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Ahluwalia still USP Vice Chancellor: Aingimea

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ and is republished with permission

Deported Canadian academic Pal Ahluwalia is still Vice Chancellor and President of the University of the South Pacific, said Chancellor Lionel Aingimea.

Professor Ahluwalia and his wife, nursing lecturer Sandra Price, were forced to leave Fiji in early February after the government claimed the couple had breached provisions in their work permits.

University of the South Pacific (USP) vice-chancellor and president Pal Ahluwalia.
University of the South Pacific (USP) vice-chancellor and president Pal Ahluwalia. Photo: USP

Aingimea, who is also Nauru’s President, said once issues relating to the academic’s departure were cleared at the council level, Professor Ahluwalia would be allowed to operate out of any USP member country, except Fiji.

Aingimea’s comments comes amid a council meeting this week to discuss a report which had highlighted governance issues at the regional institution.

The report was compiled in 2019 by forensic accountant BDO Auckland following allegations by Ahluwalia of ‘serious mismanagement and abuse of office’ at the USP.

The fallout between the university’s governing body, the USP Council, and the head office host nation, Fiji, came to the fore following the deportation of Ahluwalia.

Aingimea had condemned the deportation.

He said the USP Council, Professor Ahluwalia’s employer, was not informed of his deportation by the Fijian authorities.

The Council had not revoked Professor Ahluwalia’s contract, Aingimea said.

He told the Fiji Times newspaper last week that he had received a lot of letters from USP students and staff expressing their disappointment that issues remained unresolved.

The question of Ahluwalia’s role was put to a subcommittee, Aingimea said, and the subcommittee had returned it to the council meeting this week with some recommendations.

“As far as I am personally concerned, he [Ahluwalia] is still the VC of the USP,” he said.

On Ahluwalia not being able to return to Fiji, Aingimea said he could operate from any member country.

“As far as I am concerned there are other campuses around the region, USP is a regional institution and, therefore, the VC can, as far as I am concerned, operate out of Samoa, Vanuatu or Nauru or any other country for that matter.”

Ahluwalia and his wife were taken from their Suva home late at night on February 3 and driven to Nadi International Airport to be put on a flight to Australia.

According to the Fiji Government, Alhuwalia and Sandra Price had continuously breached Section 13 of the Immigration Act which led to their deportation.

The couple have denied the claims.

USP Chancellor and Nauru President Lionel Aingimea.
USP Chancellor and Nauru President Lionel Aingimea. Photo: Facebook/Fiji Parliament

Gov’t waiving whale watching radio licencing fees raises further curiosity over rejection of $3,500 license suspension request

By
Kalino Latu
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Another year of exemption has been approved for the whale watching and swimming operators who must pay annual licencing fees to allow them to use radio communications while providing their services to the public.

Tonga Tourism. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva Tonga).

The exemption only applies to holders who have Very High Frequency (VHF) and High Frequency (HF) radio communication licences.

The Ministry of Communication (MEIDECC) said yesterday this has been decided due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

While the whale watching businesses were pleased about the announcement some wanted to know why the government did not apply the same justification to other whale watching licence fees since the pandemic impact affected them as well.

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Minister of Tourism

Concerned whale watching operators who spoke anonymously with Kaniva news wanted to know why the Communication Minister could waive the radio licence fees while at the same time the Minister of Tourism told them she has no power to defer the payment for the whale watching and swimming licences.

As we reported last week, the Minister of Tourism Akosita Lavulavu told the Vava’u operators this month if they did not pay their fees on time their licences would be cancelled.

Lavulavu was responding after the operators requested to defer or waive the $3,500 fees for another year because of border closures. The amount was the total of TOP$1500 per boat licence fee and TOP$2000 for a third party insurance which valid for three years.

PM intervention

It is understood a meeting was held in Nuku’alofa last week in an attempt to continue pushing for the government to waive the three-year whale watching licences and insurance fees.

It is also understood the organisers wanted to ask the prime minister to intervene.

Food duties exemption 

As Kaniva News reported previously, the operators have questioned the response from the Minister of Tourism after it was clear the government can make special decision when the country was in a state of emergency.

The Prime Minister has recently extended the State of Emergency for another month, until 10 May, due to ongoing concerns around the global spread of Covid-19.

The Minister of Customs and Revenue has used such power to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 by announcing last year that his Ministry has allowed duty exemption on food and household items imported from overseas countries.

MEIDECC announcement

“Due to the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Communications Sector, the Government of Tonga is extending the exemption of the Whale Watching Industry license fees for another 12 months period commencing April 2021 – March 2022.” the MEIDECC said yesterday Tuesday 27.

