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Rain does not stop parade in Tonga to celebrate Fiji gold medal

By
Kalino Latu
-

Heavy rain in the morning in Nukuʻalofa capital city did not stop a parade  to celebrate Fiji’s gold medal win in the Olympics men’s sevens.

The celebration was organised by the Fijian community in Tonga.

Tonga’s Deputy Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni and the Minister for Public Enterprises Hon. Poasi Tei joined the parade which marched along Taufaʻahau Road.

The marchers carried banners and waved Fijian flags. Some carried umbrellas.

The Fijian rugby players beat their former colonial ruler, Britain, by 43-7 to win the inaugural men’s rugby sevens competition.

Pohiva asks date for vote of no confidence motion as Lord Vaea remains silent

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva has asked the House to schedule a vote of no confidence against him.

Hon. Pōhiva said he wanted to make sure the vote did not clash with his upcoming meetings planned for overseas.

The Leader of the Opposition, Lord Vaea, told Kaniva News two weeks ago that the opposition would submit a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister.

However, when Hon. Pōhiva asked for a date for the vote this week, Lord Vaea did not say anything.

The Prime Minister said news of the vote of no confidence motion had been released by the media and Tongans overseas and in Tonga were following it up.

He said he was scheduled to travel to Sweden next week and on his return he would again leave the country for the Pacific Island Forum.

He was supposed to attend many meetings overseas, but had opted to not attend some of them.

Hon. Pohiva told the House he wanted to know if it was possible to set a date for the vote on the House’s agenda.

This Tuesday, August 16, the Speaker of the House told the Prime Minister he had yet to receive the motion for a vote of no confidence, but if he received it he would put it on the Parliamentary agenda.

Lord Vaea, who was declared leader of the opposition by the Prime Minister in New Zealand during his recent state visit, confirmed to Kaniva News they would  work on a motion of vote of no confidence when the House resumed this week.

Response

While the Prime Minister was in New Zealand two weeks ago, his supporters raised their concerns about a revelation by Lord Vaea on Kaniva News’ weekly radio programme that the opposition would submit a vote of no confidence against him.

His supporters wanted Hon. Pohiva to respond to some of Lord Vaea’s claims.

The Prime Minister said it was difficult for him to reply because he had not seen a copy of the motion.

He told the meeting in Auckland that the motion was constitutional. Votes of no confidence were made to ensure governments could be voted out if it failed in its responsibility to the country.

It was clear from those who spoke during the meeting many still supported Pohiva’s government.

Many said the nobles had been leading the government for years and the level of corruption regularly reported by the media was a great concern.

Some who had listened to Lord Vaea’s radio  interview about the vote of no confidence said the nobles appeared to have nothing new to offer  if they took over the government.

The main points

  • Tonga’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva has asked the House to schedule a vote of no confidence against him.
  • Pohiva said he wanted to make sure the vote did not clash with his upcoming meetings planned for overseas.
  • The Leader of the Opposition, Lord Vaea, told Kaniva News two weeks ago that the opposition would submit a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister.
  • However, when Hon. Pohiva asked for a date for the vote this week, Lord Vaea did not say anything.

For more information

Noble MPs vow to topple government with no confidence motion when Parliament resumes

 

Man free after Supreme Court says rape claim was “not proven beyond a doubt”

By
Philip Cass
-

A man has been found not guilty of rape in the Supreme Court.

Hon. Justice Cato dismissed a charge against Hemilitoni Teukata that on  or  about  March 14, 2015, at Talafo’ou,  he  had  carnal  knowledge  of a woman  against her will.

The complainant was aged 21 at the time and had two young children, one aged four and the other an infant. Her husband was away fruit picking.  She gave evidence that on that date, she was at home alone with her eldest son when the accused and a friend, Samisoni, visited about 11pm.

The complainant said that Samisoni left and the accused remained behind. She said the accused tried to force himself on her and she gave in to his demands after he threatened to kill her son.

She said that after he had sex with her he threatened to kill her and her son if she made a complaint. He left about 2am.

She subsequently told two people about the rape and then made a complaint to the police. Her husband returned three days later and she told him about the incident.

