Four men will reappear in court on November 2 in relation to the death of a father who was brutally attacked with a machete in a parking lot in Vaini last week.
The men in their 30s including a 16-year old male teenager had been charged with the murder of ‘Aiveni Teisina 36.
They were remanded in Police custody after they appeared in court on Wednesday 26.
Police said Teisina was drinking alcohol with the accused on October 22.
The victim allegedly died from his injuries at Vaiola Hospital on Monday 24 October.
The six Georgian nationals who had admitted using forged documents to enter Tonga paid thousands of dollars for fraudulent passports.
Justice Charles Cato ordered them to pay TP$1,000 each and were also given two-year suspended prison sentence.
They were also ordered to leave the kingdom within two weeks starting from October 26.
Koba Shinjikashvili (a.k.a Athanassios Panagiotopoulou), Nino Menabdishvili (a.k.a Anastasia Papadatos), Dato Dekanoidze (a.k.a Stefanos Markopoulos), Zaza Tsikarishvil (a.k.a Evangeles Dragandis), Maia Garibashivili (a.k.a Aikaterini Markopoulous and Genadi Gachechiladze (a.k.a Stefanos Papadatos) pleaded guilty at the Supreme Court.
They told the court they intended to leave Tonga and they would pay for their return flights home.
The victims through their counsel Laki Niu could apply to the Court for an extension to stay in Tonga only if there was an exceptional situation in the arrangements for their departure.
Mr Cato said: “It’s a serious matter to use fraudulent means to enter Tonga for any reason and also as a platform from which to illegally enter other countries. This Court must send out a deterrent message that offenders will be treated harshly by the Courts for offending of this kind. Security of borders is a paramount consideration”.
Baby X, the child who has been cared for by Vaiola hospital staff since being found swaddled in plastic three months ago, has found a new home.
The Supreme Court this week granted an application for adoption to a Tongan born couple living in New Zealand who the court decided would be able to provide the child with a financially secure and stable family environment.
Four couples had applied to adopt her.
In his judgement, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said all the applicants would have made suitable parents and said that his paramount aim had been in doing what was best for the child.
Lord Chief Justice Paulsen praised the staff at the hospital for the care they had given Baby X.
Baby X was found in a bush area in Nuku’alofa on July 22 swaddled in plastic.
She was new born and the identity of her mother remains unknown.
Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said that in New Zealand Baby X would enjoy material benefits not available to many in Tonga and have greater access to health care and education options.
New Zealand would also provide a greater chance for anonymity and accordingly less risk that Baby X would suffer from any stigma resulting from the circumstances of her birth.
“There is no risk that Baby X will lose any family ties, as she obviously has none at the present time, but she will also benefit from a close knit immediate family and a supportive extended family,” the judge said.
The main points
Baby X, the child who has been cared for by Vaiola hospital staff since being found swaddled in plastic three months ago, has found a new home.
The Supreme Court this week granted an application for adoption to a Tongan born couple living in New Zealand.
Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said Baby X would enjoy a better standard of living in New Zealand.
Baby X was found in a bush area in Nuku’alofa on July 22 swaddled in plastic.
Pita Taufatofua, the Tongan Olympian flag bearer who stole the show in Rio after his glistening body attracted millions of viewers on the internet, has done it again.
This time he led the Tongan team inside the Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Centre.
Visitors were heard saying “Wow” as they admired his oiled torso.
He and the Tongan team were quickly followed by a growing crowd of Chinese and visitors from other countries who appeared to have known about Taufatofua from the Olympics.
“He will do it again,” Samoan Observer reporter Pai Mulitalo, who was at the scene, told Kaniva News.
After he was introduced to the visitors by Tongan Master of Ceremonies Telesia Afeaki Tonga, people from many Asian and Pacific countries, including Samoa and Fiji, were soon vying crazily to pose for photos with Taufatofua.
Asians girls in particular were smiling while having their photos taken with him.
Some touched his body and appeared elated to have the opportunity to take photos with Tauafatofua.
Some girls impersonated how he appeared and tried to look tough. They even imitated his face when he pretended to look serious when he heard people saying he has a wonderful body.
The Expo
Taufatofua was part of the Tongan delegation to Guangdong where they represented Tonga at the 2016 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo.
The event is being hosted at the Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center in Dongguan City in China’s Guangdong province from October 27 – 30.
The Tongan team did really well this morning during the show.
They were the only participants to perform dances and performed Tongan faivas for visitors shortly after the opening ceremony.
The Tongan team was led by ‘Ungatea Palu from Tonga Tourism and it was joined by Tonga’s former ambassador to China, Emeline Tuita and Tonga’s Miss Heilala 2016.
There are 52 countries and regions taking part in this year’s show.
A Tongan exhibition booth was one of the 2,626 set up for the event.
Tongan ngatu and table mats were displayed in the booth.
Taufatofua said he was happy and proud to represent Tonga and the Pacific as a whole.
“I have been really pushing forward to promote Tonga and the Pacific and to make sure we get out all of the best of what we have to the world,” he said.
