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Tongan passport becomes more powerful in the 2018 Henley Passport Index

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan passport has moved up six places in a global ranking reaching the strongest position it ever has since the Henley Passport Index 13 years history.

The ranking has been released after the Index compared each nation for its ease of travelling around the world.

The Tongan passport is tied with the Marshal Islands’ passport in 41st spot on the list.

The Tongan passport can gain visa-free access to 124 countries.

You can view the list here

However, there were four Pacific island countries with stronger passports than Tonga.

Topping the Pacific islands spots on the 2018 list was Solomon Islands whose residents have access to 130 countries without needing a visa, followed by Samoa and Vanuatu in second position with 129 and Tuvalu in third position with 127 countries.

New Zealand has slipped down two places from being 5th with 172 countries in 2017 while Australia jumped one place up from being at the 7th spot  to 6th  with 183 countries this year.

Japan and Singapore share first place, with easy access to 189 destinations.

This is the first year in the index’s 13-year history that either Japan or Singapore has had the most powerful passport in the world.

Girl dies in hospital after allegedly being hit by passing vehicle in Tongatapu

By
Kalino Latu
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A young girl who was allegedly hit by a passing vehicle yesterday July 14 in Nuku’alofa has died in Vaiola hospital.

Hinemoa Mahoni, 12, was admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before she died today.

The details of the road accident and her death had not been officially released.

Fr Leonaitasi Leon Tongia of the Roman Catholic church who was working with patients at the hospital made an emotional Facebook post about Mahoni yesterday.

“One of my patients ,Hinemoa Mahoni, got in a horrible car accident this morning [July] 14 in Halaleva, she is in ICU and she’s not waking up.

“She is still in a coma but she twitches her eyes a little bit and moves her arm she has a trachea tube and I really need some answers.

Fr Tongia said being at the helm of other people especially in a difficult and stressful situation such as having a loved one critically ill in Intensive Care Unit was frustrating.

“It might take you a few days in order to get your head around of what’s being said and what you’ve been told if your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care,” Fr Tongia wrote.

This afternoon after Mahoni was announced dead Fr Tongia wrote he wanted to thank the Lord for He has given time for them to be with Mahoni.

“I really feel for the loss and I am asking you for your prayers. I want to send my love to the family and the supporters,” he wrote in Tongan.

“May she rest in peace.”

Former Tongan fireman performs CPR, saves stranger’s life in Hawai‘i

By
Kalino Latu
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A former Tongan firefighter is being praised for saving another man’s life by performing CPR in Honolulu, Hawai’i on Tuesday.

Takai Kapeli Takai was trimming trees at the Nimitz Highway when he noticed someone is reaching over a man in a car at a traffic light doing something to his face and on the phone at the same time.

The men were Robyn Preza and his 51-year-old father Ronaldo Preza. Ronaldo was driving Robyn to work at around 10.50am when he allegedly suffered a cardiac arrest.

Takai said he immediately knew something was wrong, so he rushed to help, Honolulu’s Khon2 reported.

The car was at a stop light at Kalihi St when the incident occurred while Takai was on top of a prune truck with some co-workers from Hala Toa Mui Contractors Inc.

“I opened the car and tried to put down the seat for him to lie back and I try do CPR inside,” Takai reportedly said.

Takai was unable to perform CPR with Ronaldo Preza in the car, so he called his co-workers over to help get him out of the car onto the ground.

“I do what I can do until they came. The firefighter came and they took over and then the ambulance came too,” Takai said.

Takai said he didn’t hesitate because he had been a firefighter at Tonga International Airport for seven years before he moved to Hawaii.

“I still have that feeling of saving lives anywhere I go. It only makes sense when you see if you think you can help, you help,” Takai said.

On Thursday afternoon Takai and Robyn shared an emotional hug as Robyn thanked Takai for saving his father’s life.

Robyn’s father went into cardiac arrest. Robyncalled 911, but said he didn’t know CPR.

“I felt helpless. I literally didn’t know what to do to try to save him. I was just calling out for help,” Robyn said.

The Prezas are forever grateful.

“He’s an angel,” said Vicky Preza, Ronaldo Preza’s sister-in-law. “Our family cannot thank him enough, because Ronaldo would not make it to the hospital if it was not for Takai, the company, his friends that helped.”

Vicky Preza said Takai is like family now. He not only helped save Ronaldo Preza’s life, he’s visited him in the hospital every night since the accident.

“He offered my sister help, offered her money, but she didn’t want to accept it. He left it there. That’s how great he is,” Vicky Preza said.

She said seeing what Takai did for her family is a reminder that there is hope.

“I want everybody to know that good people are still out here. We hear a lot of bad news, but there are good people still,” she said.

Ronaldo Preza is still in the hospital.

House saved from kitchen blaze in Vava’u

By
Kalino Latu
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A family saved their house in Kāmeli after a blaze thought to have been started by a pot left on a stove this morning.

