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Tourism boss says Tonga benefitted from taking part in Auckland Pacific Expo

By
Philip Cass
-

Tonga had benefitted from taking part in this month’s Pacific Exposition in Auckland, according to the CEO of the Ministry of Tourism, Sione Finau Moala-Mafi.

Organised by Indonesia, the event was held in Auckland on July 11-14.

The four day event was aimed at increasing business opportunities and developing networks for business communities, governments, and tourism authorities in the region.

About 20 countries took part in the event, which featured live performance and displays of locally made goods.

Moala-Mafi said Tonga wanted to display its culture and make the most of the opportunities for making contact with other countries and tourist organisations.

He said that said as well as taking part in the exposition booths and the Pacific cultural festival, Tonga also took part in the tourist forum and the business and investment forum.

 “These forums allowed us to share our strengths and also the similar challenges that have become issues of concern for our countries today,” Moala-Mafi said.

He said sharing experience and idea with representatives of other Pacific nations had encouraged Tonga to work more closely with them on promoting tourism.

He said developing the idea of ‘One Pacific Destination’ would benefit tourism in the region.

Moala-Mafi was accompanied by Government and Private sector counterparts from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Tonga Tourist Association, Tonga Youth Congress and other representatives of the private sector in Tonga.

Influence

This month’s Pacific Exposition was seen by many commentators as part of a wider multi-million dollar effort by Indonesia to increase its influence in the Pacific.

Indonesia has been widely criticised by a number of Pacific states, particularly Tonga and Vanuatu, for it continued oppression of the indigenous people of West Papua.

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva has spoken at the United Nations about what he called the “injustice, cruel violation of human rights and dignity and brutal treatment in West Papua.”

Activists supporting the West Papuan liberation struggle protested outside the exposition in Auckland.

The main points

  • Tonga had benefitted from taking part in this month’s Pacific Exposition in Auckland, according to the CEO of the Ministry of Tourism, Sione Finau Moala-Mafi.
  • Organised by Indonesia, the event was held in Auckland on July 11-14.

For more information

Tonga urged to continue its support for West Papua’s struggle for independence at the UN

Tonga urged to continue its support for West Papua’s struggle for independence at the UN

Supreme Court acquits men of manslaughter after prosecution unable to prove link

By
Philip Cass
-

The Supreme Court has acquitted three men of all charges except common assault following the death of a man.

Peau La’iafi, Nivaleti Tu’iono and Sione Kapa’ivai were each  indicted each on counts of manslaughter, alternatively grievous bodily harm and in the alternative common assault.

The court was told that on or about June 15 2017 at Pelehake, they caused the death of Manu Grewe.

Grew was hit him on the head with a chair and repeatedly punched in the face and mouth, fracturing his left jaw, which ultimately led him to asphyxiate.

In his report on the case, Lord Chief Justice Cato said it had come to the notice of the accused that the deceased had sexually assaulted the young daughter of Tu’iono, who together with his two co-accused, Lai’afi and Kapa’ivai, and the deceased, worked on his plantation.

Grewe had admitted the assault, and after a period of drinking toge’ther at the home of Tu’iono, the atmosphere changed at about 2am when the deceased with the accused present, called out to the accused’s daughter.

Tu’iono began punching him to his face. La’iafi then kicked him in the mouth with his boot, after asking him to apologise and slapped him several times on the face. After that Kapa’ivai punched him on the head and in the mouth and hit him on the head with a chair.    He also said that he slammed his body around.

Tu’iono went  to  bed  after Kapa’ivai stopped him assaulting the deceased. Kapa’ivai started beating the deceased. During this time La’iafi left and was taken home.

It was not until about 8-9pm the next day that the deceased was taken to hospital.  He was unconscious and died about midnight.

An internal examination of the deceased by a pathologist found that he had inhaled food which had blocked his breathing passage.

The original pathologist was unable to present at the trial. The judge said the assaults were not discussed with him and he wrote his brief report without any reference to  the  assaults on  the  accused, or how they may have contributed  to   the cause of death.

The prosecution said it was unable to take the matter any further or prove a cause of death. As a result, the charge of manslaughter or grievous  bodily harm  were then dropped.

Mr Justice Cato said the assaults were discrete,  were  perpetrated individually and the men were not acting as accessories, aiding and abetting or giving wilful support to another in a joint attack.

“Because  the Crown is unable to  adduce evidence which at its highest is evidence from which    a jury could infer that each man made a material contribution to the cause of  death,  I  consider that no prima facie case had been established on counts one and two manslaughter or grievous bodily harm,” the judge said.

