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Whales found ‘shot in head’ in ‘Ata island

By
Kalino Latu
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Residents of ‘Ata island discovered four dead whales that washed up on their shore last week.

The pilot whales had probably been dead for some time before washing ashore, Yahoo 7 reports.

Witnesses claimed all of the whales had been shot in the head with some washed up on the beach and others on rocks.

‘Ata, which is an hour boat ride from the capital of Nuku’alofa, is used to house prisoners, but no guns are allowed on the island.

Prison officer Kolianita Feke was quoted by the news site as saying: “Early in the morning we walked around the island and saw them, but they were already dead for a few days,” Mr Feke said.

“They were shot with a gun. It looked like they had a hole near the head area, or near their mouth.”

Locals believed the whales may have been calves due to their small size, but Ms Vanessa Pirotta, a PhD Researcher from Macquarie University disagreed.

Pirrota believed the whales could be short-finned pilot whales based on their size, colour, shape and fin location.

“It’s definitey not a new born. They appear to be ranging from sub-adult length to adult,” she said, adding that full grown short-finned pilot whales grow to a maximum length of around seven metres.

Ms Pirotta said pilot whales are social animals that are known to strand, but typically in larger groups.

Yahoo 7 said the whale deaths have been reported to Tonga’s Department of Fisheries and the Deputy Police Commissioner for investigation.

As Kaniva News reported last year, Tonga signed the Pacific Islands Year of the Whale Declaration 2016/17.

Tonga banned whale hunting in 1978 under a royal decree issued by His Late Majesty King Tupou IV. This was four years before the international ban on whale hunting. All Tongan waters are considered a sanctuary for whales.

Whale breeding populations in Tongan waters have increased from 50 to 2000 since the ban.

Tonga is one of the only places where it’s possible to swim with whales between July and October in which a large population of humpback whales gathered around Vava’u and Ha’apai islands.

As Kaniva news reported in 2015, a dead whale washed ashore Kolonga’s beach where the residents managed to remove its teeth.

Further information

Lady ‘Ahomeʻe threatened with legal action over whale teeth by unhappy villager

Tonga’s Sunday law was not breached when residents worked on dead whale

Tonga signs regional pledge to work for a safe future for region’s whales

Hospital heartbreak of child gunshot victim streamed on Facebook

By
Kalino Latu
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Fly High Handsome PUNIANI👼🏽I will miss your smile 💔😭 Thank you for waiting for mama🙏😢We love you so so much💔❤️#ourangel #atpeace #thankyouPunianiforthebest2years

Posted by Tule Laota Langi Iloa on Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The moment when a grandmother wept and hugged the dead body of her two year-old grandson has been captured on video.

The boy shot himself in the head.

“From the extent of the injuries on the child, the doctor said the child’s not going to survive,” but kept him on life support to donate his organs, the jail report stated. They decided to turn off his life-support machine last night.

It is understood the toddler’s grandmother, Tule Langi ‘Iloa has just arrived in the United States from New Zealand.

The video showed other members of the family hugging and lamenting the deceased.

As Kaniva News reported, a Tongan father in West Valley, Utah, has been charged with manslaughter after his two-year-old son was taken to hospital after receiving a serious gunshot wound on Saturday.

The boy’s father, 27-year-old Tasman William Maile, has been arrested and was in Salt Lake County Jail, Utah news media reports.

He has been charged for leaving the weapon accessible to the child, as well as obstruction of justice, drug possession and possession of a weapon by a restricted person; Maile has a criminal history for previous events and is not allowed to own a firearm.

West Valley City police received calls from the toddler’s father about shots fired in the area of 2700 South Fair Isle Lane in West Valley City, just before midnight Saturday.

Maile told Police that his 2-year-old son had shot himself with a handgun.

Officers arrived at the home and found Maile and his two young sons (ages 2 and 7). Police said the 2-year-old was bleeding.

WVCPD administered CPR and first aid until medical personnel could arrive and transport the child to Jordan Valley Hospital, before being airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital.

WVCPD said the child was at the hospital on life support for organ distribution purposes.

Police recovered the handgun from the home and brought Maile in for questioning, and police said he was “not completely cooperative.”

“He did tell us some basic information, that the child got the gun and shot himself with it. But didn’t really elaborate on why the weapon was out and how the child got the weapon.,” Lt. Conger said.

According to a probable cause statement, after being read his Miranda Rights, Maile told police he fell asleep on the floor with his sons while ‘cuddled up together,’ he also admitted to keeping a handgun fully loaded and within arm’s reach with the safety off.

He then told investigators his son had gotten a hold of the handgun, ultimately shooting himself in the upper portion of his head.