The family tried to extinguish the fire with water.

No injuries were reported.

Neiafu fire brigade was called to Halalele at about 1am this morning Sunday 15.

They arrived in time to help save the timber house from major damage, Neiafu Town Officer Vava Lapota said.

Lapota claimed Fusikata’s son was warming up food in the stove before the fire started.

Lapota said the house belonged to Sione Fusikata.

Australia’s coach wants Kangaroos-Tonga Test match

By
Kalino Latu
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Australia national rugby league coach, Mal Meninga doesn’t care where the Australia-Tonga rugby league Test is played, he just wants it to happen.

The Kangaroos coach is confident the historic match, which would see Cronulla star Andrew Fifita face off with his former national teammates, will go ahead later in the year.

Meninga suggested the game could be staged in New Zealand following the Kangaroos’ Test with the Kiwis in Auckland on October 13.

“I think everyone wants it to happen,” Meninga said in Canberra on Friday.

“It hasn’t been budgeted for within the game’s financials so they’re working through all options at the moment, what venues they are.

“But I’d hazard a guess, it’s definitely on, it’s just where.”

“There’s been talk about staying over after the NZ Test and playing Tonga over there, but the appetite for it is good.”

Suncorp Stadium looms as the most likely venue, but Meninga also floated Sydney and Melbourne as potential hosts.

Tonga are desperate for their first shot against the Kangaroos and they boosted their chances by defeating Samoa in front of almost 18,000 people at Sydney’s Campbelltown Stadium in June.

Fifita has been joined in the Tongan team by North Queensland star Jason Taumaolo.

The Sharks forward said that Tonga was ready to take on Australia.

“It’d be a massive game if we can get it on,” Fifita told AAP in June.

“Looking at last year I went and played for Australia and there was barely anyone in the crowd for Australia and New Zealand down in Canberra.

“Then I came here (to the Pacific Test at Campbelltown) and it was a full house.”

–Sport News

New cassava varieties displayed during Vava‘u Agricultural show

By
Kalino Latu
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New cassava varieties have been introduced to farmers during the annual Royal Agricultural, Fisheries and Tonga-Made show this week in Vava’u.

The new varieties were all named as Pelū or Peru since they were originated in Peru and South America.

MAFFF’s Deputy CEO Sione Foliaki said he brought the cassavas from Fiji in 2011.

They have been brought to increase our cassava diversity, he said.

“The more diversity we have the safer we are for our secure food base crops. We do not know any unknown diseases might show up at any time … differ cultivars differ tolerance to pest and diseases,” Foliaki told Kaniva News.

He said 11 cassava cultivars were brought to the kingdom but only three were recommended based on their science of soil management and crop production.

The varieties were brought from the Pacific Community’s Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees in Narere, Fiji.

They had been bred and raised at the Vainī experimental farm before transferring to the open fields in 2013 for propagation of planting materials.

“[It] took us 3 years to select and continuously multiplying of the best ones I selected to best fit our Tongan taste and environment. [In] 2016 & 2017 plots of these new cassavas were ready & distributed to farmers of Tonga.”

Foliaki said the cassavas have been propagated for a while in Ha’apai and ‘Eua before they were first displayed at the Vava’u show this week.

The Vava’u Royal Show was opened by King Tupou VI in Neiafu on Friday, July 14 after it was first opened in Lifuka, Ha’apai on June 23.

The Niuatoputapu Royal Show will be next on July 18, Niuafo’ou on July 19, ‘Eua on July 25 before concluding in Tongatapu on July 28.

Tonga asks Pacific countries to soften up on bio-security and import tarrifs

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga has asked Pacific officials who were meeting in Samoa this week to reduce their import tariffs and soften up on their bio-security processes.

They asked the Australian officials to reconsider their import restrictions on kava.

Tonga also discussed certain bio-security problems including African snails, fruit flies, mould and fumigation requirements which caused long-term delays in clearing containers at Australian, Fijian, Samoan and New Zealand ports.

The long delays often caused Tongan produce to be damaged before they reached Pacific markets, it has been claimed.

Ministry of Labour and Commerce CEO Edgar Cocker, who was representing Tonga at the meeting along with Trade Director Pauline Siasau, said the freight service high costs have exacerbated the situation and he has discussed it with the authorities.

Pacific trade officials were meeting to discuss how to expand economic activities that are beneficial for the region.

They also discussed co-ordinating policies to strengthen regional trade integration.

Samoa has imposed 20 percent tariffs and 15 percent GTS on watermelons and produce from Tonga and Mr Cocker was expected to discuss it with them during the meeting.

Tonga told the meeting that prices of its export products should not be less than 40 percent of the prices charged on them locally.

Tonga also told the meeting the freight service costs on Tonga’s exportation was too high.