“No satisfactory causal connection had been advanced as to the accused’s actions and the death of Mr Grewe which took place many hours after and was said to be asphyxiation.”

Each of the accused pleaded   guilty to common assault and  were convicted  on  the  third  count in  the  indictment.

The main points

  • The Supreme Court has acquitted three men of all charge except common assault following the death of a man.
  • Peau La’iafi, Nivaleti Tu’iono and Sione Kapa’ivai were each  indicted each on counts of manslaughter, alternatively grievous bodily harm and in the alternative common assault.

Raising a family is harder than doing a doctorate, says Tongan PhD candidate

By
Philip Cass
-

Getting a PhD doesn’t even come close to the work his mother did in raising her children, according to Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau.

The Tongan scholar, who is pursuing his postgraduate studies at Victoria University in Wellington, said some of the hardest working people he knew focused on looking after their families.

“I have so much respect for my mother for raising three kids on her own,” he told South Pacific Islander Organisation.

“That’s the standard that I hold myself up to.”

Born in Tonga, Taumoefolau’s family emigrated to Australia in the early 1990s where his father had an undergraduate scholarship.

Four years later his mother and his two siblings moved back to the kingdom, where he attended Tupou College.

After his mother died he was looked after by his aunt, Dr Netatua Pelesikoti Taufatofua, who was teaching at the University of the South Pacific in Suva.

After completing his undergraduate studies there he returned to Tonga and then moved to Canberra to complete an M.A in International Affairs at the Australia National University under an Ausaid scholarship.

After graduating from ANU he returned to Tonga where he worked for the Ministry of Justice as an interpreter and liaison officer. He also worked at the Australian High Commission in Nuku’alofa and was a development programme co-ordinator at the New Zealand High Commission.

While studying at VU in Wellington, he is co-ordinator for the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives in  Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu.

The Canada Fund has been involved with projects as diverse as planting vegetables at school in Samoa and establishing women’s services in Fiji,

The main points

  • Getting a PhD doesn’t even come close to the work his mother did raising her children, according to Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau.
  • The Tongan scholar, who is pursuing his postgradute studies at Victoria University in Wellington, said some of the hardest working people he know focused on looking after their families.

For more information

Tongan PhD in Developmental Studies, Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau. “Remember that college isn’t the only means to a fulfilling life”

Three arrested after shipments of guns and over 20,000 ammunition seized in Vava‘u and Tongatapu

By
Kalino Latu
-

Police have arrested three men and seized 10 firearms and over 20,000 ammunition in Vava’u and Tongatapu.

The illicit firearms had been smuggled into Tonga through four different shipments from America in the first week of July.

Three shipments were seized at the Custom Warehouse in Vava’u and one shipment was seized from one of the bondage Warehouse in Tongatapu.

The three arrested included a 43-year-old man from Kāmeli Vava’u who has been charged with the Importation of firearms and over 20,000 various ammunition without licence. A 45-year old man from Leimātu’a and a 74-year-old man from Neiafu have been charged accordingly for importation of firearms and ammunition without licence. 

“Police are concerned with the significant amount of firearms and ammunition that have been smuggled into the country and the risks they pose to community safety. We therefore urge members of the public to come forward with any information that will help with police investigations,” Deputy Police Commissioner Pelenatita Vaisuai said.

Anyone who may have information about firearms related offending to please contact Police Emergency Number, 922.

Bank employee given suspended term for stealing from fruit picker customer

By
Kalino Latu
-

A 45-year-old bank employee in Tongatapu who stole TP$3000 from a customer has been given a two year suspended sentence.

Judge Laki Niu, however, imposed community work and the convict was sentenced to 60 hours.

The Supreme Court judge found ‘Ofa Savieti guilty of committing forgery and using forged document, on July 12.

Savieti must not commit any further offences during the period of her suspension sentence.

The court was told Savieti withdrew the $3,000 from the customer’s account on 2 February 2018 after she forged his signature on a withdrawal slip.

She forged his signature again on a deposit slip and had the money deposited into an account of an organisation in which Savieti was the treasurer and a signatory. She then withdrew the $3,000 and used it for her own personal purpose.

Mr Niu said Savieti had the $3,000 repaid although he did not receive the receipt for that payment which was ordered to be filed in Court by Friday 21 June 2019.  

“Accepting that you have repaid the money you took and that you have pleaded guilty when you were arraigned, I consider that the appropriate sentence for you is 2 years, as was in the Hausia case,” Mr Niu said.

The court was told the customer was a fruit picker in Australia before he came to the bank with a cheque of about AUD$6,000.

Judge Niu said: “Already on that day you were already- contemplating to use that customer’s money or part of it for yourself because you told the customer that even though the amount of the money was already entered into his account, the cheque needed to be cleared from Australia and that it would take 6 weeks for that to happen.”