Court documents state that Maile had two additional guns (three in the house in-total) which he admitted to throwing away in a community dumpster alongside a ‘distributable amount of marijuana’ as to not get into trouble.

Maile’s bail has been set at $50,000.

WATCH: Staff dancers limber up for Friday’s new domestic wharf celebration

By
Kaniva Staff
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One of the entertainment activities to be performed as part of celebrating the new Taufa’āhau Tupou IV’s terminal on Friday was captured on video.

The video was uploaded to Facebook this morning by Tourism Minister Sēmisi Sika and it showed dancers singing and practising their hakas.

Staff from the Minister’s two portfolios, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Tourism, came together to dance one of late Kuini Sālote Tupou III’s song compositions, ‘Ūpē ‘O Tāufa’āhau. The song was composed as a lullaby for the late King Taufa’āhau Tupou IV after he was born.

The new wharf is named after him by his son King Tupou VI.

King Tupou VI will open the new $66 million wharf this Friday, June 1.

It was funded by the Japanese government.

Two opera singers from NZ boost euphoric mood at Tailulu golden jubilee  

By
Kaniva Staff
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Two Tongan opera singers from New Zealand added to the spirit of enjoyment and participation during the Free Church of Tonga’s Tailulu college’s Golden Jubilee.

Taunoa Filimoehala sang some duets with Kalauni Pouvalu which were accompanied by piano performed by classical pianist Ludwig Treviranus who was also from New Zealand.

They performed a number of classical music including O Sole Mio by Giovanni Capurro.

Hundreds of church members in the hall, which were joined by Their Majesties King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u, gave them repeated rounds of applause and cheering during their performance.

The duet was among a number of singing, musical and cultural activities performed by church members in Tonga and from overseas during the celebration.

A new school hall, which was built to mark the historical anniversary was opened by His Majesty King Tupou VI on Thursday, May 24. The king named it as Fale Masiva.

It costs TP$6,792,547.86 and treasurer Hiva Taukei’aho announced that the money was donated by the Free Church of Tonga, Tailulu alumni association and Tailulu college head office.

Taukei’aho said “all expenses have been paid for and nothing is owed under this project.”

Gov’t expects new scanning system to fight against smuggling of drugs and guns

By
Kalino Latu
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The government is expecting a truck which comes with a computerised scanning system to help its fight against the importation of illicit drugs and weapons to the kingdom.

Two large computerised scanners are expected to be installed at the Fua’amotu International Airport to help custom staff detect hidden items.

This means the current surveillance facility at the airport has to be enlarged so the scanners could fit in, the Minister of Customs and Revenue, Hon. Mateni Tapueluelu told Kaniva News.

Hon. Tapueluelu said at present imported containers and cargoes were manually searched and assessed by Customs staff to see if there were anything unlawful being hidden.

The Safeway System X-ray Machine – X Ray Mobile Container Vehicle Scanning System cost more than TP$3 million and have been donated by the Chinese government.

The minister said he was in China early this year and he had visited and entered the truck.

The truck can move from place to place with operators working inside the vehicle on a computer system which can scan containers and items using a detector affixed to the truck.

The Minister said there was no perfect screening system, but when the container vehicle system arrived it would help the fight to reduce illicit items being smuggled to the country.

He said the truck was expected to arrive in Tonga some time during the new financial year which is from July 2018 to June 2019.

Hon. Tapueluelu said the government had allocated TP$6 million in its new budget to fight the importation of illicit drugs and weapon on Tongan borders.

Drugs and guns

The Minister said it was normal to expect that where there were illicit drugs there were weapons.

The minister said illicit drugs were the most challenging crime that pressured the government.

“To me, as Police minister, the first and foremost task at this stage is to make sure no Police or any law enforcement officers are involved in any form of drug dealings,” he said.

He said he wanted to have an independent body which could make sure illicit drugs and items being seized by Police were safely kept before they were destroyed.

“I believed the current system in which these confiscated items were kept is not safe,” he said.

He said he planned to submit a bill to Parliament to establish an independent body to supervise the confiscated drugs.

License expiry date extension

The Minister said the law stipulated that all gun licences expired in every February of each year.

This year he extended the expiry date by one month.

He said this was because some gun holders may have been unable to renew their licenses on time because of Cyclone Gita, which struck Tonga in February.

When asked about the increase in number of illegal weapons being seized by Police recently, which included shotguns and pistols, Hon. Tapueluelu said it was true pistols had  been found in Tonga.