Mr Cocker said the meeting was important for Tonga because it provided an opportunity for the member countries to discuss regional trade agreements including PICTA – Pacific Islands Trade Agreements, PACER PLUS, Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) AND WTO.

“Discussing these agreements are significant for Tonga because they give us the opportunity to raise our concerns about the Pacific countries import tariffs and trade barriers and to discuss them with our Pacific counterparts,” Mr Cocker said.

He said Tonga has also lobbied to have the PACER Plus regional office established in Tonga during the meeting. Samoa and Vanuatu were lobbying against Tonga.

‘Ikale Tahi manager claims TRU has blown its budget and says “no sponsor will touch us”

By
Philip Cass
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‘Ikale Tahi manager ‘Inoke Afeaki  said late payment to team players had been caused by the Tonga Rugby Union exhausting its TP$400,000 annual budget.

He was replying to comments published in Kaniva News this week by TRU CEO Fe’ao Vunipola who said Afeaki was aware payment would be a few days late.

He said all players had received all their allowances.

In our Sunday’s story Vunipola claimed Afeaki had been highly critical of the TRU after Cyclone Gita, regarding Teufaiva and possible matches and games allegedly lost due to uncertainties within the Union.

Afeaki claimed money that was supposed to be used only for the Ikale Tahi had been spent on the Tonga A and Under 20s teams.

“World Rugby know our governance is a serious worry with the way it’s structured,” Afeaki said.

“No sponsor will touch us in its current form.”

He said nothing had been done to bring in any cash sponsors and the TRU could not keep taking money from tax payers.

There was no commercial and marketing arm at TRU even though one of World Rugby’s advice was to have one, he said.

He said he had explained many times at meetings what the issues were.

Afeaki alleged his instructions had not been followed on certain issues and this had led to problems and delays

For more information

UK supplier blamed after Ikale Tahi gear turns up late; CEO hits back in wake of pay saga

Tonga to repay Chinese loan in the wake of its Reserve Bank warning

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga will start repaying its Chinese loan of  TP$266 million to China’s Export-Import (EXIM) Bank to pay for the rebuilding of Nuku’alofa after riots in 2006.

The repayment comes after the Tonga National Reserve Bank warned in April that it could affect the positive status of foreign aid and higher levels of remittance.

In his report Bank Governor Dr Sione Ngongo Kioa said “foreign aid and higher levels of remittance meant levels of foreign reserves would remain at comfortable levels.

The Bank warned that this would be offset by the beginning of the government’s repayment of the principal loan to China’s Export-Import Bank.”

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said the government has so far paid around $16 million (US$6.9 million) in interest.

“Our journey now into future is that we would keep on asking China to divert this loan into a grant,” he said.

In September 2013, former Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakano told parliament they received a letter from the People’s Republic of China regarding Tonga’s request to defer its loan repayment scheduled to start on September 21,  2013 for 10 years.

He said “in their interpretation, China has approved Tonga’s request” although the Chinese authority said at the time they have yet to confirm it.

In 2015 in a meeting in Auckland Hon Pōhiva has warned that China will not forgive the debt.

Tonga Chief Justice rejects Lord Sevele’s judicial review application

Employee of company which illegally dumped human waste in Vava’u speaks out

By
Kalino Latu
-

A former employee of the company which illegally dumped human waste into the sea in Vava’u has spoken out.

Akoli Lihau of ‘Utungake said he worked for Australian businessman Ian Jones, who was convicted and fined for the dumping in June this year,

Lihau said he worked for Jones from June to September 2017 as a driver of his septic tank truck.

He claimed they dumped more than 50 septic tank trucks of human waste in the mangroves near Pangaimotu.

At one stage Lihau took pictures of Jones and the truck while they were dumping the waste. He said he later shared the pictures with some people.

He claimed on that day they dumped three septic tanks into the mangroves.

He said on one occasion the truck broke down and he helped Jones use a hose pipe and a generator to drain the human waste out into the mangroves.

Lihau said a tourist from the UK asked what he was dumping and he said he told them it was water.

Lihau said he was lying to cover it up but in fact he was dumping human waste.

He said tourists used to swim and kayak near the dumpsite.

Jones was convicted by a Vava’u court and fined TP$1000 on June 20 after an inspection by the Health Authority following the dump found infectious disease from the waste in the sea near the dumping site.

Fishing and swimming in the area has been banned, affecting residents of Pangaimotu, Toula, ‘Utungake, ‘Utulei, Talihau and Neiafu.

Lihau claimed he went to Australia in November last year and received a phone call from Jones complaining that he found out Lihau had reported the dumping to the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC).

He claimed Jones demanded he pay him TP$800 as he has paid a TP$4000 to MEIDECC.

Lihau claimed he only paid TP$200 after Jones threatened to report him to Australian Immigration.

For more information

Vava’u residents react with fury at fishing ban as accused free to leave Tonga

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