Detective Vehala said he conducted a lengthy interview with Teukata who said he had watched videos at the complainant’s house and then had consensual sex with her. He denied threatening the complainant.

He said they had sex again later that night.

Samisoni told the court the accused and the complainant had previously had a sexual relationship.

The complainant admitted the relationship.

Hon. Justice Cato then adjourned the hearing for the Crown to take instructions and consider its position.

“I also wished to  consider my position to have the witness recalled,” he said.

“This seemed to me to  be very  relevant  evidence  upon which  any competent defence counsel would have cross-examined the complainant.  The  accused  was  unrepresented  and  had  not cross­ examined  the  complainant  about  this  matter, or really anything of substance, at all.”

Hon. Justice Cato said he was concerned about the complainant’s lack of honesty about her prior relationship.

“This case involves credibility,” he said.

“There is no  supporting evidence that anybody heard the complainant screaming or distressed on the night in question. There is no evidence of any sexual complaint, although the complainant said she had told others about the rape.

“Faced   with   a   situation   where   I have evidence  admitted  to  by  the  complainant  on  recall  that  she  had recent consensual  intercourse  with  the  accused  in apparently  not dissimilar   circumstances and with  no  independent  evidence  of  her  distress  on  the  14th  March 2015,  I am  left  in doubt  as  to  where  the  truth  lies.”

The Judge said he also had concerns about the earlier statements made by the accused to police when he was not represented.

“For these  reasons,  I do  not  find  the  case  against  the  accused  of rape on March 14, 2015 proven beyond a  reasonable doubt.”

The main points

  • A man has been found not guilty of rape in the Supreme Court.
  • Justice Cato dismissed a charge against Hemilitoni Teukata that on or  about  March 14, 2015, at Talafo’ou,  he  had  carnal  knowledge  of a woman  against her will.
  • She said the accused tried to force himself on her and she gave in to his demands after he threatened to kill her son.
  • Justice Cato said he had concerns about the evidence presented in the case.

Hōfoa and Hoi win Tongatapu soroban competition

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Hōfoa and Hoi came top of the Tongatapu Primary School district soroban competition.

Hōfoa won the Hihifo District competition while Hoi won the Hahake competition.

Tokomololo GPS became second while the third place went to Fahefa GPS.

A statement said: “More than 175 students from Class 3 – Class 5 from 14 Primary Schools in Hihifo competed in the written examination, oral examination and the flash examination.

“The next District Soroban competition will be held in ‘Eua Island on September 8th 2016, before the National Competition in March next year.

“The Soroban Competition were co-hosted by Embassy of Japan and the Ministry of Education and Training, and supported by the Tonga Soroban Education Association, JICA Tonga Office, and Japan International Soroban Diffusion Foundation”.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Winner of the Soroban Competition for the Western District, Hofoa GPS

Result: Soroban Competition in Hihifo

• Class 3

Written Oral Flash

1 Tupou Seini ‘Ungo’unga Tokomololo Tupou Seini ‘Ungo’unga Tokomololo Tupou Seini ‘Ungo’unga Tokomololo

2 Kaneisoni Mafi Ha’alalo Hepisipa Fonua Fahefa Kaneisoni Mafi Ha’alalo

3 Kalolaine Fetu’u’aho Te’ekiu David ‘Aho Tokomololo Mo’uifo’ou Lolo Tokomololo

• Class 4

Written Oral Flash

1 Felila Kolotau Hofoa Felila Kolotau Hofoa Seini ‘Ofa Prescott Hofoa

2 Seini ‘Ofa Prescott Hofoa Falesa Tu’ipulotu Hofoa Vetea Mahe Tokomololo

3 Falesa Tu’ipulotu Hofoa Losa Moala Fahefa Felila Kolotau Hofoa

• Class 5

Written Oral Flash

1 Mele Tufui Afu Hofoa Paula Lonitenisi Fahefa ‘Elone Prescott Hofoa

2 ‘Elone Prescott Hofoa ‘Elone Prescott Hofoa Oujohn Kamisese Kahoua

3 Ma’u Kakala Paongo Hofoa Fe’ofa’aki Makihele Kahoua Mele Tufui Afu Hofoa

• Teachers

1 Luseane Pakohe Pea

2 Manulua Tu’ipulotu Hofoa

3 Veisinia Faletau Tokomololo

• Schools

1 GPS Hofoa

2 GPS Tokomololo

3 GPS Fahefa

Tongan rugby player dies in Sydney road accident

By
Kalino Latu
-

A 28-year-old Tongan died in Alexandria, Sydney after his motorcycle collided head on with a car at the intersection of Euston Road and Maddox Street Wednesday 17 around 6.45am.

