Folau to let him know that ACL will be donating $100,000 to his legal defence, because it’s right and it sets an important legal precedent,’’ Mr Iles said.
“I have also offered to host his online appeal for funds here on our website and he has accepted our offer. All gifts you give on this web page will be deposited into a trust account to pay for Israel Folau’s legal case.’’
Folau’s push to raise a legal war chest to defend his religious beliefs was deemed unworthy by GoFundMe and a “violation” of the company’s values. But the US crowd-funding site cheerfully backed a transgender Australian nurse to have “vocal feminisation surgery’.
A doomed quest by a 20-year-old Perth man to raise $500,000 to buy a Ferrari also got the platform’s seal of approval.
The decision to dump the former Wallaby’s funding page unleashed a furious response across the country yesterday, with Mr Iles describing the move as “alarming” and “grand hypocrisy”.
“It’s decided to wield its politically correct baseball bat against anyone who doesn’t toe the line with their PC view of the world,” he told The Australian last night.
“How can they take down a fundraising page on the grounds it violates their diversity and inclusion policy while excluding a man on the basis of his faith identity?”
Despite dumping Folau’s efforts, a GoFundMe campaign in Britain titled “Israel Folau’s intolerance will not be tolerated’’ was still running and had raised about £8500 ($15,600) last night.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young used GoFundMe to raise money for legal costs in her defamation battle against then senator David Leyonhjelm after he told her to “stop shagging men”.
A spokesman for Folau last night described the platform’s decision to “buckle” to a “continuing campaign of discrimination against him and his 10,000-plus supporters” as “very disappointing”.
He said Folau’s personal website had already been the target of a sustained cyber attack, forcing the website to be shut down on Friday for 12 hours. His wife, Maria, had also been “vilified” for supporting her husband.
“While Israel does not intend to respond in detail at this time regarding the accusations thrown at him or his family, he wants it known that these attacks have hardened his resolve,” the spokesman said.
GoFundMe said all the donors would now have their money refunded, but it has yet to respond to questions about whether donors will still be charged its usual 2.2 per cent transaction fee.
“As a company, we are absolutely committed to the fight for equality for LGBTIQ+ people and fostering an environment of inclusivity,” spokeswoman Nicola Britton said. “While we welcome GoFundMe’s engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion.”
GoFundMe pages yesterday were raising funds for myriad activities, including allowing a man to migrate to Australia to be with his male partner and gender reassignment surgeries including for a 38-year-old nursing assistant who was attempting to raise $17,000 for vocal feminisation surgery, cheek implants and a lip lift.
The nursing assistant had to date raised only $5 but a transgender Australian man named Silas had raised $1270 of a $10,000 target for “top surgery’’.
In 2016, GoFundMe carried an attempt by accused hacker Dylan Wheeler to crowd-fund a $500,000 Ferrari for himself after his doctor said it was a remedy he was “unable to function properly without’’.
Jeremy Sammut, a senior research fellow with the Centre for Independent Studies, said the backlash against GoFundMe’s decision to drop Folau demonstrated the dangers of companies “jumping on to the progressive bandwagon” with corporate virtue-signalling.
“This raises critical issues about the role of companies in civil society,” Dr Sammutt said.
“It’s dressed up as inclusivity, but it is really demanding citizens to sacrifice their fundamental human rights.”
Dr Sammut said ordinary Australians who still believed they had a right to free speech were increasingly being hauled before HR at work for offending the sensibilities of fellow workers who now “expect to be protected and from people they disagree with”.
“Religious freedom is the canary in the coalmine,” he said.
Christian groups across the country were inundated with offers of further donations to Folau’s cause yesterday.
Reverend Michael Kallahan, adviser to the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, said GoFundMe’s decision to remove the campaign had actually “galvanised support” for Folau’s cause.
“People have been asking me how else they can donate and telling me they now want to double their contribution,” he said.
GoFundMe’s decision has raised fresh concerns about the use of crowd-funding to bankroll Folau’s legal action.
Employment lawyers told The Australian Folau’s $3m legal war chest struck them as an “extraordinary” figure given that it was unlikely Folau’s legal case would cost more than $400,000- $500,000 in fees.
A Tongan delegation led by Dr Nailasikau Halatuituia and Maliumoeao Mafi will attend a Māori Pacific Business Forum in New Zealand this week.
The two day
forum is designed to allow Pacific resource owners and Waikato-Tainui to establish
business links.
