Digicel and Tonga Communication Corporation (TCC) customers across the kingdom were without internet amid a lengthy outage since Sunday 20 at about 8.30pm.
Digicel and TCC were Tonga’s only two internet and mobile phone providers.
The outage has been described as out of control.
Authorities said the outage was ongoing and no time frame was available for restoration of Tonga Cable’s service.
Tonga Cable Director, Paula Piveni
Piukala reportedly said “Tonga currently has no other internet or mobile phone
connectivity to the outside world.”
“Kacific’s satellite service ensures that essential services can be maintained as we work to resolve the issue,” he told zdnet.com.
The president of Tonga Chamber of Commerce Paul Chapman said on Facebook today that “Tonga Cable was working hard to rectify the issues, out of their control, with the cable.”
He said Tonga Communication Corporation teams had been working
with their providers to increase capacity and working with their satellite
provider and TCL and EziNet.
He said TCL and TCC were trying to connect domestic fibre and
increase satellite brand width as an option.
“End of the day, all teams working on a solution, for a
problem that was out of their control, but hope to have something in place.
Meanwhile we still have internet at sites for #PTH #DatelineTransam via #EziNet
(Tonga’s Satellite connection via Kacific)” he said.
Zdnet said the subsea cable providing Tonga with broadband, the
Tonga Cable, has been out since 20:30 local time on Sunday night, with the
nation now relying on satellite internet instead.
“Provided by Kacific, the nation’s digital connection to the outside world is now a Ku-band satellite accessed through local ISP Ezinet.”
The New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has ordered a Tongan man with kidney failure to be deported to the kingdom.
Treatment for kidney failure which mostly led to dialysis treatment is not available in Tonga.
53-year-old Sōsefo Lakalaka who is also known as Siliva Lakalaka, along with his 12-year-old son were ordered to leave New Zealand no later than May 2019.
Sōsefo was being treated for end-stage kidney failure secondary to polycystic kidney disease.
He had a successful kidney transplant in September 2009 but the kidney has developed progressive structural damage which means its function has reduced over time. He now has stage four kidney disease and requires regular supervision from a renal physician in New Zealand.
The extent to which this could be managed from Tonga, with changes to medication being facilitated through a blood-testing regime, is uncertain, the Tirbunal said.
Sōsefo has been given a six months’ working visa before leaving New Zealand.
He had appealed against a deportation order. Included in the appeal was his 12-year-old son.
Sōsefo made brief visits to New Zealand in past years.
He has been in New Zealand since May 2006 apart from a brief visit to Tonga in 2013.
He was
unlawfully in this country from 2007 until he was granted a limited purpose
visa in August 2009.
This was
extended several times until 28 October 2011.
After a brief period of being unlawfully in New Zealand again, Sōsefo was granted a series of limited visas to receive medical treatment over a two-year period until 17 November 2013.
His
subsequent attempts to be granted a temporary visa were unsuccessful.
His 12-year-old son, was living with him and attending school in New Zealand.
Sōsefo and his wife have five children whom they have raised by customary adoption. At the present time, the appellant’s wife, two daughters and a son remain in Tonga.
In its report on the decision, the tribunal said it accepted that the appellant required a continuation of the treatment he has been receiving in New Zealand for his kidney disease.
“Without this treatment, which is presently well-controlled, his health will deteriorate. The appellant’s renal physician has indicated that with treatment it may be some years before he requires dialysis.”
It also said that “although the appellant does have exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature in terms of the statutory test that would make it unjust or unduly harsh for the appellant to be deported from New Zealand, the Tribunal is not satisfied that it would not, in all the circumstances, be contrary to the public interest to allow the appellant to remain in New Zealand.”
“After weighing the positive public interest considerations, including alleviating the family’s anxiety regarding the threat of the appellant’s immediate deportation, against the significant cost of his ongoing treatment in New Zealand, the Tribunal finds that it is not satisfied that it would not be contrary to the public interest for the appellant to remain in New Zealand.”
It also said the appellant’s son does not have exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature.
“An appeal must fail if there are no exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature,” the Tribunal said.
The Immigration New Zealand records said that the appellant’s kidney transplant has been funded but he remains liable for the ongoing monitoring costs of about $20,000 annually, according to the Tribunal.
Sōsefo currently has a debt of $15,958.20 (as at 1 August 2018), and has arranged regular repayments of $20 commencing on 7 August 2018.