He was treated at the scene before being taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a critical condition, but died a short time later, Sydney media reported.

Reports on social media confirmed the deceased was Holoua Tonga, a Tongan player at Balmain Rugby Club.

An emotional message was posted to the club’s Facebook page this morning said:

“We are sorry to pass on the news that Holoua Tonga passed away this morning after a motorcycle accident on the way to work.

Holoau seen here from Saturday’s Kentwell win was a hardworking family man with a beautiful wife & young family. He will be sadly missed by all that knew him”.

The driver of the car, a 50-year-old man, was uninjured.

He was taken to Sydney Hospital for mandatory blood and urine testing.

Officers from Redfern Local Area Command  are investigating.

Police have asked any witnesses to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

 

Tongan terrorist suspect denied bail

By
Kaniva Staff
-
by Rachel Olding, Sydney Morning Herald

A teenager who laughed and cheered as a Sydney court heard evidence of her “favourite” beheading video has been denied bail on terrorism charges.

Alo-Bridget Namoa, 19, is charged with possessing an item connected to a terrorist act and recklessly collecting documents connected to a terrorist act along with her 19-year-old husband, Sameh Bayda.

Police allege she was found with a hunting knife and a Shahada flag in her handbag as well as instructions for making a bomb detonator.

On Tuesday, Magistrate John Edwards denied her bail in Central Local Court.

He said that, although there was evidence Ms Namoa was being kept in very harsh conditions in prison and that her mental health was deteriorating, it didn’t constitute the “exceptional circumstances” that must to be proven in order to warrant bail on terrorism offences.

During a bail hearing on Monday, her barrister Zaid Khan tendered evidence showing that Ms Namoa has been suffering from hallucinations and schizophrenia and her mental health has deteriorated since entering custody in February.

In one instance, Ms Namoa, who is of Tongan heritage and converted to Islam after school, told prison doctors: “I hear voices. It tells me to hurt people but I don’t.”

Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and black hijab, she laughed, pulled faces and clapped during the proceedings on Monday.

Alo-Bridget Namoa converted to Islam after school.

The court heard that she has told prison doctors: “The toilet talks to me, it makes me laugh” and “I see angels, they are my friends”.

She also said: “I keep thinking about the things I have watched on the phone. The beheadings and all.”

Ms Namoa laughed and shouted “woo!” when Crown prosecutor Michelle England read out another comment to doctors in which she said: “My favourite one [is] when the rocket blew his head off, his intestines and all.”

She laughed as Ms England detailed material allegedly found on her phone including “extremely violent” war scenes and support for the San Bernadino shooting in America.

In one text messages with Mr Baydah she allegedly wrote: “I want to do an Islamic Bonnie & Clyde version on the kafirs haha … like ASAP”.

However, Mr Khan argued that the text messages show Ms Namoa’s immaturity and suggest the pair were filled with bravado or a “romanticised notion of these two offenders against the world”.

The court heard Ms Namoa has been given the highest classification in Silverwater prison due to her terrorism allegations and she is kept in permanent isolation with limited health care.

She spends 22 hours a day in a single cell and two hours a day in an isolated caged exercise yard.

She will next appear in court on September 28 to be sentenced on separate charges of failing to answer questions at the NSW Crime Commission.

Chinese medics offer helps at Vaiola hospital

By
Kaniva Staff
-

There were some extra helping hands at Vaiola hospital this week after visiting medical experts from Guangdong, China offered medical services.

The Chinese medical professionals included doctors, cardiologists, dentists, endocrinologist and acupuncturist.

During the visits the Chinese met with the Tongan health authority to discuss future visits and further working partnership.

The Chinese visit was organized by the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office and Guangdong Health and Family Planning Commission.

