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Bus driver charged after Tofoa attack, media warned

By
Kalino Latu
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Some of the 147 accused students of Tupou College charged with "one count of conspiracy to commit willful damage to a building" after the attack of students at Tofoa on Thursday 18 have received more charges.

Twenty-two of the Tupou College accused and still detained by police received more charges on trespassing, housebreaking and causing grievous bodily harm.

A bus driver has been charged with “aiding criminal damage” and one student charged with “attempted arson” both are in police custody.

Police said a second group of 51 students have been released on bail  this afternoon charged with count of conspiracy to commit willful damage to a building and trespassing.

A group of 75 Tupou College students were bailed out on July 22 charged with wilful damage to a building. All accused released will appear at the Nuku'alofa Magistrate's Court on Monday, July 29.

Police commissioner O’Fee said more charges are likely to be laid next week.

At the same Assistant Police Commissioner ‘Unga Fa’aoa said “We are aware that there are lots of Media's discussions on the issue of school violence practically on the incident happened on Thursday night 18 July 2013 at Tofoa”.

He asked the “public to be patience and wait for the outcome of the investigation and the court hearing”.

Fa’aoa’s statements came after a local radio station conducted a talk-back show on  the violent school rivalry between schools.

Tonga Principals meet divided over Secondary School Rugby Final

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tonga Secondary School Principal Association has to return for another meeting tomorrow after it failed to break the deadlock over  the secondary school rugby tournament finals today.

Fr ‘Aisake Vaisima, president of TASSAP said some of the members moved to be cancelled while others argued in favour of a final.

Principals have been asked to take the issue and discuss it with their various schools before tomorrow’s meeting, he said.

Secondary School rugby tournament finals were postponed last week following an attack by Tupou College students against Tonga College students and an ex-student on Thursday 18.

Vaisima said other issues would be disscussed tomorrow.

Tonga College 1st  XV will face Liahona High School  1st XV in the senior rugby tournament final.  

Principals urgent meeting reveals lack of action on commission's recommendations

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tonga Secondary Schools Principals Association (TSSPA) meeting today had only one agenda – to urgently look at a report they received in 2008 after a taskforce was commissioned to investigate and submit recommendations on how to eliminate violence among secondary schools.  

The meeting was called after an attack in a home at the village of Koloua, Tofoa on Thursday 18 by Tupou College students where a Tonga College student , Taniela Mahe 15 was just recovered this week  in hospital and an ex-student Taniela Halahuni 21 is  in a coma.

The president of TSSPA, Fr ‘Aisake Vaisima told Kaniva News school fights in Tonga are now an inter-secondary schools issue.

“Too long it has been left to the respective schools to solve their problems. Now it is everybody’s problem and we (other schools) must work together to find appropriate solutions,” Fr Vaisima said.

Fr. Vaisima, the Principal of Apifo’ou College believed TSSPA has not done enough to address the report recommendations made available since the last 5 years.

"The findings point to the fact that more work needs to be done to follow up. This has not been diligently followed after the report.” he said.

“ As an Association we will make time to extend this work further. The nature of the violence is basically “crowd” (groups)  sourced in its historical background and its occurrences in the past up to the present. A solution must therefore be of the same nature,” he told Kaniva News.

The taskforce and its report were a joint effort by the Ministry of Education, TSSPA, Police and the then Ministry of Youth and Employment.

It recommended in its 2008 report “that the Minister of Education, Women’s Affairs and Culture looks into commission further investigation into the problems and the social, psychological, academic and economic factors that influence students and those who support them and to come forth with the appropriate mechanisms for providing the appropriate assistance and support".

Parts of its recommendations said “the education systems should put in place a system for restricting the use of mobile phones and radio within the school compound with the assistance of the Tonga Secondary School Principal Association.”

Kaniva News understands that since 2008 fights between secondary schools persisted not only between Tupou College and Tonga College  but also  Liahona High School.

In a Radio Tonga report on March 2012 it said  “since  the start of the new academic year, boys from 3 schools – Tonga College, Tupou College and Liahona High School – have been fighting each other every Friday afternoon. One reason behind the fights is sports rivalry  – and text messages seem to encourage it,” the report said.

