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Rev Socratez Yoman: ‘Akilisi Pohiva is the only Polynesian leader who has publicly shown support for West Papua

By
Todd Henry
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Reverend Socratez Sofyan Yoman, on behalf of West Papuans

Words, photos, and interview by Todd Henry. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Todd Henry is a photographer and writer currently based in Auckland, New Zealand.  He is originally from the USA, but has spent the past decade travelling extensively around the Pacific, and he has a great deal of interest in the past, present, and future of this region.  When Todd isn’t covering stories from around the Pacific as a correspondent for the Kaniva Pacific, he enjoys studying the Tongan language, spending time with family, reading books about anthropology, and planning his next overseas trip.

Archaeological evidence tells us that the indigenous Melanesian people of the island of New Guinea have lived in these lands for over 40,000 years. In more recent times however, the nation of Indonesia has claimed sovereignty over the western half of the island, now known as West Papua. Indonesia obtained control of this region in 1969 through what has been described as a rigged voting initiative where a carefully selected group of West Papuans were essentially tricked into giving Indonesia lawful jurisdiction over the land. Indigenous West Papuans are currently subjects of Indonesia, a country that they share next to nothing in common with. There are increasing calls for West Papua to be granted independence, but this is not something that the Indonesian government is willing to negotiate at this point in time.

Relatively little information has made it out of West Papua due to an official ban on foreign journalists by the Indonesian government, but reports coming out describe a situation that is overwhelmingly dire for the West Papuans. Local accounts of unwarranted arrests, rapes, shootings, torture, murdered children, and even genocide at the hands of the Indonesian military and police are far too common.

Fortunately for the people of West Papua, the news of their plight is spreading through the help of concerned foreign leaders (including Tongan PM, ‘Akilisi Pohiva), a growing number of grassroots movements in various countries, and exiled West Papuans who make great sacrifices in order to raise international awareness for their cause. International support for the West Papuan people has been steadily gaining momentum, but many say that positive change must come before it is too late.

Reverend Socratez Yoman is a member of the indigenous Lani tribe of West Papua. He travels the world to speak on behalf of his people, and he is a pronounced representative of the West Papuan independence movement. Socratez recently visited New Zealand to give a series of presentations on the plight of the West Papuan people, and he was nice enough to take the time to answer some of my questions.

Read more stories by Todd Henry:

Socratez pictured with Carmel Sepuloni (left) and Jenny Salesa (right)
Socratez pictured with Labour Party MPs Carmel Sepuloni (left) and Jenny Salesa (right)

Todd: Reverend Socratez Sofyan Yoman, nice to meet you and I would like to thank you for doing this interview today. Can we just fill the readers in on who you are with some background information? Where are you from, and what is your personal story?

Socratez: Thank you Todd for your time, and for wanting to interview me. I was born in the highlands in West Papua on the 6th of June 1967. I grew up and went to primary school in my village, and for senior school I went to Nabire (a town in West Papua). After I finished senior high school I went to continue my studies at university, Cenderewasih University in Jayapura. I finished in 1994.

When I was back in my village I looked at my people’s situation, and saw the Indonesian military and police arresting my people. They were torturing and even killing. This is when I was in primary school. This is my own experience. When I went to the secondary school, it was a similar situation. I understood what was happening, and when I went to university I understood even more what is happening to my people in West Papua. I saw everyday how the Indonesian military and police attack my West Papuan people, arrested and tortured and then put them in prison, or killed them. I asked the question “why is this happening?” I realise that the Indonesians have occupied, or colonised West Papua. They are teaching Papuans everything Indonesian, Indonesian language, history, names, mountains, and heritage but they never teach about West Papuan cultures and history. I think they undermine West Papuans, they are killing all Papuan cultures and properties. This has been going on since 1963 until today, 2016, almost 53 years. We see also Indonesian military brutality on the people, on the behalf of the Indonesian territory’s insecurity.

