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Tongan police keep mum on origins of horrific accident photos

By
Kalino Latu
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WARNING: This article contains a graphic image. You have been warned. 

Tongan Police remain tight-lipped in the face of requests from Kaniva News to confirm whether graphic photos shared on social media this week were related to an accident in Halaleva we reported on Saturday 3.

In that story, we reported that a van overturned on a road in Halaleva.

Our report was based on information and a photo of the overturned van provided to us by an eye witness.

The eyewitness only confirmed the incident had occurred, its place of occurrence and when it had happened. No further information was available to us.

This week horrific photos emerged on Facebook apparently linked to the incident we reported.

We sent the photos to Police and asked them to confirm whether they were linked to the accident in Halaleva but we have yet to receive any response.

The photos were accompanied by captions saying they were taken at an accident in Halaleva on Saturday 3.

One of the photos showed a van similar to the one we reported lying overturned on the road.

Photo/Facebook

Another photo showed a seriously injured man lying on the ground near a retail store while some people apparently tried to help him including one man showed fanning the victim with a piece of cardboard.

Another man with his foot in plaster was seen being carried away on a hospital trolley while a woman, apparently a medic, was assisting him.

Photo/Facebook

Traffic accidents have become a grave concern to many Tongans. They regularly comment on and discuss the issues on Kaniva’s social media pages when we reported road accidents in Tonga.

Photo/Facebook

Critics said it appeared there was a traffic accident in Tonga every week. They said the high frequency of the accidents was intimidating given the tiny size of Tonga and its small population.

The main points

  • Tongan Police remain tight-lipped in the face of requests from Kaniva News to confirm whether graphic photos shared on social media this week were related to an accident in Halaleva we reported on Saturday 3.
  • In that story, we reported that a van overturned on a road in Halaleva.
  • Our report was based on information and a photo of the overturned van provided to us by an eye witness.
  • This week horrific photos emerged on Facebook apparently linked to the incident we reported.

For more information

Van overturns in Halaleva

Fruit picker patient returns to Tonga after doctors cancel operation, wife says

By
Kalino Latu
-

A Tongan fruit picker patient has returned to Tonga today with the help of a medical ventilator after doctors in New Zealand said they could not perform an operation on his head because it is very risky.

Henelī Tupou, 19, of Tatakamotonga was in the country on the New Zealand’s Regional Seasonal Employee.

He was taken to hospital in Nelson early last month in a serious condition before he was transferred to Christchurch hospital.

At the time we were reliably informed specialist surgeons found Tupou’s cause of sickness as very rare and was in life-threatening condition.

His wife ‘Asinate Tupou, who flew from Tonga while he was hospitalised, told Kaniva News today the surgeons eventually decided to refrain from performing an operation on Henelī’s head while attempting to cure the disease.

She said they returned to Tonga today and Henelī was given medication. She said he was told  he has to take the medication as instructed for the rest of his life.

She sent us a photo of her and her husband which showed the couple apparently sitting together arm to arm in a plane. Heneli was shown wearing a nasal oxygen tube.

ʻAsinate later asked us to not publish the photo.

Million sent to support Tuingapapai’s new hall as financial aid declined by Pulelaʻā leaders revealed

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Free Wesleyan Church headquarter in Tonga had donated $1.7 million to help finish building the Tuingapapai church in New Zealand.

The Free Wesleyan Church in Māngere, Auckland encountered financial management problems while constructing its multi-million church hall at 143 Favona Road.

But the church members now can celebrate their new hall tomorrow  Saturday, December 10.

The Tuingapapai church construction fell behind schedule and costs were higher than expected, Rev Dr Tēvita Havea, the Church General Secretary, said.

Dr Havea said because of the problems the Church’s headquarter in Tonga stepped in to help according to its policy.

Attempts to talk to the Tuingapapai office and their  treasurer, Rev Filipe Sāmate, to obtain costs and details of the size of the hall  were unsuccessful.

A Tongan constructor has estimated the hall to be at about 90 metres square and 8-10 metres high. He estimated the cost  at between NZ$4-6 million.

Dr Havea said Tuingapapai had money as they had just paid cash for two properties in South Auckland. He said the purchases should have been put on hold to make sure the new hall was properly funded.

Before the construction took place, the church bought a NZ$1.8 million property near Tuingapapai. This showed the church had enough money but they did not manage their finances properly, Dr Havea told Kaniva News.

He said if the church collected the money needed for the construction properly and paid just one construction company to do the building the project would have been “short, clear and cheap.”

“The vahefonua (Tuingapapai church) invested money while it should not because it had to spend on its construction”, Dr Havea said.

He said the Tongan Headquarter had talked with Tuingapapai’s board of trustees in October and they agreed the New Zealand church would sell one of its property to pay back the $1.7 million if needed.