In October 2012 fights continued among schools students.  The Assistant Commissioner of Police , Soakai Motu’a Puaka told Radio ABC “the problems has been they start through the telephone, call through text and all that. They text each other, they text each other's numbers and chase things there, talking about a girlfriend or a boyfriend, things like that. And sometimes they radio a program, talk back program radio. The kids call the radio and sometimes the radio is not careful enough, spark all these problems and also the competitions, like sports, rugby and so forth,” 

Other recommendations by the taskforce in its report  included suggestion made for a commission "to be undertaken by a competent official who will report to the Minister. It called for police to continue investigation into communities where there are likelihoods of activities that would indoctrinate students into substance abuse and violence"

Police have to investigate “students who are offenders and ensuring that they are prosecuted and brought into Court for punishment that information on offenders are kept in a database for future use …a separate investigation be made on students who are neglected by their parents and bring them into counseling,” it said.

Police investigation was also recommended for "students who are offenders and   ensuring that they are prosecuted and brought into Court for punishment that information on offenders are kept in a database for future use…a separate investigation be made on students who are neglected by their parents and bring them into counseling"

The recent attack by Tupou College students against the Tonga College students and an ex-student was apparently been well organized, foreseen by some in the communities and it was aided by a Tupou College male teacher who was arrested and charged by police in relation to the attack.

Tupou College teacher charged in relation to Tofoa attack

By
Kalino Latu
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LAST UPDATED 11pm 23/07: A Tupou College male teacher 43 has been charged for "aiding criminal damage" after the attack of Tonga College students and an ex-student in a home at Tofoa on Thurstday 18, Police Statement says.

All 147 Tupou College students taken into custody by Police following the attack were charged with one count of conspiring to commit wilful damage.

Out of the 147 students detained 75 have been reportedly released on bail after they appeared before the  magistrate court on Monday 22.

They will reappear on  July 29 at the Nuku'alofa Magistrate Court.

Tonga College student Taniela Mahe 15 and Taniela Halahuni 21 a Tonga College ex-student are still in hospital as a result of the attack.

Halahuni is still in critical condition.

Police did not release further details regarding the Tupou College teacher's charge and arrest.

Violent relationship between Tupou College and Tonga College students

By
Kalino Latu
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by Rev Dr Mohenoa Puloka

“Mo’ui ngalo,” forgetting of who you are, your socio-personal identity, is a behavior taboo against which most Tongan parents and older generations do take care to move their children far away from, and instead instruct them of “’Ilo’i Kita,”  knowing yourself, similar perhaps to Plato’s “know thyself.” A part of the root cause of violent relationship between Tupou College and Tonga College students is “mo’ui ngalo.” Tupou College and Tonga College boys really forget who they are as brothers of the same parents. In 1883 His Majesty King Tupou 1 commanded Pauliasi Taumoepeau of Kotu, Ha’apai, a foundation scholar of Tupou College (1866) to set up and start Tonga College, the rest is rather a well known history.

In fact Tupou College and Tonga College are brother schools, with the former the elder and the latter as the younger brother. Sibling rivals, the human traits that build and destroy nations is part of the problems between the two premiere educational institutions in Tonga, Tupou College and Tonga College. Into the same groove Tupou College, a Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga school and the first secondary school amongst the Pacific Islands is seen in sharp contrast to Tonga College, a Government of Tonga school.

Instead of articulating against a historicist stance, I do acknowledge the rubbings of the past as having similar negative impacts on the present relationship between the two schools.  To be clear and fair to all parties involved, what the law calls onus probandi, (burden of proof) is squarely vested with the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga. As the largest Christian Church and owner of Tupou College, and about 70% of Tonga College students and staff are members, the FWCT must navigate its kalia, “Mo’unga-ki-he-Loto,” fearlessly riding the white-crested waves of Tonga thus taming its wild and unruly waters.