This experience made me want to make it better. When I was in university I was always thinking about what we can do to help our people. I don’t know about the other students at university but this is what I was always thinking. This is an abnormal situation that is not good, and then I decided that I would go to study theology in West Java for one and a half years. After I finished, I went back to West Papua and I was elected as the General Secretary of the Fellowship Baptist Church of West Papua. I thought this was an opportunity to protect my people and speak out for my people because the church has values such as justice, peace, harmony, and respect for human dignity and human rights. The Bible says not to kill people, undermine people, or make people have a bad life. When I became secretary (in1998) I spoke out to oppose the human rights abuses, violations, and other atrocities happening in West Papua. In 2002 I was elected as the President of the Fellowship Baptist Church, and I got more chances to speak out for my people. Doing this is high risk, you know, because the Indonesian government is unhappy when we speak out and protect our people we go against them. Today I speak out to protect my people and make their lives better, better healthcare, education and economy.

Another problem faced by the Papuan people is that they have become marginalised on their own lands. They are hopeless and landless. Today, Indonesian migrants come in flocks and they are increasing in West Papua to become to majority in all sectors. They own all the businesses, shopping centres, restaurants, hotels, and public transportation are all owned by Indonesian migrants. The West Papuans are the owners of the land but they have become marginalised, and powerless. The people have been removed from their own lands for palm oil plantations. When they try to protect their lands they are stigmatised as being against the government, and against the law, and the people are arrested or shot and killed. Then the transmigrants from Indonesia settle these places. This is happening in West Papua.

It’s happening right now?

Yes, it is happening now. This is an atrocity.

I know a lot of countries in the Pacific region currently struggle with their own issues, but what makes the present situation in West Papua relevant? Why should the governments and the people of other Pacific nations worry about what is going on in West Papua?

 Yes, thank you. We get a lot of attention from our brothers and sisters in Melanesian and Pacific communities. For example, Vanuatu is a strong supporter of West Papua. The Solomon Islanders support West Papua, as well as the Tongans and the Kanaks (the indigenous Melanesian people of New Caledonia) because they are part of the Pacific community. They cannot be silent anymore when their brothers and sisters are dehumanised and colonised, and under the brutality of the Indonesian government. Now a lot of Melanesian and Pacific communities are concerned, especially Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. They are with us 100%, the communities, church leaders, universities, and governments support West Papua. A lot of these groups in Vanuatu are united under one umbrella, The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) https://www.ulmwp.org/. The people of Fiji and Papua New Guinea, not the governments, but the people support West Papua and they have formed grassroots movements to help us. Recently 20 bishops from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands visited West Papua, and they could see what is happening to their brothers and sisters in West Papua. They support us.

‘Akilisi Pohiva, the Tongan Prime Minister, is the only Polynesian leader who has publicly shown support for West Papua. He raised his concerns for the people West Papua at both the UN General Assembly in New York in 2015, and also at the House of Parliament in London in May of this year. What does this kind of support mean to the people who are currently being victimised in West Papua?

 Yes, I believe that the Tongan Prime Minister sees people as a humanitarian. These are humanitarian issues and he is concerned. He sees with his heart and knows it is not a good situation. As the leader of an independent state he should support West Papua and I think he is a good person and made a good decision. I am very happy. On behalf of my people I would like to say thank you to ‘Akilisi Pohiva. I think other countries should follow his example in speaking out for us. This isn’t just a problem of Melanesia, or Polynesia, we see the human beings, and humanity. West Papua’s humanitarian issues are a global concern.

You are currently in New Zealand giving talks in order to tell the story of the West Papuan people and raise awareness of the human rights issues there. What can people do right now, even people in Pacific nations such as Tonga, to show their support for the people of West Papua?

