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Kolofoʻou man jailed for five years on passport fraud charges

By
Kaniva Staff
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A 50 year-old man from Kolofoʻou, has been sentenced in the Nukuʻalofa Supreme court on Friday 28 July to five years imprisonment on passport fraud charges.

Justice Charles Cato suspended the last 12 months of his sentence.

The man was charged with passport offences which included false declaration, forgery, knowingly dealing with forged documents and bribery.

This case involved conspiring with people including government servants to forge documents in  support of an application for a Tongan passport for a foreign national.

Deputy Commissioner Viliami ʻUnga Faʻaoa said: “Since the Passport Taskforce began on 25 August 2015, 32 arrests have been made to date in relation to the passport investigation, with 13 persons pleading guilty and 19 persons awaiting trial”.

“This sentence sends a very clear message about the seriousness of the offending and a deterrent to people tempted to commit such crime in the future,” said Deputy Commissioner Faʻaoa.

Russia’s President Putin expels 755 US diplomatic staff

By
International Media
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Russia has retaliated against new US sanctions by ordering 755 American diplomats to leave – a move that will create a fresh crisis in the relationship between the two countries.

Days after the both houses of the US Congress voted almost unanimously to impose fresh sanctions on Moscow, Vladimir Putin said he was responding to “unlawful” behaviour by Washington.

“The American side has made a move which, it is important to note, hasn’t been provoked by anything, to worsen Russian-US relations. [It includes] unlawful restrictions, attempts to influence other states of the world, including our allies, who are interested in developing and keeping relations with Russia,” Mr Putin told the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

“We’ve been waiting for quite a long time that maybe something would change for the better, we had hopes that the situation would change. But it looks like, it’s not going to change in the near future… I decided that it is time for us to show that we will not leave anything unanswered.”

The US sanctions bill also included measures against Iran and North Korea and was passed over Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its alleged interference in the 2016 US election.

The move by politicians on Capitol Hill has pushed Donald Trump into a corner. The White House had made clear it was against the measure, but the President has said he will sign the bill, rather than use his veto power and risk fresh accusations that he is soft on Moscow.

Russia had warned on Friday that it intended to expel the diplomats and to seize two properties used by US diplomats. However, Mr Putin’s comments on Sunday were the first to make clear the number of US envoys he intends to force to leave.

An official at the US Embassy in Moscow said there were about 1,100 diplomatic and support staff in Russia, including US citizens and Russians, Reuters reported last week.

​Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the vote for the sanctions was the “last drop” and ​said Moscow would retaliate “in kind.”

“We have a very rich toolbox at our disposal. It would be ridiculous on my part to start speculating on what may or may not happen​,” Mr Rybakov told ABC. “I can assure you that different options are on the table and consideration is being given to all sorts of things.”​

The move by Russia takes place against ongoing controversy in the US about Mr Trump’s relationship with Moscow and possible collusion between his campaign and Russia over its alleged effort to interfere in the presidential election. Earlier this month, it was revealed Mr Trump’s eldest son, his campaign manager and his son-in-law, had met with a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin after they were told she had compromising material about Mr Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton.

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller is currently heading a federal probe into possible collusion and there are several investigations underway on Capitol Hill. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any such collusion and said he and his officials are the victims of a political “witch hunt”.

Last December, Barack Obama ordered 35 Russian diplomats to leave the US and the seizing of two compounds, one in New York and the other in Maryland, that had been used by the diplomats. He said the actions were being carried out in response to Moscow’s alleged attempt to interfere in the election.

Many observers had expected that Mr Putin would respond in kind. However, apparently assuming that relations between the two countries might improve once Mr Trump office, he held off from doing so.

Mr Trump had spoken enthusiastically of his with to have better relations between the two countries and to seek Russia’s help in countering Isis in Syria. Earlier this month at the G20 in Hamburg, the two men met for several hours and hatched a ceasefire deal for a small part of Syria.