In my response to a similar but less violent fighting between the two schools last month, I suggested publicly that an exchange classes be carried out by both schools. A Form Three from Tupou College be transferred to Tonga College and to be exchanged by a Form Three from Tonga College be transferred to Tupou College. To complete the Tonga School Certificate the transfer must remain in tact for at least 3 years. Those exchange students would build up a good durable environment for a better relationship of brotherly love amongst the boys.  

Parents, staff, and alumni of both schools must take care to build same brotherly relationships as each is not complete without the other. This exchange is neither a quid pro quo nor deus ex-machina, but a sine qua non, that decides aut vincere aut mori. About closing down both schools or Tupou College is a bad idea. You do not burn down the house in order to give it a new roof. Just do the necessary repairs for neither the Government nor the FWCT has the capacity to provide better alternatives.

However, the current situation exposes both the FWCT as well as the Government of Tonga as weak and ineffective provider of responsible infrastructure for a peaceful and well-ordered Tonga. Both Church and State are debilitated by the powerful onslaught of materialism. Worst is when the Church becomes more material and less spiritual while the State becomes a political machine without a heart.Vade in pace.

Rev. Dr. Tevita Tonga Mohenoa Puloka.
Director: Department of Continuing Theological Education for Clergy and Stewards, The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (Methodist Church in Tonga).

Copyright: Pentecost 2013, Tevita Tonga Mohenoa Puloka, PhD.             

Town officer warned tenant of possible attack by Tupou College students

By
Kalino Latu
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UPDATES: The tenant of the house where a horrendous attack by Tupou College students took place on Thursday night at Tofoa has been previously advised that allowing Tonga College students to stay in her house  posed a risk of becoming targeted for an attack. 

A student of Tonga College, Taniela Mahe 15 is in the hospital after the attack on Thursday night 18 but in good condition according to her mother, Mrs Luʻisa Mahe. Another victim of the attack who is an ex-student of Tonga College, Taniela Halahuni 21 is also in the hospital but in a critical condition.

Kaniva News has been informed that Halahuni is now in life support, but we could not confirm that as we could not be able to get hold of Surgeon Dr Lord Tangi who was said to be the only authority that could release any information regarding Halahuni.  

Tofoa town officer, Mr ʻUsaia Fifita said he studied recent attacks by Tupou College students and could learn they followed similar patterns of attacking homes where small number of Tonga College students lived. He then undertook to make sure his villagers would not be victims.

Mr Fifita told Kaniva News before the attack on Thursday  he talked to the tenant, Mrs Lu’isa Mahe in relation to the Tonga College students staying in her house.

The town officer said he was aware of a fight last month between these Tonga College students with some Tupou College students in the area. A church steward for the Free Wesleyan Church in the vicinity was injured in the fight after he intervened because of his children involved. The steward's children are currently studying at Tupou College.

Mr Fifita said the Tonga College students were previously staying in another friend’s house in the area. He then talked to the home owner to consider returning the students to their own parents and places.  

He only learnt after the Thursday attack that the students were not returned to their various places but instead were just moving to another home in the area.

Mrs Mahe told Kaniva News the students from Tonga College who have been victims of Thursday’s incidence were not staying in her house. Her two sons are staying at Tonga College with the principal during the week, she said.

Mrs Mahe was a teacher at Tonga College and  the Tonga College students in the area used to come for her assistance with their studies during the week.

She said after the rugby tournament semi final between Tupou College and Tonga College on Thursday 11 Tonga College won but a fight broke out after the game between the two colleges.

The fight was eventually dispersed and some Tonga college students gathered at her home that evening. She later received a call from the town officer saying he was concerned for the safety of those living in her house  and the neighboruing residents because of the recent fights between the two colleges.

Mrs Mahe said she told the town officer that the students were not staying in her house and they just turned up for either to have something to eat or to get assistance for their studies.

Mrs Mahe also confirmed that Taniela Halahuni 21 is no longer a student at Tonga College.

Apparently Halahuni was in the wrong place at wrong time on Thursday night 18.

On the night of the attack Mrs Mahe said she returned with some foods from Kolomotu’a after conducting a night study programme.