The forum,
organised by the Pacific Cooperation Foundation will be held at the
Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development on June 26 – 27.
Representatives
from Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands and
Papua New Guinea will also attend.
The event is
being held jointly by the PCF and Te Ohu Whai Ao, an indigenous business
development trust set up by Māori business leaders.
Its aims
included developing global indigenous business, trade and development.
“While
there are many similarities between Pacific island countries and Aotearoa in
terms of indigenous cultures, ancestry links and natural resources, they also
share similar development challenges,” the Pacific Cooperation
Foundations’ CEO, Don Mann, said.
In an
interview with Kaniva news earlier
this year, Mann said the PCF had a long term goal of creating business
opportunities between Māori business and Pacific islands.
Iwi economic
entities were worth about NZ$40 billion and Pacific nations could learn from
iwi about how indigenous bodies had developed over the years into successful
businesses and managed economic and social transitions.
According to
a recent report, Tainui has $1.4 billion worth of property assets, with an
average annual return to investors of seven percent.
The
main points
A Tongan
delegation led by Dr Naliasikau Halatuituia and Maliumoeao Mafi will attend a
Māori Pacific Business Forum in New Zealand this week.
The twoday
forum is designed to allow Pacific resource owners and Waikato-Tainui to
establish business links.
A New Zealand-based marine surveyor identified 17
deficiencies in the MV Niuvakai
before Tonga’s national shipping line paid three times what the 34 year- old
vessel was worth.
The revelation come in a detailed statement from Tonga’s
Ombudsman who released the information in the wake of yesterday’s press
conference on his investigation into allegations of impropriety made by Kele’a newspaper.
The
Ombudsman said the Friendly Island Shipping Agency’s board had failed to
conduct a proper evaluation of the vessel.
The allegation about the ship appeared in Kele’a in Tongan: “Mahalo ‘oku ‘ikai loto ‘a Clive ia ke ta’ofi ‘a e ngaahi fu’u pau’u ‘oku fakahoko ‘e he kau memipa ‘o e poate pea ka ‘ikai ‘oku ne poupou’i pe ‘e ia ‘a e founga fakatakaka ko ‘eni. Hange ko hono fakatau mai ‘e he FISA ‘a e fu’u vaka ko e Niuvakai ‘aia na’e miliona neongo ko hono mahu’inga totonu ‘oku si’i ‘aupito ia ai. “
As Kaniva news reported yesterday, Ombudsman ‘Aisea H. Taumoepeau said that in February 2014, Pacific Royale Shipping sold a vessel to Friendly Island Shipping Agency for NZ$936,500. The vessel was then renamed the MV Niuvakai.
In April 2017, three years after the purchase of the vessel,
New Zealand Marine Brokers inspected and evaluated the MV Niuvakai as worth NZ$350,000.
In 2013 Pacific Royale Shipping, the owners of the MV St Theresa, put forward a business proposal to FISA to consider buying
the ship.
At the time the Cabinet Economic Development Committee was
looking at increasing primary exports to the neighbouring islands Fiji, Wallis,
Samoa, American Samoa and Tuvalu and also to increase shipping runs to the
northern islands of Tonga.
FISA had carried out a comparability exercise comparing
criteria and prices, in particular between MV Baltic and MV St Theresa.
Found wanting
Dunsford Marine inspected the vessel on January 21-22, 2014,
during which it identified 17 deficiencies. MV St Theresa was found wanting in most capabilities.
The purchase went ahead despite these findings.
On April 5, 2017, three years after the purchase of the
vessel, New Zealand Marine Brokers inspected and evaluated the MV Niuvakai as worth
NZ$350,000.
The Ombudsman said there was no evidence that the vessel was independently valued before it was purchased by FISA except for the comparative exercise made with the MV Baltic.
“It was not clear whether FISA wanted a further valuation or
were satisfied with information presented to them,” the Ombudsman said.
The Dunsford Marine report said: “It is noted that even
if the MV Theresa complies with the
criteria that FISA requires we would still need to conduct a thorough due
diligence to ensure that the proffered information is verified.”
The report expressed deep concern on the viability of buying
the MV St Theresa.
The Ombudsman said a later report from Dunsford Marine,
carried out after the agreement to buy the vessel had been signed clearly
showed deficiencies about the vessel which were not revealed by her owners. The
report from New Zealand Marine Brokers, made in 2017, highlighted more
problems.