They should support the ULMWP, as they represent the West Papuan people. People can also put pressure on their own governments to speak out, and they can put pressure on the Indonesian embassies in each country by sending letters to encourage the Indonesian government and president to engage in genuine dialogue and peaceful negotiation with the ULMWP and Indonesian representatives. This can be mediated by a third party. The voices of people and their solidarity is very important because West Papuan people today understand that they aren’t alone anymore. They have solidarities and friends, brothers and sisters all over the world. I came here to build awareness, not only in Pacific communities, but in all of the communities, Maori people, church leaders and communities, universities, and parliament.

I was last in New Zealand 10 years ago, and the human rights issues (in West Papua) have only become worse than they were before. More people are still being killed. We need support and solidarity from the people all over the world, not only from Melanesian and Polynesian communities. These are humanitarian issues, and human rights issues. Peace and dignity of the people must be respected.

You can read the rest of the interview here:

Chris Cocker is new South Pacific Tourism Organisation boss

By
Kalino Latu
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Chris Cocker
Chris Cocker

Tongan Chris Cocker will head the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), replacing Fiji’s Ilisoni Vuidreketi.

The appointment was confirmed by SPTO Chair, Sonja Hunter, after a board meeting on the Gold Coast Monday.

Hunter said the board accepted the recommendations of a sub-committee tasked to hire a chief executive for the region’s leading tourism organisation.

Cocker is expected to join SPTO shortly after leaving the Secretariat of the Pacific Community

The Tongan edged out Vuidreketi – who had served two terms as CEO – in the recruitment process.

Hunter said Cocker would lead the SPTO’s efforts to help grow tourism opportunities in the Pacific.

-Iskand Business / PACNEWS

Tongan man sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in US for fatal crash

By
Kalino Latu
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A Tongan man in the United States was sentenced to 25 years in prison and his driver license has been suspended for a lifetime.

The sentencing came after the court found Siosaia Fonua, 30, was driving under influence (DUI) at the time he killed a man with a vehicle in Sarasota.

He  was sentenced by Judge James Stroker on Thursday last week for his involvement in a 2012 fatal crash in which he fled the scene with a broken hip and hid. Residents turned him in 45 minutes later, according to States of Florida media.

Police said Fonua was driving while his license was suspended for two prior DUIs.

“Crash reconstruction experts estimated he was driving in excess of 87 mph in a 45 mph zone.  His blood alcohol level an hour after the crash was .182”, the media reported.

Scott Parker, 55, a former clown with the Ringling Brothers’ Circus, was killed in the accident upon impact.

SIOSAIA FONUA
Siosaia Fonua

This was Fonua’s third DUI, second leaving the scene of a crash, and fourth driving on suspended license.

He recently had been released from prison for robbery.

The state sought enhanced sentencing for Fonua as a habitual violent felony offender, which carries a 15-year minimum mandatory.

“Unfortunately, the defendant did not learn from his past mistakes, for which Scott Parker and his family paid the ultimate price,” said Assistant State Attorney Shanna Hourihan.

“When you continue to drink and drive, tragedy happens.  Judge Stroker sentenced the defendant appropriately, finding him to be a danger to the community, and finding that lengthy incarceration the only mechanism to protect that community from him,” Hourihan added.

Excitement building for Heilala festival

By
Kalino Latu
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There’s a buzz about the upcoming Miss Heilala Festival in the heart of Nukuʻalofa capital city.

The Ministry of Tourism released items for the competitions during the national event saying it will start on June 27 – July 9.

It said registration is now open for those who would like to participate in the beauty contest 2016 as well as the performing arts competitions.

It  says entry is free and it’s not just for Tongan people, but for all ethnicities in Tonga to participate and enjoy.

The items:
1) Floorshow
a) Mako dance
e) Group dances

2) Miss Tau’olunga
a)Miss Junior Tau’olunga (6-9)
b)Miss Pre-teen Tau’olunga (10-13)
c) Miss Teen Tau’olunga (14-17)

3) Float Parade Competition- Open for businesses and Community:
Theme:
a)Tourism
b)Culture
c)Others

4) International Cultura Night – This programme is open to any ethnicities to showcase their native cultural entertainments.