Critics of Mr Trump say he has repeatedly refused to criticise Mr Putin and that he has been in denial about Moscow’s attempt to influence the election.

-Independent

Outreach scheme raises TP$300,000 from Tongan-NZ members of retirement fund

By
Kalino Latu
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The Manatukiʻapi retirement fund has raised more than TP$300,000 from Tongans living in New Zealand.

The National Retirement Benefits Fund set up the scheme to allow Tongans living overseas to open accounts as voluntary contributors or to top up their parents’ or other people’s retirement funds.

NRBF CEO Dr. Leimoni Taufu’i told Kaniva News the national body had so far registered 11,000 clients and about 600 businesses.

Tongans in New Zealand were the first in the diasporic community to participate in the Manatukiʻapi scheme in 2014.

On June 30, 2016 the New Zealand members deposited into their accounts a total of TP$290,831.41, Taufuʻi said.

In May this year Taufuʻi and the Chair of the NRBF, Rev. Dr Tēvita Havea, went to Australia in a campaign to include Tongans there in the scheme.

The programme “revives” the remittances and also triggered Tongans overseas to remember their family back home, Taufuʻi said.

“It is understood the fānau sent money home to their parents and family, but when that money arrived in Tonga it was all spent on social duties and the kavenga,” Taufuʻi said.

When they deposited money into the  Manatukiʻapi scheme that money would be preserved until the account holders had retired from their employments.

The holders would be paid the total amount and the accrued interest, Taufuʻi said.

The Tongan government board also paid monthly benefits to the elderly who were 70 and over through the Retirement Fund.

“In his address to the nation at the Opening of Parliament on June 2016, His Majesty King Tupou VI highlighted the challenges faced by his people which are health, education and economy,” he said.

“He emphasised the importance of health and the need for the National Retirement Benefits Fund to also include a health insurance scheme to assist in expanding coverage of social health protection so that the citizens of Tonga had a choice in healthcare.”

In its annual report for 2016 the organisation said it had raised TP$28.4 million since its establishment in 2012.

The main points

  • The Manatukiʻapi retirement fund has raised TP$300,000 from Tongans living in New Zealand.
  • The National Retirement Benefits Fund set up the scheme to allow Tongans living overseas to open accounts as voluntary contributors or to top up their parents’ or other peoples retirement funds.
  • NRBF CEO Leimoni Taufu’i said told Kaniva News the national body had so far registered 11,000 clients and about 600 businesses.
  • Tongans in New Zealand were the first in the diasporic community to participate in the ManatuKiʻApi scheme in 2014.

For more information 

National Retirement Benefits Fund

Australian police foil ‘elaborate’ terrorist plot to detonate bomb on plane

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Christopher Knaus

Police have ramped up security at Australian airports after foiling what they described as a credible and “elaborate” plan to detonate a bomb on a plane.

Tougher security has now been implemented at Australian airports, including additional screening of bags, and police say the current counter-terrorism operation may last days.

The four men arrested in raids on five properties in the Sydney suburbs of Surry Hills, Lakemba, Wiley Park and Punchbowl on Saturday night have not yet been charged.

The Australian federal police commissioner, Andrew Colvin, said a tip-off from partner agencies led to the raids on Saturday night. He said the terrorist attack planned to use an “improvised device” to target an Australian plane.

He said the threat was credible, adding: “We believe it’s Islamic-inspired terrorism. Exactly what is behind this is something we need to investigate fully.”

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the foiled operation was not a lone wolf-style attack. “We face a range of terrorist threats, some of them are lone actors, who activate very quickly, with very little warning,” Turnbull said on Sunday. “On other occasions, you get quite elaborate conspiracies. This appears to be in that category.”

The attack was to target the Australian aviation industry at a major airport, police said. Colvin said there was no evidence that security at Australian airports had been compromised. “Terrorists are becoming very ingenius about ways to defeat our security mechanisms,” he said.

“Australia has some of the best, if not the best airport security arrangements in the world and we’re confident those measures are effective, and would have been effective, in this circumstance.”