“I am proud of representing Tonga.
“We are Tongan and Pacific Islander in the blood until we die.
“I believe that we must continue this quest to get ourselves out there.
“What’s important for me is that we make the world aware of the opportunities that we have in Tonga, including the tourism potential of Tonga.
“Mostly important is that we do it in a sustainable way that doesn’t affect negatively our culture or the values of our people.
“So we are looking at a way of promoting Tonga where we have a win-win situation, one that is good for Tonga, good for the Pacific and the Chinese.”
The main points
Pita Taufatofua, the Tongan Olympian flag bearer who stole the show in Rio after his glistening body attracted millions of viewers on the internet, has done it again.
This time he led the Tongan team inside the Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Centre.
Taufatofua was part of the Tongan delegation to Guangdong where they represented Tonga at the 2016 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo.
Taufatofua said he was happy to and proud to represent Tonga and the Pacific.
A Tongan couple has won a three year legal battle with a tenant who the Supreme Court ruled had changed the rules of their agreement to benefit her without the couple understanding what was happening.
The dispute had already been the subject of three previous judgments in the Land Court (2014), the Supreme Court in 2015 and the Court of Appeal earlier this year.
Yushen Yang had sought a declaration that she is living legally in buildings erected by her on land owned by ‘Olioni Makelita according to the terms of a 2007 agreement.
Mr Justice Scott said that over a period of years the agreement had been changed to the advantage of the tenants, that it appeared illegal building work had been done and that large sums of rent had never been paid.
An agreement on the land was originally drawn up between ‘Olioni Manoa and one Meng Sen Tsay for a shop in 1999. The tenancy was redrawn in 2005, making Yuzhen Yang the tenant and adding several changes.
Whereas originally tenant had very tightly controlled guidelines on the use of the property and what they could do with it, the new agreement gave them the freedom to change what they were doing.
Then, in 2007, Yang produced a new document which said the tenancy would not be terminated without the Manoa’s paying a substantial amount of money.
This was signed by ‘Olioni’s wife, Makelita, who had no real grasp of English.
In his judgement, Mr Justice Scott said that over several years Mrs Yang and her son had changed the tenancy agreement to their own advantage without the Manoas being aware of what was going on.
“What started off as a simple non-transferable licence to operate a small shop which could not be altered or added to ended up as a right to occupy the premises now at least twice as large,” he said.
The modified agreement allowed them to use the premises for “any business’ and to transfer the tenancy to a third party. The rent for the original shop was $400 per month in 1999, but by the time of the last agreement in 2007, this had shrunk to $291.60 per month, fixed until 2023.
While neither Makelita Manoa or Yuzhen Yang could properly understand English, all the documents were drawn up by Yang’s lawyer on her instructions.
“Since Mrs Yang had the agreements drawn up and their terms altered to suit the circumstances which she wished to see changed it cannot plausibly be argued that she did not know what the agreements contained,” Mr Justice Scott said.
“I found Matelita to be a witness of truth and accept that she saw her only duty to be to sign the agreements on behalf of the landholder, ‘Olioni, her husband, not to examine them and assess their worth.
“In my opinion it is absolutely unsatisfactory for an agreement of this type, conferring as it does a lease of substantial duration in almost all but name to be entered into in this way.”
The agreements should have been drawn up so they could be understood properly by everybody involved and be the subject of independent legal advice.
On those grounds, he said it would be unconscionable to uphold the agreements and the therefore refused to find in favour of Yang. He said the 2007 agreement should be rescinded.
The main points
• A Tongan couple has won a three year legal battle with a tenant who the Supreme Court ruled had changed the rules of their agreement to benefit her without the couple understanding what was happening.
• Yushen Yang had sought a declaration that she is living legally in buildings erected by her on land owned by ‘Olioni Makelita.
• Mr Justice Scott said that over a period of years the agreement had been changed to the advantage of the tenants, that it appeared illegal building work had been done and that large sums of rent had never been paid.
A conference organised to provide Pacific Island journalists with first-hand accounts of activities and strategies behind China’s foreign policies had been kicked off in Beijing today.
China wanted to give the visiting reporters a fuller version of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) philosophy and strategies as well as her diplomatic relationship with the Pacific Islands.
The two-week forum was organised by China’s International Department CPC Central Committee in which experts from various fields would talk about China’s foreign policies for the Pacific Islands (PI) as well as her development projects and involvements in the region.
“We hope this conference gives an accurate picture of China”, the Department’s Director Yao Jiannguo said.
The journalists will have opportunities to visit historical and new development sites as well as meeting local media.
Headed by Deputy Chairperson of Pasifika Media Association and Editor of Taimi ‘O Tonga Media Network – Kalafi Moala the delegation was joined by the New Zealand based Tongan news online Kaniva Pacific News Founder and Editor – Kalino Latu; Ruth Caroline Delaivoni – the Deputy Editor of the Fiji Sun; Makereta Komaidure – Manager and Editor of Pacific News (Pac News); Charles Henry Moi of The Independent State of Papua New Guinea newspaper; Ryan J. David from the Federated State of Micronesia; Verona Parker of Apia TV3, Pai Mulitalo from the Samoa Observer and Ronald Atesh Kumar – Chief photographer of the Fiji Sun.