For further enquiries contact:  24436 or 23895.  E-mail sandyt@tongatourism.gov.to/ teisaf@tongatourism.gov.to, and anaseini@tongatourism.gov.to

Positive economic forecast, but consumers have a mixed time with mutton flaps down, kava prices up

By
Philip Cass
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Tonga’s domestic economy is likely to remain strong in the near future, but the market has been a mixed bag for Tongan consumers over the past month.

In its latest monthly report, the Reserve Bank of Tonga said that while the cost of imported foodstuffs like mutton flaps had fallen, the cost of Kava-Tonga had dramatically increased and the price of domestic vegetables had risen.

And while oil prices had dropped, there were fewer cruise ships in the period under review, which meant that the domestic transport sector suffered, as did people who sold handicrafts to visitors.

The Reserve Bank said it expected domestic economic activity to remain strong in the near term, but cautioned that a strong domestic economy could also risk lower foreign reserves and higher inflation.

The Reserve Bank predicted a rise in the level of imports, mostly driven by growth in the construction sector. The growth in private  housing construction continued, supported by a  $0.02 million rise in housing loans and $1.3 million increase in imports of construction materials over the month.

The expected receipts of remittances and foreign aid funds would help maintain the kingdom’s foreign reserves. Inflationary pressure remained low due mainly to declining global food and oil prices.

Domestic food prices had increased over the month, indicating a decline in the supply of domestically produced food. However, agricultural exports volume rose over the month by 15.3 tonnes, owing to higher export of fruit, particularly brown coconuts and breadfruits.

Agricultural export proceeds increased by $0.03 million over the month. Total marine exports, however, fell by 166 tonnes because of a decrease in the export of tuna. Proceeds for fisheries exports also declined by $0.25 million in March.

The number of tourist arrivals fell by 4070 passengers over the month, mostly due to fewer cruise ship arrivals. This had a knock-on effect on the transportation and handicrafts sector.

The transportation sector benefitted from the low global oil price as local fuel prices  fell during the month. Vehicle import payments rose by $0.3 million and 193 new vehicle registration were recorded over the month.

The number of job advertisements over the month rose to about 60 vacancies. Public Administration continued to record the highest number of vacancies advertised, as government ministries want to fill in their vacancies before the end of the fiscal year.

Prices for petrol, diesel and tobacco fell by about four percent. Imported food prices fell for items such as potatoes, apples and mutton flaps, but at the same time prices rose for domestic produce such as talo futuna, cassava, tomatoes, cabbage, taro tarua leaves, pineapple and pele leaves and Kava-Tonga.

The Agricultural Census for 2015 revealed that agricultural land used for Kava- Tonga plantation significantly dropped from 5,273 acres in 2001 to only 1,257 acres in 2015.

The main points

  • Tonga’s domestic economy is likely to remain strong in the near future, but the market has been a mixed bag for Tongan consumers over the past month.
  • In its latest monthly report, the Reserve Bank of Tonga said that while the cost of imported foodstuffs like mutton flaps had fallen, the cost of Kava-Tonga had dramatically increased and the price of domestic vegetables had risen.
  • And while oil prices had dropped, there were fewer cruise ships in the period under review, which meant that the domestic transport sector suffered, as did people who sold handicrafts to visitors.
  • However, the Reserve Bank says it expects domestic economic activity to remain strong in the near future.

Blake family celebrates Queen Mother’s 90th birthday

By
Kalino Latu
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The Blake Family celebrates with the Queen Mother at the first day of her 90th birthday celebration at Queen Salote Memorial Hall  in Nukuʻalofa today.

The Blakes come from the Queen mother’s paternal side which can be traced back to an English man, Alexander Blake,  who came to Tonga in 1830s and married to a Tongan woman.