The judge said Savieti lied to the customer.

“The money was already in the account because you took $3,000 from it on 2 February 2018, just a week later. But you told him that lie so that he would not need to check his account for some 6 weeks when you would have paid back the $3,000 by then.”

He described the former bank employee’s action as “despicable.”

Considering her suspension sentence Mr Niu said Savieti was a first time criminal convict and she was unlikely to reoffend in future.

She was remorseful by pleading guilty to what she has done, the judge said.  

Niua MP blasts motion to remove Niuas from receiving constituency funding; Hon. Vaipulu says funding a waste of money

By
Kalino Latu
-

MP for the two Niuas, Hon. Vātau Hui strongly criticised Vava’u 15 MP Sāmiu Vaipulu for proposing in the House that his constituencies should stop receiving TP$200,000 funding from Parliament.

Hon. Vaipulu also said the government had spent too much money on subsidising the shipping and aircraft travelling for the Niuas and gained nothing in return.

He also wanted to stop MP Hui from speaking on any other matters discussed in the House.

MP Hui said MP Vaipulu’s motion and comments were unwise and his people would not like to hear it.

He said it was a cabinet decision and the subsidy was legal.

The feud emerged during a two-day long debate in the House last month following a motion from the opposition bench asking the government to allow the nine noble MPs to receive TP$100,000 each from the constituency funding.

Only people’s MPs are allowed to access the funding, but the nobility want to get the same opportunity.

The MPs give the money to their constituency councils to help with community development projects.

During the heated debates Hon. Hui said he disagreed with the motion and did not want the nobles to access the funding. He then moved that the Chair of the Whole House committee put the motion into ballot.

However, he was countered by Hon. Vaipulu who asked the Chair to allow him to speak to Hon. Hui.

Hon. Vaipulu said the Niuas should be cut from its access to the funding because their population was small and a lot of money had been spent on them.

In Tongan he said: “’Eiki Sea, ko u  fokotu’u atu, ‘uluakí, tu’usi ‘a Niua he ‘oku fu’u tokosi’i, fakamole lahi,…”

MP Hui attempted to respond to Hon. Vaipulu through the Chair, but Hon. Vaipulu said he did not want it.

The Chair told Hon. Hui the only way he could allow Hon. Vaipulu to speak was if he could say that he was making a correction to Hon. Vaipulu’s comments.

Hon. Hui then said he was correcting Hon. Vaipulu and the Chair allowed him to talk.

Hon. Hui said he would look for a copy of the cabinet decision for the Niuas’ subsidy, but as far as he remembered it was made by the former government in which Hon. Vaipulu was deputy Prime Minister.

The move to allow the nobility receive constituency funding was strongly backed by independent MPs including Hon. Vaipulu and Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni.

As Kaniva news reported last week, the Prime Minister said it was not fair for the nine noble MPs to receive the funding because it would set them apart from other nobles who were not Members of Parliament.

Hon. Pohiva said the distribution of the money among the 17 people’s MPs was justified as every constituency in Tonga would have the same opportunity to get a share from the funding through their MPs.  

The debate ended after Lord Tu’i’afitu proposed to postpone it for further future discussion saying it was a matter for the Minister of Finance to consider in the government’s budget.

The main points

  • MP for the two Niuas, Hon. Vātau Hui strongly criticised Vava’u 15 MP Sāmiu Vaipulu for proposing in the House that his constituencies should stop receiving TP$200,000 funding from Parliament.
  • Hon. Vaipulu also said the government had spent too much money on subsidising the shipping and aircraft travelling for the Niuas and gained nothing in return.

For more information

Nobles plea to receive TP$900,000 of constituency funds; gov’t says it’s “problematic,” nobility not elected by people

Tonga names squad for Samoa test

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Radio New Zealand

Tonga’s rugby union coach has named his squad for this weekend’s test against Samoa in Apia with only a handful of newcomers in the starting lineup.

The match on Saturday is the Ikale Tahi’s first this year as they build up towards the World Cup in Japan.

Coach Toutai Kefu says there have been a few injury concerns but he is feeling confident about the team he has put together for Saturday.

“We have put in a fair amount of work leading up to this and just tracking players and seeing where they are up to and seeing what players we’ve got available to us,” Toutai Kefu said.

This weekend’s test will see the emotional return of Number 8 Nasi Manu as captain.

Nasi is back after long road to recovery having undergone surgery for testicular cancer.

Departing Hurricanes lock Sam Lousi is one of four new caps in the Tongan squad, alongside Bayonne prop Toma Taufa, Tonga A first five James Faiva and Auckland midfielder Otumaka Mausia.