“The exemption only applies for license holders of VHF and HF Radio Communication in the Whale Watching Industry”.

New Zealanders in India ‘just want to get home’

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ

New Zealanders stuck in India are desperate for help, as the country experiences a devastating second wave of Covid-19 cases.

India reported more than 350,000 daily cases on Monday, and more than 2800 deaths, with overcrowded hospitals running low on supplies.

New Zealander Kiri Tepana moved to India just over a year ago when her husband was denied a visa to stay in New Zealand.

She’s isolating at home with him and their two daughters in a small village in Punjab, and said the latest wave of Covid-19 cases was scary.

“Medical care is absolutely hopeless,” she said, adding that the nearest hospital was a three-hour drive, and treatment was costly.

Tepana and her husband have been together for four years, but they’ve had trouble convincing Immigration New Zealand they are in a genuine relationship.

If her husband does not get a visa soon, Tepana and her daughters might have to leave him behind in India, she said.

“I just want to get home.”

Not everyone will have that option though.

India along with Pakistan, Brazil and Papua New Guinea is on New Zealand’s new “high risk” list meaning only citizens, their parents, partners and children are allowed into New Zealand. Flights from India have been suspended for the past two weeks as part of a temporary ban.

That’s put Jyothi Vaidyanathan’s plan on ice – having only recently secured permanent residency for herself and her 10-year-old son, who are stuck in Kerala.

“The situation is bad over here. Day by day it is actually getting worse. Today I got the news that the class teacher of my son has tested positive, and won’t be coming to school.”

Her husband has been working in Auckland for the past three years, and Vaidyanathan said being apart was painful for and her son.

New Zealand Indian Central Association president Paul Patel said it had been tough on Indian communities here too.

“There’s been moments of sadness, difficulty, worry.”

He hoped that government help, including medical equipment or vaccines, could be provided.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said New Zealand stood ready to respond to any requests for support from India.

Call for under 16s to be vaccinated

Te Pūnaha Matatini principal investigator and University of Canterbury professor Michael Plank said the country was still vulnerable at the border, and the pressure was on the vaccine rollout.

He told Morning Report there were signs that cases in India were slowing down slightly, but it was too early to say if the infection rate would fall.

Plank said before the temporary travel suspension was brought in, there were about 15 percent of arrivals from India testing positive.

“When travel does resume and when people start coming back from India, we should be prepared to see quite a high percentage of arrivals testing positive.”

He said introducing a category of high-risk countries was a good and “pragmatic move” by the government to reduce the number of positive cases in MIQ facilities.

As for the vaccination programme, a good uptake was key to herd immunity, Plank said.

“Models are increasingly showing we are unlikely to be able to reach herd immunity without vaccinating under 16s. The vaccines currently are approved for use in over 16s in New Zealand.”

He said trials in under 16s were showing promising results.

But even if the vaccines were to be approved for under 16s in New Zealand, it would not be until later this year that that group would be inoculated.

NZ to reopen travel bubble with Western Australia tomorrow at noon

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By One News/TVNZ and is republished with permission

New Zealand will lift the pause on the travel bubble with Western Australia tomorrow at noon.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said quarantine free travel would recommence from Western Australia on April 28 at midday “for travellers who have not been identified as contacts”.

“For those identified as close contacts, they will need to complete 14 days of self-isolation and provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test before departure for New Zealand.”

It comes after an investigation was launched today into how a traveller from Perth was able to enter New Zealand – despite the close on quarantine free travel.

The Ministry of Health said it had been alerted a person had travelled to Auckland, via Sydney, yesterday during Perth’s three-day lockdown.

Hipkins said the Government was satisfied the risk of Covid-19 was low.

“The advice is that the Perth cluster appears to be contained and the post-lockdown transition response measures the Western Australia Government introduced will provide an additional layer of assurance.”

Travel to and from Western Australia through the trans-Tasman travel bubble was paused on Saturday after a person left a Perth MIQ facility with Covid-19, leading to two people spending time in the community while infectious, according to AAP.

Perth and the outer-metropolitan area of Peel were plunged into a three-day lock down on April 24, which lifted last night.

Covid-19 cases continue to climb in Fiji

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

Fiji has six more cases of Covid-19, two in the community and four in border quarantine.

The Health Ministry said there were 42 active Covid-19 cases in isolation, 18 in border quarantine and 24 community transmission cases.