The
Tribunal ruled that the appellant and his son’s appeal against an existing
deportation order should be declined.
The Tribunal ordered a grant of a work visa for six months for Sōsefo only, commencing on the date of this decision.
The work visa will enable him and his family in Tonga and New Zealand to make the necessary arrangements for his departure from this country.
A man has been taken to Niu’ui hospital after suffering what appears to be serious facial injuries following an alleged fight in Ha’apai, reports said.
Unconfirmed reports said the victim was injured after an alleged brawl which involved a gang of youths last week.
Photos shared on Facebook obviously by family members had attracted a number of comments which said the injured man is Tēvita who is also known by the name Noa.
Family and friends who apparently lived abroad shared their supports on Facebook.
A commentator sent their love to the victim’s mother Falesipi and said they were with her in this time of difficulty.
Some said prayers and wished he could be recovered and discharged soon.
A photo
shared on Facebook this morning shows a mini-car has crashed into a power pole.
A report by radio Broadcomfm Broadcasting FM 87.5 on Facebook said, Hahake, a large area of Tongatapu is without electricity after a car struck a rural power pole.
Authorities could not be reached for comment.
Complainants have shared their concerns on Facebook after the incident.
A Vaini commentatorsaid she was halfway through doing his washing when the power went off.
One commentator wanted to know whether the driver was intoxicated.
Another online writer said she hope the driver did not fall asleep behind the wheel.
A morbidly obese Indonesian woman has undergone life-saving weight loss surgery after begging the government for help.
Titi Wati, 37, from Palangka Raya City in Central Kalimantan, weighed an astounding 220kilograms and was unable to move, sit or stand on her own.
She had been spending her days lying on her stomach on the floor, but on Tuesday she underwent a medical procedure – funded by the government – to put her on the path to a healthier future.
The operation took place at Palangkaraya Regional Hospital and lead surgeon Dr Gede Eke Rusdi Antara told local reporters Ms Wati’s stomach had shrunk by up to 60 per cent following the surgery.
‘Titi Wati has now come to and is in the Intensive Care Unit for close monitoring for the next 24 hours,’ Hospital Director Yayuk Indriarti told local news outlet Antara.
‘We pray that her condition improves and stabilises after undergoing bariatric surgery.’
Ms Wati had been living off a diet of Indonesian gorengan – a range of different sweet and savoury foods being coated in batter and fried – as well as fizzy drinks and other unhealthy snacks.
Mr Indriarti said Ms Wati’s diet would be controlled post-surgery until she was stable and safe.
If the 37-year-old follows the advice of doctors, she is expected to lose 15-25kg per month.
Ms Wati said she wasn’t always this size, noting that she ‘was slim and had long hair’.
‘But for more than six years, I have only been able to lie on my stomach,’ she said.
‘Whenever I try to get up, I feel cramp-like pain in my legs, then I feel pain all over my body.’
Ms Wati is looked after at her home by her only daughter Herlina, 19, who feeds and bathes her, while her husband Edi works as a carpenter.
Over the years, Ms Wati had tried other methods of losing weight, including consuming herbal drinks which did have an effect.
However, these drinks were expensive and with her husband’s income alone paying for their rented accommodation and daughter’s studies, they were unable to afford them long-term.
When they first approached the government for help, the main issue they faced was how to get Ms Wati to hospital as she could not walk.
The head of Palangkaraya’s Health Agency, Dr Suyuti Syamsul, said they had considered using a forklift to carry her.
‘We need to disassemble the house door, or we can get her out through a window, as long as her family allows it,’ he said.
A visitor to a location in which Police were currently conducting an investigation of illicit drugs had been arrested.
Police also arrested two other men aged 31 and 32 while they were searching a location at Hauloto on Sunday morning.
Police seized 446 grams of cannabis, 7.97 grams of meth packed ready for distribution and cash.
The visitor was arrested with one pack of methamphetamine on his person, Police said.
The three suspects were in police custody and were expected to appear at the Magistrate Court on Monday 14 .
“Tonga Police are committed to disrupt and detect the supply of drugs where thereby preventing the harm this illegal activity causes. Since the launch of the Drugs Enforcement Taskforce in April 2018 a total of 114 people have been arrested,” said Deputy Commissioner Pelenatita Fe’ao Vaisuai.
“Police will continue to work with the community to prevent the harm illicit drugs cause and the ongoing criminal activity associated with their use.