He said the church has two properties near Tuingapapai. One of them is known as Omeia has a market value of $4 – 5 million. The other has the same value.

Dr Havea said it was important for the headquarter to help its vahefonua ensure the construction was completed so it could continue its role for its Christian followers.

He said the $1.7 million given to Tuingapapai was not a loan by the vahefonua. It was just a donation to support its construction, something the Headquarter has done for other churches.

Dr Havea said the FWC churches had problems with their building from time to time.

This was because of additional items being added to the main plan after it was approved.

“Some churches, after they approved their estimate, later wanted to add on a fence or tiles but that was not included in the original estimate”, Havea said.

The same thing happened to Tuingapapai’s construction,  he said.

Difference between Pulelaʻā and Tuingapapai

Dr Havea has revealed that the Tongan headquarter made the same offer for its troubled Pulelaʻā church in Sydney, when it was liquidated by the bank four years ago, but the Pulelaʻā leaders did not want the assistance.

The Pulelaʻā properties were seized by Westpac and resold after the community was engulfed in a financial scandal which costs the church over AU$20 million.

Dr Havea did not say whether the Headquarter would have offerred to clear Pulelaʻā’s debts or not.

The Pulelaʻā leaders told the Headquarter they did not want financial assistance. They only needed prayer, Dr Havea said.

Despite the repeated attempts by the Headquarter to help Pulelaʻā, they continued to turn down offers of assistance.

Instead, they fell into debt and believed in make believe promises offered by an Indian Trust and never trusted the church’s headquarter, Dr Havea said.

Dr Havea said the difference between Tuingapapai and Pulelaʻā was that Tuingapapai humbly accepted the church’s donation and support, but “Pharaoh continued his arrogance” and never listened and they now were separated from the Church conference.

The main points

  • The Free Wesleyan Church headquarter in Tonga had donated $1.7 million to help finish building the Tuingapapai church in New Zealand.
  • The Free Wesleyan Church in Māngere, Auckland encountered financial management problems while constructing its multi-million church hall at 143 Favona Road.
  • But the church members now can celebrate their new hall this Saturday, December 10.
  • The Tuingapapai church construction fell behind schedule and costs were higher than expected, Rev Dr Tevita Havea, the Church General Secretary, said.

READ MORE

Concerns mount over SUTT name patent

Disgruntled lay preachers break away to begin SUTT church in New Zealand

Promises over Pulelaʻā church ‘make-believe,’ FWC conference tells members

Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga’s property in Sydney known as Pulela’ā gets new owner

Failed promise: Top church leader probed into Pulela‘ā’s scandal

 

Haʻafeva search called off, victims named

By
Kalino Latu
-

The authorities in Haʻapai islands  have called off the search for a 3-year-old boy still missing after Saturday’s boat collision in Haʻafeva.

Police have identified the boy as Saimone Vaea.

Her 5-year-old sister who was hospitalised after the accident was identified as Manu Tapu.

The boy and his sister were among the passengers of a boat from ‘O’ua who fell into the sea after they realised their boat was about to crash into the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa while the ferry was unloading in the deep water at Ha’afeva.

The boat which was belonged to the Free Wesleyan Church of ‘O’ua reportedly smashed into the ferry’s loading end at about 5.07am and capsized.

The sister and the rest of the passengers were rescued while the boy could not be found.

One report says the passengers including the siblings’ parents jumped off the boat when it became clear it could crash into the ferry, a move many believed it helped avoid a collision that may have put many passengers’ lives at risk.

Tongan authority launches probe into claims Sofia Filo was left stranded in Australia

By
Kalino Latu
-

An investigation is under way after a 30-year-old Tongan woman was left stranded about 500 kilometres away from Brisbane airport after the bus she was travelling on broke down.

Sofia Filo was one of a 39 Tongans group working in Queensland on the Australian Seasonal Workers’ Programme.

They were on a bus from Bowen in North Queensland to Brisbane on November 23 to catch their flight to Sydney and Tonga.

Their bus broke down at Miriam Vale 464 km north of Brisbane, about 11.30pm and they were told to rest in a park while the bus was fixed.

Sofia claimed she and two other women took a nap on chairs in the park. When the bus was fixed the women and the rest of the Tongan workers got on board and took off without Sofia.

She claimed she contacted one of her co-workers in the bus on her cellphone and she was told the bus could not return to pick her up in fear they may not catch their flights to Sydney and Tonga.

Tonga’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said they were holding an inquiry into the incident.

Ana Bing Fonua the Ministry’s CEO said they have not yet received any report regarding the incident.

She said she would check the Ministry’s information unit whether they received any information but they will investigate.

We will update you on our inquiry, she said.

