Home Blog Page 537

Men with thousands of dollars strapped to their bodies arrested at Tonga airport

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tongan Police have arrested two Asian men, 48 and 27 years old, attempting to smuggle thousands of dollars in cash out of the country.

The 48 year old was reported to have had at least US$40,000 while the 27 year old had NZ$10,000 which were both strapped to their bodies with tape.

Our correspondent in Tonga said the men were caught at Fua’amotu International Airport while they were about to board an Air New Zealand flight bound for Auckland.

They have been charged with money laundering and failure to disclose they carried with them the large amount of money.

They have been granted bail to appear at a Magistrate Court on January 28.

The duo have also been prohibited from leaving the kingdom.

US court to rehear Tongan death row case decision

By
Kalino Latu
-

A state court in US was expected to rehear the case of a Tongan death row inmate convicted of murdering a police officer in Reno, Nevada in 1998.

A Nevada news media report said another hearing was scheduled for this month.

Siaosi Vanisi was convicted in the beating death of police officer George Sullivan while in his patrol car at a parking lot near an information kiosk between UNR’s Morrill Hall and Manzanita Lake.

Sullivan had 10 blows to his face, seven to his scalp area, two on the upper part of his body and another to the left hand that nearly severed two fingers, an autopsy report said.

This was not the first time Vanisi’s death case had been challenged in court.

In his latest appeal in September 2017, the Nevada Supreme Court sent the case back for an evidentiary hearing to decide whether Vanisi was prejudiced by his appellate lawyer’s failure to investigate and present possible mitigating evidence that could have prevented jurors from imposing the death sentence.

However, his post-conviction lawyers decided to pursue a motion challenging Vanisi’s mental competency, which the high court unanimously agreed was “objectively unreasonable.”

They directed the district court to address “whether trial counsel should have discovered and presented the (mitigation) evidence as well as whether there was a reasonable probability of a different outcome at the penalty hearing had this additional mitigation evidence been presented.”

But the Supreme Court rejected more than a dozen other challenges to Vanisi’s conviction and sentence, including the argument he should have been allowed to plead insanity.

In an appeal in 2010, Vanisi’s lawyers raised numerous challenges to his death sentence, including that a judge erred by determining he was mentally competent to assist in post-conviction appeals.

But the Nevada Supreme court has denied it.

According to a Reno Gazette Journal report this week, “Another hearing in state court has been set in 2019,” for Vanisi.

It said his attorneys continue to pursue his case in state court, despite Vanisi’s wish to waive his remaining state court claims.

In a previous appeal in 2001, the Nevada Supreme Court said “The evidence of Vanisi’s guilt in this case is overwhelming.”

It said: “During a visit to Reno in January 1998, Vanisi told several friends and relatives that he wanted to murder and rob a police officer.  

“Makeleta Kavapalu testified that Vanisi indicated that “he was going to kill a police officer with his ax.”  

“Sateki Taukiuvea testified that Vanisi said that he wanted to kill a police officer and take his badge, radio, gun, and belt.  

The defence called a number of witnesses, including Vanisi’s relatives.  

Some of the witnesses indicated that Vanisi had changed in the last few years.   For example, Vanisi’s wife testified that Vanisi had been friendly, outgoing, and kind but began to change in late 1995 and 1996.   At times Vanisi became violent and abusive, he exhibited poor hygiene and bizarre behavior, he would ramble, and he lacked a sense of reality.   Vanisi would sometimes pose in front of a mirror pretending to be different people and would dress as a superhero.   Eventually, Vanisi’s wife left him.   Testimony at the penalty phase indicated that drug use by Vanisi might have been a factor in his changed behavior.

The defense also called a psychiatrist, Dr. Ole Thienhaus, who treated patients at the county jail, including Vanisi.   Thienhaus testified that his initial diagnosis of Vanisi indicated possible bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, or cyclothymia, a similar condition.  

However, Thienhaus testified that this kind of “out-of-control” behavior was impulsive and inconsistent with planning for a crime.