Blood flow with virus COVID19, SARS-CoV-2 concept background
Photo: 123rf.com

While making the announcement at a media conference this evening, the Health Secretary James Fong said four of the six new cases were soldiers returning from peacekeeping duties overseas.

Dr Fong said some of the soldiers had been “fraternising among each other during their 14-day quarantine in the border quarantine facility”, which he added is against the rules.

He said the other two cases were family members of the woman from the Wainitarawau Settlement in Cunningham who contracted the virus after attending a funeral in Lautoka last week.

Dr Fong said the woman’s family had been admitted at the Navua Isolation Unit since Wednesday, 21 April.

He said they had all returned negative results on their first two tests in quarantine.

He said as they had now tested positive after five days in isolation, they were not considered a transmission risk to the public.

Dr Fong said the six new Covid-19 patients brought Fiji’s total to 109 confirmed cases since the first case was detected on 19 March 2020.

Earlier, the ministry said it was awaiting test results from Australia on the country’s first locally-transmitted Covid-19 case.

A sample was sent to a Melbourne laboratory last weekend to determine the variant of the virus that a soldier had contracted in a border quarantine facility in Nadi on 18 April.

Dr Fong said the ministry was not aware of whether the latest locally-transmitted cases of the virus were of a new variant or linked to the already known Indian, UK or African variants.

He said swab tests taken to determine the variant of three other local positive Covid-19 cases would also be sent to Australia.

“We should be getting more details of those samples and I’m hoping that we will be getting that very soon, so I can discuss it more extensively in terms of what it means.”

Fiji has had 109 Covid-19 cases, with 65 recovered and two deaths reported.

Tonga to select European based 7s squad

By
Kalino Latu
-

By RNZ and is republished with permission

The Tonga Rugby Union will not select players from its official sevens programme for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament in Monaco.

Tonga is hoping to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Tonga is hoping to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Vinnie Wylie

A squad of New Zealand based players has been training under head coach Tevita Tu’ifua for the past three years, which formed the core of teams that have competed in the men’s Oceania Sevens Championship, World Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Tonga Rugby Union CEO Peter Harding said the New Zealand based programme has “kept men’s sevens alive for Tonga” but with Covid-19 still prevalent in the Northern Hemisphere, they have decided to only select players who are already currently playing professionally in Europe.

“Sending a team from New Zealand would require the players having 16 two-week MIQ (quarantine) spaces available on their return from Monaco after the competition,” he said.

“These spaces are scarce and extremely hard to acquire and taking 16 places at this particular time is not the right path to take.”

A New Zealand squad recently played against the All Blacks Sevens.
A New Zealand squad recently played against the All Blacks Sevens. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Talei Anderson

Peter Harding said the TRU considered sending a team from Tonga but, with France currently experiencing a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, it was decided not to risk bringing the virus back into the local community.

The Tongan squad to compete in the Final Olympic Qualification Tournament on 19 and 20 June will include a number of ‘Ikale Tahi internationals, with the players and management staff to be announced shortly once final arrangements are completed.

Tevita Tu’ifua, who is managing the process of selecting a European-based squad, said he supported the Tonga Rugby Union’s decision.

“This is the right course for our communities and our health. The players who have formed the core of our group will refocus their efforts on the Challenger Series and the Oceania Championship at the end of the year,” he said.

“The Oceania is a qualification for the Commonwealth Games and the Sevens Rugby World Cup, so there is everything to look forward to for 2022.”

Tonga men's sevens coach Tevita Tu'ifua.
Tonga men’s sevens coach Tevita Tu’ifua. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Talei Anderson

Tongan ngatu seller on Facebook refunds complainant’s NZ$400 saying ‘something went wrong’  

By
Kalino Latu
-

A Tongan woman who failed to deliver a ngatu she advertised on Facebook after receiving payment from a customer has refunded the money, it has been confirmed to Kaniva News this afternoon.

Shortly after the story was published on Kaniva yesterday morning the seller, Pina Tiueti, responded to our request for comment.

She apologised and said she has contacted the Auckland customer, ‘Alilia Teu Kata and apologised to her.

Tiueti said something went wrong and her laptop charger was damaged. She did not say anything about the ngatus.

This afternoon she sent us a screenshot of a transaction which appears to show $400 was transferred from an ASB bank account, under the name of S P Ta’ai  to another ASB bank account under the name of ‘Alilia Teu Kata.

Kata has confirmed to Kaniva News she has received the money.

“Thanks for your help. Yes I have received it,” Kata said.

As we reported, Kata saw an advertisement on her news feed last week in which Tiueti was advertising ngatus with sizes ranging from Ngatu ‘Uli Launima at NZ$1,600 to Toka 10 at NZ$300.