Also in attendance at today’s event, which featured Tongan traditional entertainments and dances, were Crown Prince Tupouto’a, HRH Princess Pilolevu Tuita and many of the royal family and kainga.

The members of the Blake Family from New Zealand performed the Kapa Haka to Her Majesty Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho on Tuesday at Tufumahina.

The six-day celebration will be concluded on Monday 30.

Man fined over castration of dog with a stanley knife

By
Kaniva Staff
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A Tongan man gets community work and a fine for the ‘horrific pain’ he inflicted on his dog.

Tavake Sina Mokofisi, 33, was sentenced by Judge Rosemary Riddell in the Hamilton District Court on Thursday to 150 hours of community work, plus pay a fine $350.

He has been banned from owning a fog for five years.

Mokofisi castrated his dog  without anaesthetic in August 2015.

He tied his puppy up so he could castrate it with a stanley knife. He later told vets what he did was legal in his native Tonga.

However Mokofisi pleaded guilty for his action before he appeared for sentencing on Thursday.

“You later admitted you had tied the dog’s four legs together with a rope, tied his mouth shut with a cloth and hung him in a tree.”

Without using anaesthetic, Mokofisi castrated the dog using a stanley knife, cutting the scrotal skin, squeezing out the testicle, and then cutting the cord to remove the testicle. The wound was washed with salt water before the dog was set loose.

After about two days he took the dog to a vet, saying it had jumped over a low fence.

The vets were suspicious but gave the dog pain relief and antibiotics before putting it under general anaesthetic the following day.

“Once the dog was under general anaesthetic their suspicions were confirmed,” Riddell said.

The wounds were consistent with a deliberate castration, which Mokofisi then admitted.

Mokofisi came to New Zealand from Tonga six years ago and told the vets it was legal to castrate male dogs there, and he didn’t know it wasn’t the case in New Zealand.

The dog was surrendered to the SPCA.

Defence lawyer Louis Wilkins said Mokofisi’s actions were deeply misguided but he had recognised this fairly promptly.

“It’s not a deliberate attempt to inflict pain for its own sake,” he said.

“It’s misguided, and the priority here is really to prevent this man having animals in the near future.”

Mokofisi should never have done the procedure but it may have been one which he had seen performed in his youth, he said.

Tonga and US workshop on combating drug trafficking in South Pacific

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Twenty Tongan and American agencies attended a workshop early this month organised by the Nevada National Guard State Partnership Program to combat drug trafficking, human trafficking, piracy and protection of natural resources.

The five-day meeting “focused on drug identification and included two maritime sessions that spotlighted ship embarkment and evidence discovery”.

Ten Tongan agents and 10 American agents were allowed “to share its latest information surrounding drug identification in an allied effort to combat potential drug trafficking in the South Pacific”.

The participating Tongan agencies included His Majesty’s Armed Forces, Customs, Police and Ministry of Infrastructure officials as well as a representative from the Attorney General’s office; the Joint Interagency Task Force West, U.S. Coast Guard, Defense Attache Office and the Nevada Air and Army Guard were the American participants.

“The multi-agency approach to drug identification is the only way to go,” said Tonga Police deputy commissioner Pelenatita Fe’ao Vaisuai. “No one agency can do it all on its own – it must be a cooperative effort.

“It’s all about building effective working relationships and partnerships as well as sharing and teaching others about new information and experiences.”

US
Record number of agencies on board for Nevada/Tonga drug identification exchange

According to Tonga Armed Forces Lt. Siosiua Ika, the idea for a drug identification exchange stemmed from a recent incident where Tongan officials discovered a ship that had run aground but they couldn’t easily identify the substances aboard the vessel.

“That was a lesson learned. For (Tonga agencies), drug identification training should continue,” Ika said. “We can’t rely on just a few people from each organization to have the training to identify potential drugs; hopefully it can become continuous and all can receive the training.”