PM leaves Foreign Affairs; Fisheries and Agriculture to split in cabinet changes

By
Philip Cass
-

A reshuffle in the Tonga cabinet has seen Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva is to step down from the Foreign Affairs minister.

He will move to the Public Enterprises ministry.

Deputy Prime Minister Hon. SÄ“misi Sika will act in the foreign affairs portfolio.

As part of the reshuffle, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture will be split.

Hon. Losalini Ma’asi will take over a separate fisheries portfolio while Hon. SÄ“misi Fakahau will be in charge of agriculture.

Radio New Zealand reports that the Minister for Health, Hon. Saia Piukala, will take over the Internal Affairs.

King Tupou VI has still to give his consent.

Tonga’s cabinet took office a year ago after Hon. Pōhiva’s Democratic Party  was re-elected following a snap election.

Cabinet positions at the beginning of the new Parliament were held by:

Samuela Akilisi  Pōhiva – Prime Minister of Tonga; Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs

 SÄ“misi Sika – Deputy Prime Minister; Minister of Tourism and Infrastructure

 SÄ“misi Fakahau – Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries, Forestry and Food

Dr. Pōhiva Tuionetoa – Minister of Finance and National Planning

Penisimani Fifita – Minister of Education and Training

Poasi Tei –  Minister of Energy, Environment, Information and Climate Change (MEIDEECC)

Outgoing ‘Akosita H. Lavulavu – Minister of Internal Affairs and Sports

Dr. Tu’i Uata – Minister of Labour and Commerce

Dr. Saia Piukala – Minister of Health and Public Enterprises

Lord Ma’afu – Minister of Lands and Survey

Sione Vuna Fā’otusia – Minister of Justice and Prisons

Māteni Tapueluelu – Minister of Police & Fire Services; Customs and Revenue

The main points

  • A reshuffle in the Tonga cabinet has seen Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva is to step down from the Foreign Affairs minister.
  • He will move to the Public Enterprises ministry.

For more information

Tongan cabinet reshuffled

https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/380755/tongan-cabinet-reshuffled

Fekitoa opens up about decision to leave both Tonga and New Zealand

By
Kaniva Staff
-

(Rugby Pass) Former All Black Malakai Fekitoa has revealed the motive behind his lucrative move to Europe.

The 26-year-old has close to 30 nieces and nephews around the world, all of whom he can now support through rugby.

Fekitoa played 24 tests for the All Blacks before heading to France with Toulon in 2017, and is set to join former Highlanders running mate Lima Sopoaga at Premiership club Wasps next season.

“I left New Zealand to support my family,” Fekitoa – one of 13 siblings born in Tonga – told Mail on Sunday.

“I don’t just support my mum. I support my younger brothers and sisters, my nieces, my nephews.

“I’ve got close to 30 nieces and nephews around the world. Being able to support them is the best feeling ever.”

Fekitoa spoke of the influence his family had on his decision to pursue rugby seriously. He lost his father and a pair of his siblings by 14, which spurred him to find a way to provide.

“Everything crashed — Dad was a carpenter and he was the only person who provided for us,” he said.

“Mum struggled for a while and that’s when I realised no one was going to help us. That’s when I put evrything on rugby.”

Fekitoa came to New Zealand on a scholarship aged 16 where he played for Auckland’s Wesley College. Before his shift to New Zealand he recalls sharing a hut with brothers and cousins, and living off the land through hunting and fishing.

“People talk about the struggles but life was great,” he said.

“We didn’t have much but we didn’t need much. There were no TVs, no phones, no video games and that was the best part of it. We had the beach and the outdoors.”

Fekitoa also opened up about his decision to leave New Zealand while still young. The centre fell out of favour with selectors and decided a change of scenery was the right decision.

“Watching the All Blacks is always hard because I know what I can do,” he said. “It’s difficult but, at the same time, I feel proud watching the guys.

“I didn’t just decide to leave. I thought about it for months and months and I believe I made the right decision. Whatever decision you make, you’ve got to back it 100 per cent and go with it.