“We encourage anyone who may have information about drug related offending to contact their nearest Police station, or ring 23417 or 922.”
A nephew of a Tongan former Prime Minister Lord Sevele ‘O Vailahi has denied allegations made against him following a brawl in south Auckland yesterday.
The allegations against Taniela Sevele by a former Tongan Police officer and undercover Kelekōlio Tapueluelu were made in videos shared on Facebook Sunday 14.
According to the videos,
Tapueluelu alleged he had been assaulted
during a party in Papatoetoe.
He alleged that he had been attacked after Taniela appeared to have indirectly forced a friend to drink.
Tapueluelu, who appeared in bloodied clothes and hands in the videos, said he wanted to help the friend but another person in the party confronted him.
In one of the videos, Tapueluelu, who has become a strong critic of Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, appeared to be heavily intoxicated and has threatened the Sevele family while sitting in a passenger seat of a car.
In another video, Tapueluelu said Sione Sevele, the eldest brother of Taniela, invited him with his wife Elisapesi to the party.
He blamed the Seveles for the incident.
“Mou tali hena ‘api
‘o Sione te u ha’u taa’i moutolu ke fa homou t ..” he said in Tongan in one of
the videos.
This translates into English as: “You wait here at Sione’s home I will return and beat you until your s…t comes out.”
“I will look for you starting today. You are now my enemy,”
he said.
“Stop doing that to me. I will from now on beat you day
after day.”
Response from Sevele
Taniela has deniedTapueluelu’s allegations to Kaniva news.
He alleged Tapueluelu started a fight with another man during the party after the man asked him to stop swearing.
Taniela said he was trying to intervene and break up the altercation but Tapueluelu allegedly punched him in his face.
He claimed that he acted in self-defence and allegedly knocked Tapueluelu down.
He claimed no one else in the party joined the fight.
Taniela also claimed Tapueluelu left the scene and returned with his son and another fight ensued.
He said Police were called.
Tapueluelu apologises
Tapueluelu however told Kaniva news this evening he was intoxicated and as far as he remembered some one threw a bottle at him during the party and it hit his left eyebrow.
He said he was disappointed after he has learned Sione did not help stop those in the party who allegedly assaulted him.
“I have talked to Sione and apologised to him,” he
said.
“I was wrong because I went to a party to which I was not invited.”
He said he returned to the scene with his son to look for his house keys as he believed he dropped them there during the incident.
He said the Seveles were his friends but this was not the first time he got into trouble with them
He said he helped their uncle Lord Sevele in his attempt to bring back the 2019 Pacific Games to Tonga after the Pōhiva government announced it has cancelled it.
Tapueluelu injured in Tonga
As Kaniva News reported in 2017, Tapueluelu was in Tonga in a campaign to push for the government to bring back the Pacific Games 2019 to the kingdom.
He told Prime Minister ʻAkilisi Pōhiva during a press conference he would continue to disturb (“fakahohaʻasi”) him until his decision to withdraw Tonga from hosting the Games be reverted.
Shortly after his comment he was attacked outside a restaurant in Nuku’alofa by a supporter of the Prime Minister.
Three men were arrested by Police and charged after the assault.
The charges were later dropped after Tapueluelu failed to show up in court.
Tapueluelu told us this evening he was in Tonga to support Lord Sevele.
He said after he was attacked in Tonga he had never heard from Lord Sevele again.
You can follow this link to watch Tapueluelu with what he has alleged about the incident.
TULOU ATU MO E 'AHOTAPU.*Mei NZ hoko 'a e kafo kia Kolio Tapueluelu.Hou'eiki mo e kainga ko kimotolu kotoa 'oku mou si'i laau'ilo ki he Kenolo kuo tukuange mai he 'aho tapú ni 'a 'ene polokalama angamahení 'oku 'iai 'a e palopalema 'oku hoko kiai mo'ene kau muimui pē hili ia hono fakafiefia'i hono birthday 'i he 'ahó ni pea 'oku hoko 'ene birthday koha 'aho ia ke kafo ai mo lotomamahi 'i hono lavaki'i pe he'ene kau poupou pea 'oku kole atu aipe ho'omou tokoni mo ho'omou lotu kemou hufia atu 'a e tangata'eikí ni 'oua toe sio ki ha tafa'aki kapau 'okú ke 'ita ki he sinó ni pea fakamolemole 'alā ko e 'aonga ia 'etau lotu ketau hufia mo lotua hotau ngaahi fili. Ofa atu.