Toutai Kefu said the former New Zealand Warriors rugby league player, who also played for the Waratahs and will join Welsh club Scarlets next season, is a player he’s been chasing for a long time.

“I’m very excited to get everyone together especially seeing a lot of the [other] teams who have had weeks more preparation than us. So, it is good to finally get together,” Toutai Kefu said.

Tonga Squad for Samoa Test

1. Paea Fa’anunu 2. Elvis Taione 3. Ben Tameifuna 4. Leva Fifita 5. Sam Lousi (first cap) 6. Onehunga Havili 7. Maama Vaipulu 8. Nasi Manu (Captain) 9. Samisoni Fisilau 10. James Faiva (first cap) 11. Viliame Lolohea 12. Cooper Vuna 13. Malietoa Hingano (first cap) 14. Tevita Halaifonua 15. Nafi Tu’itavake

Reserves: 16. Sefo Sakalia 17. Toma Taufa(uncapped) 18. Ma’afu Fia 19. Zane Kapeli 20. Fotu Lokotui 21. Sione Vailanu 22. Leon fukofuka 23. ‘Otumaka Mausia (uncapped)

Tonga internet company claims cable cut was ‘sabotage’

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Radio New Zealand

The company managing Tonga’s sole internet cable says the country’s internet blackout was “sabotage” by a powerful but unknown actor.

Tonga’s link to the outside world was cut in January, severing internet and many international phone links for 12 days.

An investigation by the state-owned Tonga Cable has found the cable was cut into four sections by an anchor dragged along the sea bed.

Tonga Cable’s director Paula Piukala says satellite mapping from two companies put the Turkish-flagged Duzgit Venture at the time and place of the damage.

“It was intentional. It was clearly sabotage,” Mr Piukala said. “Who has the motives? Who has the resources? Who can organise such a thing?” he asked.

“It has to be from a powerful institution, it cannot be from ordinary people and ordinary men.”

While Mr Piukala said he believed a third-party was responsible for the cable cut, he declined to say who he believed could be responsible – although he said he doubted it was a state actor.

Mr Piukala said the findings had been passed on to Tongan police and Tonga Cable will also seek damages from the ship’s owner.

A spokesperson for Duzgit says the company is cooperating with Tongan authorities.

“Our representatives met with the Ports Authority in Nuku’alofa in February to discuss the call of the vessel and to advise them we were available to cooperate with them,” said Kürşad Öztürk, a fleet manager with Duzgit, in a statement.

“We subsequently also provided them with further information that they requested,” he added.

Other than its positioning at the place and time of the outage on 20 January, the Duzgit Venture raised suspicions by having its anchor lowered in a no-anchor zones, despite being an experienced operator that carried regular oil shipments to Tonga, Mr Piukala said.

Adding to this, the ship was operating in the port area on Sunday, when ships are not authorised to enter because of sabbath.

Tonga’s Police Minister, Mateni Tapueluelu, declined to comment. Tongan police could not be reached for comment.

Boris Johnson named British prime minister

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Boris Johnson, the ebullient Brexiteer who has promised to lead Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal by Halloween, will replace Theresa May as prime minister after winning the leadership of the Conservative Party.

His victory catapults the United Kingdom towards a Brexit showdown with the EU and towards a constitutional crisis at home, as British lawmakers have vowed to bring down any government that tries to leave the bloc without a divorce deal.

Mr Johnson, the face of the 2016 Brexit referendum, won 92,153 votes by members of the Conservative Party. His rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, won 46,656 votes.

-Reuters. This story appears on Radio New Zealand.

More to come..

Pacific music legend Daniel Rae Costello dies

By
Kalino Latu
-

By Radio New Zealand

One of the Pacific’s most successful musicians Daniel Rae Costello Junior has died following a long battle with cancer.

The Fiji-born singer/songwriter and producer was 58 years old when he died in Australia on Monday.

Influenced by the Caribbean sound, Costello’s music captured many hearts across the Pacific and the world.

Costello’s first album Tropical Sunset was released in 1979 and Lania in 1980.

He went on to release another 18 albums – the last was Light Up The World in 2009.

His hit songs include Samba, Dark Moon and Take Me To The Island.

Costello went on to open his own recording studio Tango Sound Productions in Lautoka where he lived for more than 30 years.

He and his family moved permanently to Samoa 10 years ago – the homeland of his grandmother Amy Peterson.

Both his parents were born in Fiji.

His mother Jessie Rae had Samoan, Rotuman and Scottish heritage. His father, the late tourism pioneer Daniel Costello Senior was Irish.

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