“A lot more people are moving over now but in New Zealand there is always someone coming through who can fill in.

“The game is changing. It’s a business. You don’t play forever and people are starting to get that now.”

Fekitoa’s Toulon have struggled recently, failing to get out of their Champions Cup pool for the first time in team history and currently sitting a lacklustre 11th on the Top 14 league table with five wins and nine losses.

No sign of missing Tongatapu diver

By
Kalino Latu
-

A Police rescue team searching the Hahake  coast have failed to find the diver who went missing at Ha’asini beach.

Local reports said ‘Alakoni Moala, 40, was apparently drifting before he got disappeared near a reef on Saturday, January 19 at around 10pm.  

He was diving with another man.

The rescue team have located a diving gear believed to be that of  Moala  but there had been no sign of him.

Fan favourites Tonga could cause upsets in Hamilton predicts NZ Rugby 7s boss

By
Philip Cass
-

Tonga face off against the United States this Saturday, in their first match in the Rugby 7s in five years.

The US team are the world leaders, but Tonga are firm fan favourites.

HSBC New Zealand Sevens General Manager Steve Dunbar said he would not be surprised if Tonga caused a few upsets during the tournament at the FMG stadium in Hamilton.

“We all know the quality of rugby players Tonga consistently produces and the flair they bring to the field, but we also know they have a massive support base in New Zealand,” Dunbar said.

“We saw the passion of Tongan fans when their national rugby league team played in Hamilton during the Rugby League World Cup in 2017 and I’m sure they’ll get in behind their Sevens team too.”

Tonga will also play England and Samoa.

Tonga was selected to join 15 other teams in the men’s draw at Waikato Stadium after finishing fifth at the Oceania Sevens in Suva.

Head coach Tevita Tu’ifua told Radio New Zealand the Tongan side had been able to put together two teams for this weekend.

The team held an open trial in Auckland before Christmas and attracted what he called “a good group of kids” aged 18-25.

Tu’ifua, who is a former ‘Ikale Tahi international, said one team would compete in the official competition.

The other, a development team would play in the Tailevu Sevens and the Marist Sevens outside the stadium.

He said the Tongan players were concentrating on honing their performance on the field.

Tu’ifua said he hoped the Rugby 7s team would receive the same level of support as the Mate Ma’a.

“Having the crowd right next to you on the field will be a big boost if we have the numbers there,” he said.

The main points

  • Tonga face off against the United States on Saturday, in their first match in the Rugby 7s in five years.
  • The US team are the world leaders, but Tonga are firm fan favourites.
  • HSBC New Zealand Sevens General Manager Steve Dunbar said he would not be surprised if Tonga caused a few upsets during the tournament.

For more information

Tonga 7s on the rise

https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/380644/sport-tonga-7s-on-the-rise

Tonga to play at the 2019 HSBC NZ Sevens

Tonga to play at the 2019 HSBC NZ Sevens

Former NRL star Willie Tonga shares battle with depression

By
Kaniva Staff
-

by Matt Collins, South Burnett Times

A former Cherbourg resident and NRL legend has opened up about his bout of depression and he wants others to be brave enough to share as well.

Willie Tonga retired from professional sport more than a year ago.

This has meant starting a new life away from the sport he loves.

The transition has proven a struggle to come to terms with.

“It has never gotten to the point where I’m thinking of suicide, but it does put me in dark places,” he said.

“The thing is, I am only starting to become comfortable talking about it.

“Whereas before I would come home and sit in a dark room and it would just be myself and my thoughts.”

“That is not a good place to be in.”

Tonga, who played in several NRL teams as well representing his state and country, said having his time over, he would’ve placed more of a priority on life after football.

“I thought I was invincible and rugby league was going to last forever,” Tonga said.

“When you’re in your early 20s, life after football is the furthest thing from your mind.

“There are welfare officers who will help, but ultimately it is your decision whether you want to start a course or whether you just want to go home and play Xbox and sit in front of the TV.