She arrived home to find her two sons in the house. They said they came from Tonga College to have their hairs cut for the School Rugby Tournament final the next day.

She then called Taniela Halahuni and the other Tonga College students who used to come to her house to come and dine with them.

“They regularly turned up looking for something to eat,” Mrs Mahe said.

After their dinner they just relaxed into a topic discussion on History and Tongan subjects, she said.

“We did not know our house has already been surrounded at the time around 10 to 12pm. But a stone hurled into the house and we heard a sound of shattering glass. Not long the Tupou College students entered into our house and smashed everything they could find,” she said.  

It was estimated that about 200 students from Tupou College were at the scene and only about 8 Tonga College students were in the house at the time of the attack. 

Mrs Mahe said her children together with the other Tonga College students may have been safe in the bedrooms.  But after  she noticed the attackers were trying to blow up the house with a gas cylinder they grabbed from the kitchen she shouted at the top her voice to alert the children in the bedrooms to find a way out.

“I  just yelled and cried out  I do not want you to kill my children. Lucky it could not ignite after they attempted to light it,” she said.

Halahuni and the boys came out of the rooms when they heard Mrs Maheʻs yelling and they were immediately assaulted and bashed over their heads.

Mrs Mahe said her son is in good condition but really concerned at Halahuni’s life condition which is seriously critical.

Kaniva News could not be able to obtain a comment from Tupou College.

Tonga College students still receive treatment at Vaiola Hospital

By
Kalino Latu
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LAST UPDATED 3:20pm: Two students of Tonga College hospitalised after an attack by Tupou College students  in the village of Koloua-‘o-Kolomotu’a, Tofoa are still in the hospital with serious head injuries but in stable condition, a source from Vaiola Hospital told Kaniva News this afternoon.

The source is not named as he was not authorised to release any  information but he confirmed the two Tonga College students are still receiving treatment and still under the care of the nurses and doctors.

Kaniva sought the hospital's confirmation after posts on Facebook went viral saying one of the students has died last night, drawn thousands of Tongans into a heated debate and discussion on the social media. 

Our source said that was not correct and he  told us to contact Dr Viliami Tangi or Dr Saia Piukala as they are the two surgeons who are working for the two students but the "doctors are currently attending to a case in the surgical ward".   
 
The victims were two of the students who were in the house while the attack took place on Thursday night July 18.

Police said the attack was vicious and it was conducted while a mother, teacher at Tonga High School and her children together with the Tonga College students were in the house.

A local told Kaniva News  the students from Tupou College allegedly arrived without villagers awareness armed with sticks, woods, timbers and pieces of iron.

They entered the residence at about midnight smashed the house’s sliding doors and windows before they got in and assaulted the occupants.

Another group was organised to wait outside and make sure there was no intervention from the neighbours and villagers, he said.  

In June a fight broke out between the Tonga College students and students from Tupou College in the area and a father of some of the Tupou College students involved was allegedly injured. 

In May a group of more than 100 students from Tupou College arrived by bus at the village of Veitongo to attack a home in the area belonged to some Tonga College students.  

At one stage it was alleged that some Tonga College students hurled stones at a Tupou College bus days before this incident happened.

A swift intervention of the locals helped avoid any disaster and police were called to the scene.

On one occasion, students from Tupou College surprisingly arrived at Tonga College armed with sticks and irons smashing  class rooms and school buildings.

The tension between the two colleges has been in the history since a huge split between Wesleyan Church followers in 1885 that saw the birth of the Tonga College by Prime Minister Shirley Baker and King Tupou I while Tupou College was previously established in 1866 by Missionary Dr James Egan Moulton.

Police investigation was underway.

 

– We removed from this article what we reported as – the mother and his children together with the Tonga college students believed to have been asleep while the attack took place. We interviewed the mother recently and she said the attack happened while they were still staying awake. 

School Rugby Final cancelled after mass fight, 147 arrested in brawl

By
Kalino Latu
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UPDATED: Tongatapu Secondary School Rugby Tournament final that was due to be held today Friday 19 was postponed after  multiple fights that  culminated in an attack involving more than 100 students, with 147 arrested.