With drug identification the top priority of the exchange, Air Guard 2nd Lt. Lewis Roberts, Tech Sgt. Josh Leggett and Staff Sgt. Berenice Domenzain joined Army Sgt. Lars Nielsen to start the exchange with a topical presentation displaying and describing the effects of common illicit drugs in Nevada. Their presentation took place at His Majesty’s Armed Forces Headquarters near the Royal Palace.

“It was the first time for me to view pictures of the different types of marijuana and understand the different varieties,” said Armed Forces Staff Sgt. Ofa Baasi. “It was a good class; I learned from the Nevada personnel.”

Subsequently, exchange participants learned about the latest in maritime law from U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Kevin Bruen before watching a vessel-boarding demonstration by the Coast Guard’s Law Enforcement Detachment at Masefield Naval Base.

The detachment’s availability coincided perfectly with the port visit of the USS Spruance, which was making the first-ever U.S. warship pier-side stop in Tonga’s capital city. The Coast Guard personnel were aboard the USS Spruance preparing to assist the Navy on a 10-day patrol of international fishing waters.

On the ultimate day of the exchange, Vaisuai gave the participants an update in Tongan about the police department’s drug identification issues before the group headed out to Masefield again to learn about the Tongan Armed Force’s naval assets and resources with a tour aboard Pacific Patrol Boat No. P201 and Landing Vessel No. A401. Those two vessels comprise 50 percent of Tonga’s seafaring ships.

As the exchange concluded, Tongan officials said they were grateful the Nevada Guard facilitated the exchange, noting they had made new contacts domestically as well as internationally.

“Often, Tongan agencies work in isolation,” said James Lutui of the Tonga Attorney General’s office. “It was important to join together and learn about policies and issues cooperatively.”

The success of the exchange was noted by the U.S. Department of State in a message from Judith Cefkin, the U.S. Ambassador to Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu, to the Sailors aboard the USS Spruance.

“The professional military-to-military and community relations events conducted during the Nevada National Guard exchange with the government of Tonga agencies built goodwill toward the United States and served as an important reminder of the U.S. commitment to the region,” she wrote via an electronic message to USS Spruance commanding officer Cmdr. Manuel Hernandez.

The Nevada National Guard’s partnership with Tonga was officially established in April 2014. The State Partnership Program links a state’s National Guard with the armed forces of a partner country in a cooperative, mutually-beneficial relationship.

“The missions succeed because of the hard work of Nevada Guard Soldiers and Airmen,” said Nevada Guard International Affairs Officer Maj. John Brownell, who has made 21 trips to Oceania on behalf of the State Partnership Program in recent years.

The next SPP meeting between the Nevada Guard and His Majesty’s Armed Forces is set for Tonga in August and will emphasize the exchange of search-and-rescue information.

-Original story by Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka

Tonga and China special meeting at world first tourism conference

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan delegations to the First World Conference on Tourism  in Beijing last week met China’s Head of National Tourism Administration in a special meeting.

Tonga’s Tourism Minister Hon Semisi Sika and Hon Li Jinzao exchanged gifts and discussed China’s interests in Tonga tourism.

The participants from about 100 countries in the world who attended the international meeting engaged in a high level debate on the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Organised by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China  the world leaders met in Beijing at the Hotel China World Summit Wing from May 18 – 21.

Tonga Tourism 1
L_R: Deputy Secretary Tourism – Sione Moala, Tonga’s Minister of Tourism Hon. Semisi Sika, Chairman of Tonga Tourism – Tomifa Paea, Tonga Ambassador in China – HE. ‘Utuatu Tauaika,

In the special meeting Hon Sika  thanked Jinzao for the envoys  the Communists Led-Party country sent to Tonga to attend His Majesty King Tupou VI’s coronation last year.

Hon. Sika also acknowledged Hon. Li Jinzao signing the MOU to bring 1000 travel agents to Tonga.