“I was lucky to decorate Pita,” says the Tongan coach behind the Olympic oil sensation

By
Kalino Latu
-

The female Olympic coach who decorated the kingdom’s flagbearer with Tongan oil said she was lucky to be part of the decoration team.

The response to Pita Taufatofua’s appearance at the opening ceremony in Rio caused the internet to break last week and Palu Havea said she was excited when she realised the oil decoration she made had attracted a world-wide attention.

Havea, who is one of the Tongan coaches at the Olympics, said she was asked by the Tongan chef de mission to look after Taufatofua’s decoration.

“I am a mother and I did my best with all the experiences as I often decorated my daughter for dancing,” she said.

Havea said the oil on Taufatofua’s’s torso may have glistened more if his hands had not been busy holding the flag.

“That’s the Tongan way of how to do it ,” Havea said.

“You pour the oil on his hands so he can rub it into his body from time to time and that would make it glisten more.”

“The people who stood close to where we were walking during the opening ceremony wanted to touch Taufatofua’s body and asked to pose with him for photos”.

Since the oil sensation the name “Tonga” has been widely recognised at the Olympics.Palu and Pita 1

“Wherever we went with our outfit with the name Tonga on it we could hear the people saying “Tonga!” Havea said.

Floats and parades

Meanwhile a colourful parades was staged today in Tonga to show the people’s support for the Tongan Olympians and Taufatofua who is the only one still to compete.

He is set to contest the 80kg + men’s individual Taekwondo competition this Saturday, August 20.

Photos uploaded to social media showed Tongan supporters in Nuku’alofa waving flags. Some people were marching and trying to imitate Taufatofua when he led the Tongan Olympics team as flagbearer.

Tonga Power Ltd donated TP$10,000 to support Taufatofua while preparing for the Olympics.

This was how the Tongan supporters talked about and photographed the parades in Nukuʻalofa today:

 


The main points

  • The female Olympic coach who decorated the kingdom’s flagbearer Tongan oil said she was lucky to be part of the decoration team.
  • Palu Havea, who is one of the Tongan coaches at the Olympics, said she was excited when she realised the oil decoration she made had attracted a world-wide attention.
  • “I did my best with all the experiences as I often decorated my daughter for dancing,” she said.
  • “The people who stood close to where we were walking during the opening ceremony wanted to touch Taufatofua’s body and asked to pose with him for photos.”

For more information

Tongan flagbearer explodes over the internet as kingdom’s seven member team marches in Rio

King rejects Lord Fielakepa’s title right bid

By
Kalino Latu
-

His Majesty’s Privy Council has rejected a bid by Lord Fielakepa, born as Tongapo’uli Aleamotuʻa, to overturn a Land Court decision declaring he was not the rightful heir to the Fielakepa title.

According to Tongan news website Nepituno, His Majesty’s Privy Council made the decision to uphold the Land Court’s ruling this afternoon.

This means Tupou Tongaliuaki Aleamotuʻa will be the new holder of the Fielakepa title, the website said.

In December 2015 Tonga’s Land Court ruled that Tupou Tongaliuaki Filoʻaulo Aleamotuʻa was the rightful heir to the title after the death of the late Baron Fielakepa.

Tongapo’uli’s eldest brother, the late Baron Fielakepa, died in 2013 without an heir.

The next in line to the title was Mosese Taulupe Aleamotu’a, Tongaliuaki’s father. But Taulupe died in 2007 while the title was inherited by his eldest brother.

As Kaniva News reported the Land Court declared that His Majesty had erred when he conferred the title Fielakepa on Tongapo’uli.

It said it was evident that the information provided to His Majesty regarding who was the right person to inherit the title was wrong.

He said Tongaliuaki was the rightful heir to the Fielakepa title and his name should be published as such in the Government Gazette.

The judge said that registering Tongapo’uli’s name as a trustee after the Late Baron Fielakepa’s death on the grounds that Tongaliuaki was not 21 was wrong because Tongaliuaki was 21 years-old at the time.

The ruling came after Tongapo’uli, the young brother of Tongaliuaki’s late father, claimed in court that Tongaliuaki was not a biological son of Taulupe, his older brother.