President of the Tonga Secondary School Principals Association Fr ‘Aisake Vaisima told Kaniva News the  principal members of the Tongatapu Association met today and decided to cancel the tournament’s final after two Tonga College students were hospitalised following an attack by some  Tupou College students at a residence in Tofoa.

Police have confirmed arrests were made and students were in police custody.

A reliable source unanimously spoke with Kaniva News and he said some students from Tonga College used to camp out at a resident in Koloua-'o-Kolomotu'a a village next to the village of Tofoa.

The residence belongs to a woman who is teaching at Tonga High School and she has children that are studying at Tonga College.

He said last month a fight broke out between these students with some of the students of Tupou College who live close by in which a father of some of the Tupou College students was allegedly injured.

Last night’s brawl was believed to have been a revenge by the Tupou College students following the June’s fight, he said.  

Fr Vaisima said he met the Honourable Minister of Education today, Dr ‘Ana Taufe’ulungaki and she has given him the support  from the cabinet for the decision to cancel today’s tournament final for all school rugby grades.

Student members of the Tongatapu School Prefects Association were supposed to hold a meeting this weekend as part of an initiative to develop good leadership among school students but Fr Vaisima said he advised them to postpone it due to the tension between the two colleges.

Beauty is in the eye of the researcher

By
Kalino Latu
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Press Release

Rosemarie Fili wanted to study how Tongan perspectives of beauty differed from western views so she entered a beauty pageant in the Pacific Kingdom, and won.

Rosemarie, 22, entered the Miss Heilala pageant – effectively the Miss Tonga competition – as part of her post-graduate studies at the University of Waikato and says it was a plan to learn more about Tongan women’s perspectives of beauty.

“I told my professor, Lynda Johnston, I wanted to look at definitions of beauty from a Tongan context. I wanted to look at how the Miss Heilala contest identified beauty in young women and how local girls looked at that and whether they followed that idea or have their own perspectives of beauty,” she says.

“People have studied these things from the outside but I wanted to see what goes on behind those closed doors.”

She now has the chance to broaden her studies even further, with her new title guaranteeing her entry into the Miss South Pacific competition, being held in the Solomon Islands in December.

Rosemarie – who was born in Christchurch but returned to live in Tonga when she was just 3 months old, before completing her schooling in Palmerston North – hopes to complete her post-graduate degree in Social Sciences with Honours later this year before fulfilling one of the conditions of her win and returning to Tonga to work as an ambassador for the government for six months.

“That’s part of the deal and I’m actually really looking forward to it.”

Following that, she hopes to return to Waikato University to complete her masters degree.

At the competition, Rosemarie won several individual categories ahead of the overall title and while it was based on traditional pageants, there was no swimsuit section and additional sections for traditional wear, traditional dance and talent.

For winning the title, Rosemarie also won cash and flights to Los Angeles and she is still surprised she won.

“There were so many beautiful ladies, I honestly didn’t believe it,” she says.

“I went into it for research and a bit of fun but it turned out better than I ever hoped it would.”

And while she’s not planning on abandoning her studies for life on the catwalk, it would be nice if there was one positive spinoff from the pageant.

“I’m hoping for an A+ because I won.”

The new commercial bank in Tonga owned by Jinhua Hu

By
Kalino Latu
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UPDATES: The new Pacific International Commercial Bank to operate in Tonga in six months is owned by a Chinese business millionaire named as Mr. Jinhua Hu.

 The license for the bank to operate was just approved by Tonga National Reserve Bank this month.

Mr Hu deposited a starting capital of $8 Million dollar before the TNRB approved his license.

The Board of Directors will be chaired by Hu’s daughter Tiantian Hu. Other members are Hon Princess Pilolevu Tuita represented by ‘Aisake Tu’iono, Mishka Tu’ifua and the rest will be Hu’s children.

Saia Moehau said the new bank will operate from his hotel known as Loumaile Lodge  in Nuku'alofa.

The new bank is expected to be opened to the public in December.

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