READ MORE:

Tongan female fruit picker shares worst nightmare after being left stranded in Queensland

Tonga formally requests U.S. return Dean Jay Fletcher

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Office of Attorney General said this morning it has submitted on Tuesday 6 a formal request to extradite Dean Jay Fletcher, the United States citizen whom Tonga blames for the death of his wife in Vavaʻu Islands.

The Office said it made the submission through the Embassy of the United States of America in Suva, Fiji.

Fletcher is accused of murdering his wife Patricia Linne Kearney on 6 July 2016 at Neiafu, Vava’u, the Office said.

The extradition request was delivered by the Acting Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions to the US Consular Office to first be certified, before it would be delivered through diplomatic channels to the United States State Department and then to the United States Department of Justice for consideration and processing.

The extradition request will then be submitted by the United States Department of Justice to the United States Federal Court in Honolulu, Hawaii to consider and decide whether to grant Tonga’s request.

If the US Federal District Court grants the Tongan Government’s request, such decision may be reviewed for its legality under a habeas corpus application made by Fletcher to a US Federal Court of Appeals.

An appeal from a decision of the US Court of Appeals can be made to the US Supreme Court.

If the US Courts do decide to grant the Tongan Government’s request, the ultimate decision whether to extradite Fletcher to Tonga or not, will be made by the United States Government in accordance with the laws of the United States.

The Tongan Government’s extradition request is expected to be presented for consideration by US Attorneys to the US Federal District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii on 10 January 2017.

5 days of searching, no sign of boy lost at sea in Ha’afeva

By
Kalino Latu
-

A fifth night of searches for the 3-year-old boy missing at sea in Ha’apai has passed with no major break.

The Police search and rescue boat Amoula was still scouring waters around Ha’afeva harbour  over the weekend but hadn’t turned up any new clues in the boy’s disappearance.

The boy and his 5-year-old sister were among the passengers of a boat from ‘O’ua who fell into the sea after they realised their boat was heading towards the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa while the ferry was unloading in the deep at Ha’afeva.

The boat which was belonged to the Free Wesleyan Church of ‘O’ua reportedly smashed into the ferry’s loading end at about 5.07am and capsized.

The sister and the rest of the passengers were rescued while the boy could not be found.

One report says the passengers including the siblings’ parents jumped off the boat when it became clear it could crash into the ferry, a move many believed it helped avoid a collision that may have put many passengers’ lives at risk.

Police said they will keep searching until they believe  there’s no reasonable chance the boy could still be found alive.

Children key target in fight against NCDs, Minister tells Shanghai conference

By
Philip Cass
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Tongan children are a key focus of the government’s fight against obesity and other Non-Communicable Diseases.

The kingdom’s Minister for Health, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, told the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai recently  that what he called “the obesity epidemic” was affecting young people in the kingdom.

Hon. Piukala cited the example of a primary school in Tonga where a 2011 study found that 30% of the students between five to seven were either overweight or obese.

“Overweight and obesity rates of more than 80% and even 90% of the adult population is common among many Pacific  countries and diabetes prevalence of around 20% and more are not uncommon,” the Minister said.

“The resultant burden of disease is significant especially given services for treatment of complications of NCDs including bypass surgery for heart disease, renal dialysis for kidney failure and proper prostheses for amputees are mostly not available.”

Hon. Piukala said the Tongan government was confident that the likelihood of success and change in behaviour is more likely in children when they are still developing their habits.

Many children were growing up in an environment that encouraged weight gain and obesity.

There was a decline in physical activity with children spending more time on TV and video games and eating junk food.

“This does not mean we are neglecting the adults,” Hon. Piukala said.

“We understand that adults’ behaviour around children is an important determinant of children’s behaviour in the future.”

Ensuring that children grew up in the right environments was critical is addressing NCDs

To make schools more supportive of the fight against NCDs, the government looked closely at what kinds of food were allowed to be sold on school grounds.

One of the school initiatives was the Mai e 5 or Gimme 5 programme, a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and private enterprise involved in vegetable and fruit production to encourage more vegetable and fruit intake among school children.

Another way of fighting obesity was to tax fizzy drinks.

According to Tonga’s Global School-based health survey conducted in 2010, 56.3% of students ages 13-15 years reported drinking carbonated soft drinks one or more times per day during the past 30 days

The government imposed the first tax on soft drinks in 2013. In 2016 the tax was 33 cents per can.

The Minister said the government was optimistic about reaching the NCD targets set by the United Nations under the Sustainable Development Goals.

“With the continued multi-sectoral collaboration both at national and international level, we will continue to have reason to remain optimistic that we will achieve our goal,” he said.