He claimed Tongaliuaki’s father was ‘Atunaisa Fetokai of Haveluloto.

This was denied by Tongaliuaki and his mother Mele Simiki Aleamotu’a in court.

Tongaliuaki told the court he would voluntarily provide a DNA test to prove his paternity.

His mother told the court she did not want his son to take a DNA test.

READ MORE:

Paternity challenged in Fielakepa court battle

Fielakepa: Tongaliuaki seeks compensation in court

Tonga’s poor support for its athletes and lack of Games success “so sad,” says silver medallist

By
Kalino Latu
-

He won Tonga’s only silver medal, but he despairs that it will ever happen again.

He says Tonga is almost dead in the water at the Olympics, let down by administrators who have stayed in power for decades, but won’t support the kingdom’s athletes.

He’s Paea Wolfgramm, who won silver for Tonga in the boxing ring at the Olympics in 1996.

Now, 20 years after the Atlanta Games, he looks back on his boxing career, offers his thoughts on how Tonga could move forward in international competition and says that it is unlikely his children will get into the fight game because they got bored with it when they were young.

And no, he wouldn’t have appeared at the Olympics topless and covered in oil.

Wolfgramm was speaking to Kaniva News founder Kalino Lātū:

KL: Are you sad there has not been a Tongan boxer at the Olympics since Doug Viney (Ma’afu Hawke) in 2004? 

PW: Yes I’m gutted. It is as if Atlanta had never happened.  We have continued doing the same thing hoping for a different result.  In terms of Olympics we have continued to play it like a lottery where we do the bare minimum for our athletes and hope that our numbers will come up and another Paea Wolfgramm will come along.

How often do we win the lottery twice? It is the reason why our athletes face change, but our Olympic administrators have stayed the same for the past 20 years.  In fact, in my time we struggled a bit but today we are almost dead in the water.  It is so sad as we go forward to 2019.

Since 2006 I have called for TASANOC and the Government to create a purposeful rewarding pathway for our athletes to aspire to.  I even submitted a paper to them and they listened politely, agreed to it and have done nothing since.

KL: I am intrigued that you stopped fighting when you did. You had 20 wins and four losses, which was a good record. Did it just get tougher as the fights went on?

PW:  My amateur record was 20-3 and professional record was 20-4. My professional contract was only for five years and at the time I had promised my wife and mother – who weren’t too keen on me taking it up as a career  – that I would  only fight professionally for that period with no extension whatever the outcome.

KL: You lost three out of your last five fights, but the referee stopped the last fight in the last round. Whose decision was it to quit? Do you ever regret it?

PW:  I didn’t intend to go pro, but straight after the Olympics I had promoters knocking on my door and it wasn’t an opportunity you get offered every day.  So I took my chances and it was definitely an experience I will never regret. I’m glad that I had five years of it and came out relatively undamaged as boxing can be an unforgiving sport.

KL: Have you considered making a comeback?

PW:  As I said, I had promised never to go back after my five year stint and it was not hard for me because I had other things prior to boxing.  I can understand how some boxers can stay in the game far too long because they have done nothing else.  Although I miss some of the people, I have never thought about going back.

KL: Would you like any of your children to go into the fight game?

PW: No, I left it up to my kids, but I think they got bored with it as they grew up around it.

KL: You were the Tongan flag bearer at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. Did you consider going topless and being covered in oil?

PW: No, it was never considered. The officials were pretty strict in maintaining the molumalu of our flag. We weren’t even allowed to wear the flag around our shoulders at the fights or other sporting events, but that said, I think Pita brought a lot of attention to Tonga. I would have liked it if we were recognised for our achievement instead, but I guess that’s where we are at the moment.

The main points

  • Tonga is dead in the water at the Olympics, silver medal winning boxer Paea Wolfgramm said today.
  • In an interview with Kaniva News he said Tonga’s sporting administrators were letting down the kingdom’s athletes.
  • In the interview he looked back on his boxing career and offered his thoughts on how Tonga could move forward in international competition.
  • He said he quit boxing to fulfil a promise to his wife and mother.

For more information

The day Muhammed Ali gave Tongan boxing champ Wolfgramme a word of advice

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