Controversy
The purchase of the MV Niuvakai
was surrounded by controversy, not least because it was surrounded by financial
complications.
In March 2014 we published details of an e-mail from former
Finance Minister Lisiate ‘Akolo which revealed that the Tongan government had
urged a potential buyer of the former St Theresa to help pay the owners’ loan
with their bank in New Zealand.
The vessel was owned by the Ramanlal brothers, who were close
friends of the late King George V while he was Crown Prince and then when he
became king.
In 2017 Kaniva news
reported that the Niuvakai had been put up for sale.
The MV Niuvakai
became a financial liability after it became clear there were not enough goods
to export.
The vessel was unable to lift the 20 foot (six metre)
containers typically used for shipping with its deck crane and was deemed to be
unprofitable on voyages lasting more than three days.
The
main points
A
New Zealand-based marine surveyor identified 17 deficiencies in the MV Niuvakai before Tonga’s national
shipping line paid three times what the 34 year- old vessel was worth.
The
revelation come in a detailed statement from Tonga’s Ombudsman who released the
information in the wake of yesterday’s press conference on his investigation
into allegations of impropriety made by Kele’a
newspaper.
The
Ombudsman said the Friendly Island Shipping Agency’ board had failed to conduct
a proper evaluation of the vessel.
A new Tongan business in the Sunshine State, Queensland, Australia has begun importing seafood from Tonga.
Pacific Sunrise Fishing Brisbane started the business to offer high-quality fish from the kingdom to customers in both Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
The business was owned and operated by Tongan entrepeneur, Kristian Palu.
The supply came from Pacific Sunrise Fishing Tonga which was operated by Eddie and Rosemarie Palu at Tu‘imatamoana Wharf in Nuku‘alofa. The Tongan supplier has been supplying the Kingdom and other countries, including the USA, Japan and New Zealand for over 14 years.
Kristian said the seafood from Tonga differed in taste and quality to any other seafood available in the Australian market.
“The seafood in Tonga tastes
better! The water is cleaner. And unlike many parts of the world, there is
little pollution in the Tongan waters and these fish are wild caught, not
farmed. The species caught are Valu (Tuna), Hakulā puaka (Swordfish), Hakulā lā
(Marlin), Mahimahi (Dolphinfish) and more.”
Pacific Sunrise Fishing Brisbane received orders throughout the week with a Sunday deadline for delivery the following Wednesday. Their fish were offloaded from the boats, packed and delivered to Fua‘amotu International Airport ready for the next flight.
Brisbane’s Tongan Community are
thrilled to welcome yet another new Tongan business to the Sunshine State that
benefits both the economic development of the Kingdom of Tonga and the seafood
market of South-East Queensland.
Staff of the University of the South Pacific at the university’s main Laucala campus in Suva have called for pro-chancellor Winston Thompson to step aside to allow for an independent investigation into alleged abuse and mismanagement to proceed.
This was one of three demands USP staff made in a petition they presented today to the university’s senior management team.
The petition was signed by 500 staff members comprising academic and administrative, and addressed to pro-chancellor Thompson, who is also the university council chair, as well as to his deputy chair Aloma Johansson of Tonga, council members and the university’s vice-chancellor and president, Professor Pal Ahluwalia.
The June edition cover of Islands Business featuring vice-chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia. Image: IB
Demand number two in the petition calls for pro-chancellor Thompson to “be recused from council chair immediately,” adding “his public defence of those implicated in the allegations is premature and unprofessional and compromises his position as chair.
“Furthermore, his recent public statements against VC&P Pal Ahluwalia are unprofessional, prejudicial and damaging to the university.”
To regional governments who are owners of the USP, as well as donor partners “especially Australia and New Zealand,” university staff in their petition wanted them to ensure that the investigation into the alleged abuses would be fair, thorough and remedial actions effected.
Closely watching University staff are closely watching the investigation process being led by the USP audit and risk committee.
The committee is headed by Mahmood Khan, a Fiji government nominee to the USP Council, and a chartered accountant who used to work in New Zealand.
In a statement last week, the university council deputy chair Aloma Johansson of Tonga said four Auckland-based accounting firms had been invited to submit bids to undertake the probe.
She said then that the Khan-led committee would meet tomorrow to select the investigation firm.
This Islands Business article was republished by Pacific Media Centre with permission. Kaniva news has a content shared agreement with Pacific Media Centre.