“Sadly, I chose the second option.”

Since retiring from professional sport, Tonga is now in an office environment and he said the transition was the hardest thing he has had to face.

“I have been retired for a year now and I am still trying to find my feet,” he said.

The former State of Origin star said his mental anguish was obvious to see for his new office colleagues.

“I was a couple of weeks into the new job and the lady that sits next to me, she came over and sat down and said ‘Will, are you ok?’,” he said.

“I said ‘yeah’ and she said ‘are you sure?’, because she knew I wasn’t.

“I had only known this lady for a couple of weeks and she picked up on it straight away.”

It wasn’t long before other people in the office would mention it as well.

“I didn’t want to show people I was vulnerable and weak,” Tonga said.

“I got angry at myself because I was allowing the signs to come out.

“I would then think I need to hide it more, I need to be even tougher.”

Tonga stressed the importance of asking the question if you think someone is struggling.

“I make a habit of sending a text message every day to people just to ask how they are going,” he said.

Tonga has had close dealings with depression and suicide in the past which were widely publicised after he saved the life of his former team mate and close friend, Reni Maitua.

After a game in 2013, Maitua’s severe depression had gotten too much and he attempted to take his own life.

Tonga believes if he had gotten there 10 seconds later, Maitua would not have survived.

“Reni and I were best mates and I knew he was going through some stuff but because I knew him so well I didn’t see any change in him,” he said.

“I think a lot of people who go through it (depression) are able to mask it so well and put on a brave face in front of the world but then you never know what they are going through behind close doors.”

The support of other players has been a big reason why Tonga has opened up about his mental struggles.

“The one person who has helped me be more comfortable speaking up about it is my good mate, Sonny Bill (Williams),” he said.

“He is encouraging me to bring it to light.”

Tonga will play for the Cherbourg Legends at the Legends of League game in Cherbourg on February 9 and he is excited to give back to the town that he owes so much to.

“I am very proud to go back to Cherbourg after the career I’ve had,” he said.

“There were times when I made the rep teams and we didn’t have the money to pay for it, so the Cherbourg council stepped in and would help me and my family out.”

Tonga said he still has lifelong friends who live in Cherbourg and can’t wait to stand beside some of his former Cherbourg team mates and battle it out against the Australian NRL Legends.

“The Cherbourg boys have something they want to prove,” he said.

“A lot of those boys should’ve made it (to the NRL), 100 per cent.”

NATIONAL 24/7 CRISIS SERVICES

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78

beyondblue: 1300 22 46 36

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

Undersea line has been cut, but could be repaired within two weeks says Tonga Cable

By
Philip Cass
-

Tonga could have its cable connection repaired within two weeks, Tonga Cable Director Paula Piveni Piukala said today.

As Kaniva News reported yesterday, the kingdom’s only internet and mobile phone providers, Digicel and Tonga Communications Corporation, were cut off about 8.30pm on Sunday.

Tonga currently had no other internet or mobile phone cable connection to the outside world.

It has been confirmed that the undersea cable has been cut.

Tonga Cable has a marine maintenance contract with TE Subcom.

The cable ship Reliance is docked in Apia and can reach Tonga in two or three days.

Tonga Cable CEO Edwin Liava’a said restoration could be completed within one or two weeks.

At worst, it could take two to three weeks.

Meanwhile, Tonga Cable was using the local Internet Service Provider (ISP) Easynet via Kacific Satellite.

“Kacific’s satellite service ensures that essential services can be maintained as we work to resolve the issue,” Piukala said.

Liava’a previously said people experiencing slow connections should understand this was a matter for TCC or Digicel.

He said Tonga Cable Ltd functioned only as a wholesaler of capacity.

The main points

  • Tonga could have its cable connection repaired within two weeks, Tonga Cable Director, Paula Piveni Piukala said today.
  • As Kaniva News reported yesterday, the kingdom’s only internet and mobile phone providers, Digicel and Tonga Communication Corporation, were cut off about 8.30pm on Sunday.