‘Alilia Teu Kata says she thought she was being scammed by a person known as Pina Tiueti on Facebook. Photo/Supplied

Tiueti said whoever comes first will get the products.

Kata was one of those customers who first responded to Tiueti and after chatting through their messengers Kata deposited the $400 into Tiueti’s bank account on Wednesday last week. Part of the deal was that they agreed for Tiueti to deliver the ngatu into Kata’s house on Friday.

After the payment was made Kata repeatedly contacted Tiueti again but received no response until yesterday Monday 26 after we reported that Kata has threatened legal action against her.

Cabinet Minister Lavulavu and husband plead not guilty; ‘suspicious activities’ detected on ‘Unuaki institute register, AG claims

By
Kalino Latu
-

Cabinet Minister Akosita Lavulavu and his husband ex-Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate Lavulavu have pleaded not guilty to charges relating to knowingly dealt with forged documents and obtaining credit by false pretences.

(L-R) ‘Etuate Lavulavu and ‘Akosita Lavulavu

The couple made their first appearance in court on April 12 after the charges were laid by the Crown Law Office.

The investigation was prompted by the Auditor General’s office claiming hundreds of students supposedly attending the Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute (UTRI) could not be identified and that the Institute should repay TP$553,800 to the Technical Vocational Education and Training fund (TVET).

Police charged the couple with using forged documents to support an application to obtain supplementary government funding to assist students at their UTRI private school.

The Lavulavus’ lawyer William Clive Edward Jnr told the court the couple allegedly used the grant legally, the Kakalu ‘O Tonga newspaper reported.

Akosita claimed the money was used to pay for a loan made to pay the teachers, it reported.

UTRI former acting principal Mele Tovi, who worked at the school from 2011 until 2016 told the court there were a number of options for the students to pay their tuition fees. These included paying by cash, donating Tongan handicrafts or doing voluntary works for the school.

The Auditor General Sefita Tangi told Supreme Court Judge Nicholas Cooper his auditors have detected suspicious activities (“me’a ngali kehe”) while they were auditing the UTRI register, the Kakalu said of Tangi.

Tangi told the court 283 students enrolled at the UTRI during semester one of 2013.

Under the government grants, each student was required to complete a form but it appeared some of the forms were filled by somebody else.

The Auditor General also alleged some of the names appeared on the UTRI register were people from the Tonga Post who were sent to do surveys as part of the government organisation’s attempt to install mail boxes at residential addresses.

‘Etuate was the Minister of Infrastructure at the time.

Some of the names appeared on the UTRI’s roll appeared to be fake while some real names were identified but those students did not attend UTRI. Tangi said this was supported by further inquiries conducted by the auditors in villages at which these students lived.

The auditors also traced one of the names in the register and found out he was a teacher teaching at ‘Apifo’ou College. He allegedly told the auditors he never enrolled at the UTRI, the report said.

The court was told the auditors found 105 names in the register which were allegedly not students of the UTRI during the period between 2013 and 2015. It has been claimed some of these names were performers of the UTRI floor show group.

Some students were enrolled before they left UTRI but it appeared their names were not removed from the roll when the auditors were investigating the school register.

One of the auditors, Popua Mafi, told the court the school has computerised system for its roll and it made it difficult for them to trace students’ names, the report said.

The Auditor General reportedly told the court some names found on the UTRI roll were the same with the names of students studying at the ‘Ahopanilolo Technical Institute.

The hearing continued since last week and the prosecutors are expected to call more witnesses.

Tonga rises four places in freedom rankings; Tu‘i‘onetoa must “ensure journalists enjoy full editorial independence”, RSF says.

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Tonga has risen four places in the 2021 Reporters Sans frontiers press freedom rankings.

Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva Tonga)

Tonga now ranks 46th out of 180 countries, up from 50st place last year.

The kingdom’s lowest score was 66th in 2013.

Its highest was 33rd in 2016.

Last year Tonga dropped five places on the RSF list.

RSF said Tonga independent media outlets have increasingly assumed a watchdog role since the first democratic elections in 2010.

“Some journalists say they are forced to censor themselves because of the threat of being bankrupted”, it said.

“In an effort to regulate “harmful” online content, especially on social media, the government adopted new laws in 2015, one of which provides for the creation of an Internet regulatory agency with the power to block websites without reference to a judge”.

Late Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva has campaigned for greater media freedom and paid a personal price for standing up to the authorities.

However, what has been seen as his failure to grasp the importance of the Tonga Broadcasting Commission’s editorial independence, and two senior editors were sidelined under pressure from his government, was not reflected well on him.