The searches in Sydney will continue in coming days. Police said a “number of items of great interest” have been seized.

The Seven Network reported a suspicious device was found in a Surry Hills terrace, which was raided by 40 riot squad officers on Saturday.

TV footage showed a man with a bandage on his head and draped in a blanket being led away by authorities.

A neighbour described the family who lived in the house in Cleveland Street as “perfectly nice and normal people”.

“We knew them to say hello to and they seemed nice,” the woman, who didn’t want to be identified, told AAP.

Colvin would not say whether the four men were on a terror watch list.

Turnbull said the additional security and screening measures at Australian airports may cause delays to travellers. “More bags will be checked, it’s really intensifying what we’re already doing,” he said. And that will be, some of that will be visible, some of it will not be visible.”

Virgin Australia issued a statement advising passengers to arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. Virgin also asked passengers to limit carry-on baggage where possible.

“The travelling public can expect to experience an increased level of security scrutiny at the airport but they should not be concerned about these precautionary measures,” the airline’s statement said.

“As the measures place an additional burden on the screening system, it may take a little longer than usual to get through the process.”

The prime minister said he was being briefed on the operation’s progress by security agencies.

Australia’s national terrorism threat advisory system lists the threat level as “probable”, and Turnbull said that would not change immediately.

NSW police commissioner, Mick Fuller, said police may have waited another week before raiding the homes, had it not been terror-related. “The reality with terrorism, you can’t wait till you put the whole puzzle together. If you get it wrong, the consequences are severe.

“We risk assess regularly, around the clock, and you need to make a decision at some stage when it the right time to go. Both Australian Federal Police and New South Wales police agreed last night was the right time to go.”

Justice minister, Michael Keenan, said the foiled plot was the 13th significant counter-terrorism disruption in Australia.

Tongan tourist hospitalised in New Zealand after brutal assault

By
Kalino Latu
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A 42-year-old Tongan man was in a critical condition at the Auckland hospital after he was assaulted on Kitchener Street in the Auckland CBD at 3.40am on Saturday 29  July.

The victim, who has received serious head injuries, was on holiday from Tonga and was due to leave in two weeks’ time.

His wife is flying over next week to be with him, Auckland Police said.

Police are appealing for witnesses to this assault.

The victim was seen walking down the middle of Kitchener Street impeding traffic when a vehicle stopped near the victim and words were exchanged between the victim and the occupants of this car.

A short time afterwards, the car has driven off at speed and the victim was left lying on the ground.

Police need to know how the victim received his injuries and the people in the car on Kitchener Street, can help paint this picture.

“We would like the  occupants of the car, that was seen on Kitchener Street, to come forward to help Police understand what has occurred”.

Several members of the public have already come forward to Police with information, it said.

Police would also like to hear from anyone else who may be able to assist with the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Auckland City Police on 09 302 6400, or they can phone CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Car crashes into fence outside Tongan church in South Auckland

By
Kalino Latu
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Members of the Tuingapapai church at Favona Road, Mangere were surprised this morning after they arrived at the church and found a car had crashed into the church’s fence.

Some church members of the Free Wesleyan church were examining the crash when Kaniva News took photos at the scene.

It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries and when did the crash happen.

New Zealand Police have yet to release any information regarding the crash.

The latest release Police published on its website this afternoon at 12.35pm was about a fatal car crash in Levin in which a driver and two passengers had died this morning.

“Police were called to attend the crash at 12.20am between the car and a stationary truck and trailer unit, where the car was engulfed in flames”, it said.

Last Sunday a motorcyclist was killed after crashing on Buckland Road, in Mangere near the intersection of Royton Ave, after failing to stop.

That incident happened at a scene about 5 kilometres away from the crash at Tuingapapai this morning.

US considers ‘military response’ after North Korea tests missile and boasts all of America is now within range

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The United States was considering “military response options” on Friday night after North Korea carried out its second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in a month, with Pyongyang claiming the whole of the US was within range.