The meeting
The forum began by briefing the delegation on CPC’s philosophies as well as its form of governance.
On Friday Chinese experts will talk about China’s foreign policies, her relationship with the Pacific Island nations as well as her PI policies,
The journalists will then visit and meet with the Department’s Vice Minister Guo Yezhou.
They will also visit China International Radio and talk about “deepening China PIC cooperation”.
The delegation will visit the BYD New Energy Automobile and a local media on October 24.
They will also visit new local building and construction sites as well as the former residence of Chairman Mao.
During the ten-day conference the journalists will also visit the city of Guangzhou as well as attending the opening of the Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo on October 26.
There will be an opportunity for the journos to meet with experts from the centre for Pacific Island Cooperation Studies at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and China’s Southern Power Grid.
This Saturday however the delegates will be visiting the Forbidden City.
The historical place was Chinese imperial palace since the Ming Dynasty until the Qing Dynasty.
L-R: Kalafi Moala, Professor Zhu Xiaoqing and Kalino Lātū after the first day of the conference at Wanshou Hotel, Beijing. Photo/Kaniva Pacific News
PI Journalists
The journalists were chosen to represent their various countries by the Chinese embassies in the region.
According to Moala this was the first conference of its kind to be hosted by China for the PI journalists.
Moala told Kaniva News he was glad the journalists could make it to China to take part in this very significant conference.
““It has always been China’s intention in its relationship with Pacific Island Countries to give clear understanding of its policies concerning PICs. This is one of the reasons for inviting senior journalists from certain Pacific states, including Tonga, for a 14-day media forum. It is a joy to be participate with Kalino Latu of Kaniva News in this very important media forum in China,” Moala said.
(L-R) Sun Yan (interpreter) and Director Yao Jiannguo during the conference at Wanshou Hotel, Beijing. Photo/Kalino Lātū
The forum was funded and hosted by the CPC.
China in the Pacific
China has been increasingly active in the Pacific in the past 20 years after it moved into the Pacific and Africa, building roads, taking over businesses and making loans.
China has spent more than US$2 billion for Island countries since her new aid package for Pacific countries was released in 2013.
Mr Jianguo said: “We are very sincere in our assistance and development in the Pacific”.
Reaction to China’s expansion into the Pacific has been mixed.
Some Pacific governments have looked favourably on Chinese aid.
Fiji has signed several agreements with China for projects that range from road building to dredging. In Samoa, the government has praised China’s involvement.
Tonga and China have open a new tourism opportunity for their countries by signing a free-visa agreement last month.
Not everybody is impressed, however.
The riots which swept the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa in 2006 had a strong anti-Chinese element driven by resentment at the apparent wealth of some businesses.
The  MP for Ha’apai 13 Veivosa Taka has been elected as the new Chairperson of the Parliament of Tonga’s Whole House Committee (WHC) after he was nominated by the noble MPs.
The election was made after the former chair Hon. Penisimani Fifita was appointed as Tonga’s new Internal Affairs’ Minister.
Veivosa Taka. Photo/Tonga Legislative Assembly
Taka’s Party MPs and government ministers supported the nomination of opposition MP Vili Hingano after Lord Tu’iha’anga turned down his nomination.
MP Fe’ao Vakata also rejected his nomination by the nobles to be elected to the post.
Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand had to cancel flights on Tuesday due to the power outage at the Fuʻamotu International airport’s runway, the Minister for Public Enterprises said.
The blackout hit at about 6.30pm causing the Australian flight to be diverted to Samoa while the Air New Zealand was diverted to Fiji.
Hon Poasi Tei told Parliament the incident was caused by a faulty cable which was repaired this morning.
A flight by a small aircraft from New Zealand was also cancelled after it was scheduled to return with a patient from Tonga for medical treatment.
The TAL backup power should automatically take over whenever there was a main power failure.
However, yesterday’s problem had nothing to do with the power suppliers.
In February passengers who were about to leave for New Zealand and Australia complained after a power failure at the airport had delayed their flights.
The Tongan father who had been charged in relation to the fatal shooting of her 2-year-old daughter in June can now be named.
He is 26-year old Gustav Otto Sanft .
He was charged with manslaughter after Amokoura Daniels-Sanft was shot dead in the driveway of her family home in Mangere on June 2.
Sanft is also facing charges of unlawful possession of a pistol and possession of cannabis for supply.
The manslaughter charge came after Police believe Sanft did not intend to shoot or kill the child.
He appeared in the High Court at Auckland last week and applied through his lawyer Sam Fernando to have his name suppression order extended.
Fernando said the man and his family would face “alienation and ridicule” if his name and the details of the alleged manslaughter were made public.
Justice Graham Lang declined the application, saying there was no strong evidence that naming the man would affect his right to a fair trial or cause him or his partner and family any significant hardship.