“We need strong political commitment and collaboration to address this global challenge of childhood obesity and NCD.s”

The main points

  • Tongan children are a key focus of the government’s fight against obesity and other non-communicable diseases.
  • The kingdom’s Minister for Health, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, told the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai recently that what he called “the obesity epidemic” was affecting young people in the kingdom.
  • Piukala cited the example of a primary school in Tonga where a 2011 study found that 30% of the students between five to seven were either overweight or obese.
  • He said the Tongan government was confident that the likelihood of success and change in behaviour is more likely in children when they are still developing their habits.

For more information

National Strategy for Prevention and Control of NCDs

Pacific islanders pay heavy price for abandoning traditional diet

Solar-powered, Wi-Fi-ready digital library devices for Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga will soon welcome the efficiency of digital library devices brought from the Ariszona State University.

The innovative library device is 100 percent self-reliant: generating its own solar power and Wi-Fi hot spot and using its own tiny computer, called a Raspberry Pi, that functions as a server connecting to library content via smartphone, laptop or iPad, a statement from ASU says.

This week, Hosman is traveling to Tonga, where she and her team will deliver 25 portable, solar-powered, Wi-Fi-ready digital library devices called SolarSPELL — the Solar Powered Educational Learning Library — which is helping to expand access to education and technology in remote places around the world that lack electricity and the internet.SolarSPELL training in

Hosman, an assistant professor at ASU with a joint appointment in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, is traveling with five undergraduate students — four engineering students from the Polytechnic School, one of the five Fulton Schools, and one film student from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts — as well as Lorrie McAllister, an assistant university librarian at ASU Libraries.

“We’ve been preparing for this trip all semester,” said Hosman. “In addition to bringing digital libraries to Tonga, the visit is meant to conduct research, create hands-on lesson plans and take part in workshops that will focus on building libraries specific to the Pacific Island communities.”

Because the SolarSPELL website functions as a local digital library — providing thousands of resources in the form of videos, articles, books, lessons and instructional guides — the selection of educational content and how the technology is introduced to the community is crucial.

Hosman thus relies on the expertise and local knowledge of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers, who are stationed in the remote locations she is trying to reach. Her strong partnership with the Peace Corps has resulted in the delivery of more than 100 SolarSPELL units in Samoa, Vanuatu and Micronesia.

“The Peace Corps has served an essential role in providing access to these digital libraries, as they often understand the needs of the community and local educational environment,” said Hosman.

Peace Corps staff and volunteers in Tonga will be working with Hosman and her students to develop learning objectives around library content as well as sample instructional programming. In addition, Hosman’s partnership with ASU Libraries has also helped to curate SolarSPELL content.

This fall, ASU Libraries hosted its first SolarSPELL Hackathon to support the curation of educational content for schools in Tonga. It was an opportunity for library staff to partner with Hosman and her students to further improve the digital library experience through new content and its improved organization, as well as enhancements to the technology platform. The Hackathon also resulted in discussion of creating lesson plans for teachers to empower students to save and share their cultural and artistic expressions as well as their family heritage.

“It is wonderful to partner with ASU Libraries to help deliver high-quality and specifically curated digital educational resources to teachers and students in areas with severely limited electricity, connectivity and even textbooks,” said Hosman.

McAllister said she is looking forward to engaging with students, educators and librarians in Tonga’s capital city of Nukuʻalofa to help understand their local context and greatest opportunities and challenges.

“This trip will be a valuable lesson in the curation of digital libraries,” McAllister said. “We will be finding out what topics the students of Tonga are interested in discovering and how they see themselves using digital libraries for learning. Dr. Hosman’s work is very exciting in terms of a creative way to expose new audiences to digital library resources and empower people by using libraries as catalysts for learning.”

Hosman, McAllister and the team of ASU students will be traveling Dec. 6-18 with a brief stop in New Zealand at the University of Auckland, where they will take part in a digital storytelling workshop.

The students plan to video-journal their experiences while traveling abroad.

Pita Taufatofua to compete at 2018 Winter Olympics

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s flagbearer at Rio Olympics, Pita Taufatofua said he wanted to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in cross-country skiing.

Taufatofua who stole the show after his glistening body attracted millions of viewers on the internet  in Rio recently did it again in China during the 2016 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo in October.

He led the Tongan delegation to Guangdong where they represented Tonga promoting tourism.

The 33-year-old taekwondo fighter will attempt to qualify for the sport and become the kingdom’s first ever athlete to compete in it.

The tiny south Pacific island nation’s location near the equator means snow does not exist there but that would not stop Taufatofua who grew up in Australia from pursuing his dream.

“We have coconut trees, they keep us warm. We’ve got the island spirit,” Taufatofua said in a video released on the IOC’s Olympic Channel.

“It’s a different sort of workout. It’s a little bit colder, but we’re from the islands. The Polynesian spirit isn’t going anywhere.”

The next Winter Olympics will be held in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang from 9-25 February 2018.

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