RSF also said: “Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa, who became prime minister in October 2019, must put a stop to the pressure and meddling and ensure that journalists enjoy full editorial independence”.

RSF Pacific ranking 

Elsewhere in the Pacific, there have been setbacks while some wanted to rest on their laurels in this year’s RSF rankings.

Fiji dropped by two places from being at 52 last year to 55 this year. RSF said sedition charges poisoned the lives of three journalists with the Fiji Times, the leading daily, until they were finally acquitted in 2018.

“It was the price the newspaper paid for its independence, many observers thought.

“The newspaper’s distribution was banned in several parts of the archipelago at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 because – the government said – the press was not an essential service. The pro-government Fiji Sun was nonetheless distributed with complete normality in the same areas”.

Samoa retained its last year’s ranking number 21. RSF said despite the liveliness of media groups such as Talamua Media and the Samoa Observer group, Samoa was in the process of losing its status as a regional press freedom model.

“A law criminalising defamation was repealed in 2013, raising hopes that were dashed in December 2017, when parliament restored the law under pressure from Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi so that he could attack journalists who dared to criticise members of his government. Since then, he has repeatedly tried to tell journalists how to do their job and what they can and cannot cover”.

Papua New Guinea dropped from 46 in 2020 to 47 this year with RSF saying the Prime Minister Peter O’Neil’s government had been involved in “many press freedom violations, including intimidation, direct threats, censorship, prosecutions and attempts to bribe journalists”.

ONGOONGO FAKATONGA

Kuo fakalaka ki mu’a ‘aki ha poini ‘e fā ‘e Tonga ‘i hono tu’unga fakamāmani lahi ‘o e tau’atāina ‘o e ongoongo’ fakatatau ‘eni ki he fakahokohoko ‘a e kautaha fakavaha’apule’anga ki he tau’atāina ‘a e mītia ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Reporters Sans frontiers press freedom ki he ta’u ni’ 2021. Na’a’ ne ‘i he tu’unga 50 he ta’u kuo ‘osi’ ka kuo’ ne ‘i he tu’unga 46 ‘eni he ta’u’ ni. Ko e tu’unga lelei taha ne a’usia ‘e Tonga ko e 2016 ‘a ia ne ne fika 33 ai. Ko e tu’unga ma’olalo taha ne ne a’usia ko e 2013 ‘a ia ne ne fika 66 ai. Pehē mei he kautaha’ ni kuo tau’atāina ange ‘a e ngaahi kautaha ongoongo tau’atāina ‘i Tonga’ ki honau fatongia’ talu e liliu fakatemokālati 2010. Ka na’e ‘i ai e ngaahi me’a ne fakakaukau’i ‘e he RSF hangē ko e lao ne fokotu’u he 2015 ke ne fakamafai’i e pule’anga’ ke ne poloka ha ngaahi uepisaiti ta’etomu’a ma’u ha mafai mei he fakamaau’anga’. Ko e ngaahi vātamaki ‘i he pule’anga ‘o ‘Akilisi Pōhiva’ mo e Letiō mo Televisone Tonga’ ‘o iku fakahiki lakanga ai ha ongo faiongoongo mā’olunga ne ‘ikai ke ‘ata lelei heni ‘a e pule’anga ko ia’ ki he RSF. Kuo tapou ai ‘a e kautaha’ ni ki he palēmia’ Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa kuopau ke ne fakapapau’i ‘oku tau’atāina kakato ‘a e kau faiongoongo mo e kau  ‘ētita’ ki hono pulusi ‘enau ngaahi ongonoogo’.

Jail term for man who injured partner after she found him having sex with another woman next door

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Tongatapu man who beat his de facto partner after she found him having sex with another woman next door was convicted and sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment.

The final eight months of the sentence was suspended for a period of two years with conditions.

Lord Chief Justice Michael Whitten said he considered the prisoner’s lack of previous convictions, early guilty plea and remorsefulness.

“I reduce the starting point by one third or 10 months, therefore resulting in an effective sentence of 20 months’ imprisonment” he said.

The court was told that on 26 October 2020, the victim woke up to find that her partner Kaati Luka was not in bed.

She went to their neighbour and found Luka having sex with another female there.

She was angry and yelled at him, the judgement said.

She ran out of the room while Luka was chasing after her, grabbing and punching her repeatedly.

The beating was stopped when his mother tackled him to the ground.

The victim was taken to the hospital where she was examined and found to have suffered, moderate to massive general facial swelling with multiple bruises.

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