The Pentagon confirmed that the missile, which flew for 45 minutes, travelled an estimated 600 miles and landed west of Japan’s Hokkaido island, was an ICBM. It flew for six minutes longer than the previous one, on July 4.

“The test-fire reconfirmed the reliability of the ICBM system, demonstrated the capability of making a surprise launch of the ICBM in any region and place any time, and clearly proved that the whole U.S. mainland is in the firing range of the DPRK (North Korea) ,” KCNA, Pyongyang’s official news agency, said.

Washington,  which has branded North Korea the “most urgent and dangerous threat to peace,” condemned the launch as reckless.

“By threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people,”  Donald Trump said in a statement.

“The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region.”

As Pyongyang confirmed the launch, South Korea said it was ready to take its own steps to deal with the threat.

Song Young-moo, South Korea’s defence minister, said Seoul would prepare independent measures..

“Along with joint efforts to deter proliferation (of North Korea’s nuclear threat) we will prepare independent measure to curb it as soon as possible,” Song told a press conference in Seoul, just minutes after Pyongyang said its second missile test was meant as a “stern warning” for the United States.

The launch was also condemned by the Chinese foreign ministry.

“China opposes North Korea’s violations of UN Security Council resolutions … At the same time, (China) hopes that all parties concerned will exercise caution and avoid intensifying tensions” on the Korean peninsula, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Experts said the North’s ICBM launched on Friday was capable of striking Los Angeles and other U.S. cities – a similar assertion was made by KCNA, the official North Korean news agency.

The United States and South Korea responded to the missile test by staging a joint missile exercise.

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, has called a meeting of the national security council to assess the launch.

“I have received the first report that North Korea again launched a missile and it possibly landed inside the exclusive economic zone,” said Mr Abe.

He called the launch “a serious and real threat”, while Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s government spokesman, said: “North Korea’s repeated provocative acts absolutely cannot be accepted.”

US and South Korean military officials were discussing military options last night.

Marine General Joseph Dunford was joined by the Admiral Harry Harris, Commander of US Pacific Command, when they called General Lee Sun-jin, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff.

“During the call Dunford and Harris expressed the ironclad commitment to the US-Republic of Korea alliance. The three leaders also discussed military response options,” said Captain Greg Hicks, a spokesman for Gen Dunford.

While the Pentagon has long planned for the possibility of conflict with North Korea, the blunt language in the statement marked a departure from previous public reactions to missile tests.

The Pentagon, which earlier this week warned that North Korea could have a nuclear-enabled ICBM as early as next year, said it detected the launch almost immediately.

Donald Trump’s administration has said that the period of ‘strategic patience’ towards North Korea is over,

US officials have also expressed growing frustration with Beijing for not doing more to pressure its neighbour to rein in its military ambitions.

Britain and Australia this week joined the US in calling for China to exert more pressure on Pyongyang.

However, China says it has little leverage over leaders in Pyongyang, and regularly calls on the US and South Korea to halt military drills in the region as a means of diffusing tensions.

Reports this week suggest that Beijing is preparing for a potential crisis along its shared border with North Korea by building bunkers for civilians and realigning forces in the region.

The US and China earlier this week said they are making progress on a new UN resolution that would impose additional sanctions against North Korea in response to the ICBM launch.

The rogue state is already under tough UN sanctions which have been enforced since it carried out its first of five nuclear tests in 2006.

-Telegraph.co.uk

Police conduct terror raids across Sydney

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A major counter terror operation is underway with a series of raids being conducted across Sydney.

The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team has raided properties at Surry Hills, Lakemba, Wiley Park and Punchbowl late on Saturday.

‘This activity relates to an ongoing investigation. The safety of the community and police members are the primary consideration during this activity,’ a police spokesman said.

The raid in Sydney’s Surry Hills resulted in Cleveland Street being blocked in both directoins.

More to come…

With AAP.