The Tongan delegations who attended the conference were Hon. Semisi Sika, Tonga Ambassador in China HE. ‘Utuatu Tauaika, Chairman of Tonga Tourism – Tomifa Paea and the Tourism Deputy Secretary Sione Moala Mafi.

Bread ban will affect most people on Tongatapu, including churchgoers who are big customers

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan government has reintroduced the Sunday trading ban to stop bakers trading on the Sabbath, but some bakers have admitted that church goers are among their regular customers.

Police Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa said that even though some bakers agreed with the Sunday trading ban, they had had to meet the needs of church customers.

Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said some church ministers bought bread and cakes on Sunday because they had a lukuluku (collection of food or refreshments) for ceremonial receptions at their churches.

Tonga has reinstated its Sunday Trading Ban and announced this week it would ban bakeries from selling bread to the public on the Sabbath, beginning on July 3.

The owner of Tonga’s largest bakery, Alfred Cowley, told Kaniva News this evening the ban would affect about 80 percent of the people of the  main island, Tongatapu.

He said every fortnight his bakeries had to serve a large number of customers who were churchgoers who wanted to buy bread for church receptions.

He said the way the government came up with the decision to ban the sale of bread on Sunday was unfair and disregarded the proposal to allow bakeries to open for a limited time on Sundays.

Cowley said that in their meeting with the government, the island’s bakers agreed with the government to sell bread within a fixed time frame on Sundays.

He said the government said it would come back to them with suitable times.

He said most people who took part in the discussions did not support the ban.

Cowley said he was surprised when he heard the Minister of Police announce the ban on the radio without contacting the bakers.

“I am concerned that the ban is not fair,” Cowley said.

“Why do they allow the restaurants to open on Sunday and not bakeries?”

The law of the nation should be equal to everyone no matter what, he said.

Alcohol was sold on Sunday in some of the restaurants which did not provide accommodation to tourists.

Cowley denied claims by the church leaders that only five percent of Tongans would be affected if the sale of bread on Sunday was banned.

“The church minister who said that should look at the Bible to make sure what he said is truthful,” Cowley said.

He said his company had three main bakeries in Tongatapu, in the capital Nuku’alofa, in Nukunuku in the western side and in Mu’a at the eastern side.

He said his bakeries produced the most bread during the week for people to buy on Sunday evening and Monday morning.

“It is obvious 80 to 85 percent of Tongatapu people prepare their traditional food to eat after church on Sunday afternoon and in the evening they look forward to buying bread for their dinner,” Cowley said in Tongan.

Cowley said the government should go with the times in its decision on the trading ban.

Other bakeries including the Ha’amoko Bakery, the Rainbow Bakery and others in Fanga and Veitongo. These bakeries open on Sundays and sell bread on Sunday evenings.

Cowley said he received complaints from a number of concerned bread buyers on Sunday who suggested he should stage a march and present a petition to the king over the ban.

However, he said he did not want to get involved in such move. He hoped the government would return to the negotiation table for further discussion before the ban comes to effect.

The trading ban

Baker Alfred Cowley told Kaniva News  the government should go with the times in its decision on the trading ban.

The clear implication of that statement is that times have changed and many Tongans no longer regard buying bread on Sundays as a sin.

What do you think?

Should the trading ban be imposed on bakeries?

Is there anything wrong with buying bread on Sunday?

The main points

  • The Tongan government has reintroduced the Sunday trading ban to stop bakers trading on the Sabbath, but some bakers have admitted that church goers are among their regular customers.
  • Police Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa said that even though some bakers agreed with the Sunday trading ban, they had had to meet the needs of church customers.
  • He said some church ministers bought bread and cakes on Sunday because they had a collection of food for ceremonial receptions at their churches.
  • The owner of Tonga’s largest bakery, Alfred Cowley, told Kaniva News this evening the ban would affect about 80 percent of the people of the main island, Tongatapu.

Government has no record of decision being made to allow bakeries to operate on Sunday

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