For more information

Tonga’s communication outage “a problem that was out of their control”

Tonga’s communication outage “a problem out of their control”

Teens plead guilty to brutal rape of 53-year-old Tongatapu woman

By
Kalino Latu
-

Two teenage boys have pleaded guilty to repeated raping of a 53-year-old mother before allegedly fleeing with food from her kitchen fridge.

Henelī Valele, 18, and Tīmote Kaufusi, 17, have been ordered to reappear in court on February 8 for sentencing.

The sexual assault had been described by local newspapers as brutal and vicious.

A local paper said in its report this week it has decided not to publish the details of the brutality for what it has described as breaching of the Tongan cultural taboo of faka’apa’apa.

The accused men had been charged with indecent assault and burglary.

As Kaniva news reported last year, the court was told the duo had been drinking before they went looking for more alcohol.

They allegedly broke into a retail shop before they escaped with goods.

They then stalked the shop’s next door neighbour which was the victim’s residence before raping her.

The victim, whose name was reportedly suppressed by court, was home alone when the incident occurred.

Tribunal grants residence visa to Tongan family, describes them as “well-settled”

By
Philip Cass
-

The New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has ordered that a Tongan man and his family be granted residence visas.

The Tribunal said the appellants had exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature which would make it unjust or unduly harsh for them to be deported from New Zealand.  

The Tribunal considered the length of time they had been in New Zealand, the wife’s family connection to New Zealand, the husband’s financial obligations to his family in Tonga, and the best interests of the children in remaining in New Zealand.

The husband had lived in New Zealand for 13 years and the wife and her two daughters for more than nine years. 

The husband and wife had seven children between them from their previous relationships.  The husband had three children from his first marriage who lived with their mother.

The wife had four children, two of whom were included in the appeals.

The husband first entered New Zealand in September 2005 and was granted a series of visas to work in the forestry industry until June 2014.  During that time he also made efforts to obtain residence in New Zealand.

 However, his two registrations under the Pacific Access category ballot were unsuccessful.  His application under the Family (Sibling and Adult Child) category was withdrawn before it was finalised.

The husband’s last application for a work visa was declined with no reasons given. There was however a record made on his Immigration New Zealand file that he had previously failed to declare two convictions for careless use of a vehicle and one for excess breath alcohol.

The wife arrived in New Zealand with the two children in 2009.  They were granted one-month visas.  They do not appear to have been granted any further visas until June 2018. 

The husband and wife began living together as a couple in 2012, with the wife’s two children living in the same household.

The Tribunal said the husband and wife had formed a functional, loving family unit with the wife’s daughters.

“The wife has a strong family nexus to this country through her sister, the couple can adequately provide for their children here which would be difficult in Tonga, the husband is sending remittances back to Tonga, the wife is concerned to avoid contact with her former husband there and, as parents, they consider staying here to be in the best interests of their children,” the Tribunal said. 

The Tribunal also considered the fact that the two children were nearing the end of school and the fact that the wife feared returning to Tonga where her first husband was liking because he had physically abused her in the past.

“The appellants are longstanding members of a New Zealand-based church and active in their local Tongan community.  They can be considered well-settled in this country,” the Tribunal said.

“The Tribunal finds that the appellants’ lengthy settlement and the wife’s relationship with her sister who is her only living immediate family member, the husband’s difficulty providing for the children on return to Tonga after a 13-year absence and the consequent cessation of his financial contribution to his family there (and to his three children in New Zealand), and the best interests of the two children in remaining in their settled life in New Zealand, cumulatively establish exceptional humanitarian circumstances.” 

The main points

  • The New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has ordered that a Tongan man and his family be granted residence visas.
  • The Tribunal said the appellants had exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature which would make it unjust or unduly harsh for them to be deported from New Zealand.  
  • The Tribunal considered the length of time they had been in New Zealand, the wife’s family connection to New Zealand, the husband’s financial obligations to his family in Tonga, and the best interests of the children in remaining in New Zealand.
1...536537538...955Page 537 of 955