Queen’s dance group will perform lakalaka at festival in Hawaiʻi

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A Tongan dance group organised by Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u will perform next week at the  Pacific Dance Festival in Hawai’i.

The group comes from King Tupou VI’s home, Kanokupolu, and dancers will be in Hawaii on 1 August with the Queen.

The group will perform lakalaka, a dance with sung speeches and choreographed movements.

Lakalaka has been designated part of the heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

Performances are being held at the University of Hawai’i’s Manoa campus.

The costumes for the group were designed by Paia Siale, whoe husband Kotoni is a punake, a teacher of Tongan dance.

Tongan academic Adrienne Kaeppler, who is curator of Oceanic Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution, said dance in Tonga was a highly respected tradition practiced by everybody, including those of highest rank.

She told Hawai’ian Public Radio that Tongan dance was first recorded by Westerners during the second and third voyages of Captain James Cook.

Kaeppler said Christian missionaries tried unsuccessfully to abolish dancing.  Though Christianity was adopted widely, dancing remained a part of village life.

The main points

  • A Tongan dance group organised by Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u will perform next week at the Pacific Dance Festival in Hawai’i.
  • The group comes from King Tupou VI’s home, Kanokupolu.
  • The group will perform lakalaka, a dance with sung speeches and choreographed movements.

For more information 

The Queen of Tonga’s Dancers Take Honolulu

Exhibits in drug trial have been lost; accused convicted of illegal possession and bribery

By
Kalino Latu
-

The trial of a man convicted of possession of illegal drug and bribery has heard that exhibits in the case had been lost.

Nausaimone Kitekei’aho, 52, of Popua had been convicted of possession of illicit drugs contrary to section 4 (a) (b ) (ii) of the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2003.

He was also convicted for bribery of a member of the Tongan police contrary to section 165(1) of the Tongan Police Act 2010.

As Kaniva News reported, Police Sergeant Sāteki Tu’utafaiva and other Police officers were executing a search warrant in Popua on 24 November 2014.

They seized an amount of cannabis “about half an onion sack” and took photographs of it. They were then taken and stored at the Police station as exhibits.

But the court was told the material had been lost during the refurbishment of the Police station when exhibits were removed to the Longolongo Police station.

Kitekei’aho’s lawyer argued that although the evidence indicated that photographs  had been taken of the cannabis and the cannabis had been seized and weighed, neither photographs nor drugs had been produced in evidence.

However Justice Charles Cato said he was “satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the· Crown has proven the essential elements of the offending involving the accused being in possession of cannabis, the weight of which in the indictment I accept was 3,800  grams  or  134 ounces, which is a large amount of cannabis in Tonga.”

Mr. Cato said he was also satisfied beyond any reasonable doubt that the material was taken into custody weighed and sampled and identified by expert evidence as cannabis or marijuana, an illicit drug.

“I am satisfied that at all material times beyond a reasonable doubt that  the accused  had  custody and control  of the drug, that is possession of it, and that he identified  it  as cannabis”, Mr Cato said.

The court was told that during the search Kitekei’aho had asked Sergeant Tu’utafaiva if they could have a moment to talk.

He offered Tuʻutafaiva $2000.00 and asked him not to search the house.

“Tu’utafaiva asked the accused what he meant and he said the thing is in the room”.

Tu’utafaiva told the court that a door to the room was open and there was a black plastic  bag under the bed.

“The accused told Tu’utafaiva that there was marijuana under the bed”.

Tu’utafaiva declined the offer and told Kitekei’aho that “he would be charged with possession of illicit drugs”.

Kitekeiʻaho denied he attempted to bribe Tuʻutafaiva saying he admitted it when he was interviewed to satisfy his mother because she was sick but Mr Cato did not buy it.

“Accordingly, I convict the accused on one count of possession of illicit drugs contrary to section 4 (a) (b ) (ii) of the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2003, and the second, bribery of a member of the Tongan police contrary to section 165(1) of the Tongan Police Act 2010”, Mr Cato said.

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