For more information

Minister calls Tonga centre of meth smuggling as police charge second man over airport bust

TASANOC condemned for its involvement in PGC’s legal action against gov’t

By
Kalino Latu
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The management of TASANOC had been criticised for its involvement in legal action led by the  Pacific Games Council (PGC) against the Tongan government.

Rugby union, rugby league, golf and netball committee leaders condemned the move during TASANOC’s annual general meeting last week in Nuku’alofa, Tonga Rugby Union (TRU) boss Fe’ao Vunipola told Kaniva News.

Vunipola said these sport committees, which came under the umbrella of the Tonga Federations Sport Association, relied heavily on the government for financial assistances.

The leaders questioned TASANOC’s move and asked why they did not consult them to get their views over the action. Vunipola said they did not support TASANOC’s legal action.

It is understood TASANOC president Lord Tēvita Tupou defended the move during the meeting and said they did it for the “best interest of the members.”

As Kaniva News reported last week, TASANOC and PGC have sought TP$8 million damage from the Tongan government after the kingdom cancelled a 2012 agreement to host the 2019 Pacific Games.

According to the writ of summons issued at the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court on May 15, TASANOC has sought damages of TP$2,612,256,59 from the  government while the PGC sought $TP5,841,924.40.

They seek a total amount of TP$8,497,581.17 in damages.

The  CEO of the 2019 Pacific Games Organising Committee, Lord Sevele said earlier that  only the  TASANOC committee had the prerogative to cancel hosting the Games.

However, the government said the contract for Tonga to host the Games was signed between the Tongan government and the Pacific Games council, not TASANOC.

Hon. Pōhiva said he decided to withdraw from hosting the Games because Tonga could not afford to maintain the sporting facilities after the Games.

Relationship

The dispute came after TASANOC was told last year to stop making excuses and commit itself to paying back its $600,000 loan from the government according to a promise it made.

The call was made by Hon. Saia Piukala, who was the Acting Minister of Internal Affairs and Sports at the time when a TASANOC team met with the Ministry in a bid to secure the loan.

He said he approved the loan after a written agreement between TASANOC and the government was endorsed by the government’s solicitor general.

For more information

Pacific Games Council and TASANOC suing Tonga government

Facebook faces shut down threat in PNG as gov’t plans crack down on fake news

By
Kalino Latu
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Papua New Guinea government said it is taking action against fake Facebook accounts.

It said it will shut down Facebook temporally in order to investigate users of the social media.

“The time will allow information to be collected to identify users that hide behind fake accounts, users that upload pornographic images, users that post false and misleading information on Facebook to be filtered and removed.

“This will allow genuine people with real identities to use the social network responsibly,” Basil said.

Communications Minister Sam Basil said that the Communications and Information Technology Department could better analyse the positive impact it would have on the population during the month-long shutdown and weigh the impact of progress without or with its use.

Basil said that his Ministry was trying to enforce the Cyber Crime Act which was legislated in 2016.

“The Act has already been passed, so what I’m trying to do is to ensure the law is enforced accordingly where perpetrators can be identified and charged accordingly. We cannot allow the abuse of Facebook to continue in the country.

“I will now work closely with the Police for them to be properly trained and informed to fully enforce the Cyber Crime Act.”

Basil said the positives of the social network were there for the people to embrace.

“We can also look at the possibility of creating a new social network site for PNG citizens to use with genuine profiles as well.

“If there need be then we can gather our local applications developers to create a site that is more conducive for Papua New Guineans to communicate within the country and abroad as well,” he said.

Basil said that a time had not been set as yet to implement the options but he would advise depending on assessment of the usage of the site over time.

Kaniva Tonga news has a republication arrangement with PACNEWS. This story appears on PNG’s Post Courier. 

King to open new Taufa’āhau Tupou IV domestic terminal and wharf

By
Kalino Latu
-

The new Taufa’āhau Tupou IV Domestic Terminal and Wharf will be commissioned this week June 1 by His Majesty King Tupou VI.

The $66 million wharf was now separate from the International wharf known as Queen Sālote and the Cruise ship wharf known as Vuna.

As Kaniva News reported, Tongan Port Authorities CEO Mōsese Lavemai said the new domestic wharf was “the most advanced and modern in the Pacific except Australia and New Zealand.”

The wharf building was designed to resist earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones, he said.

The foundations are above sea level to cope with rise in ocean levels.

The wharf facilities were designed to help ships use less fuel during berthing.

The project, being constructed on the western side of Queen Sālote Wharf, includes two ship berthing areas with each having a length of 90 metres and a three story terminal building.

The building was partly powered by solar panels on the roof.

Auckland pedestrian killed in hit and run

By
Kalino Latu
-

Auckland Police are looking for witnesses to a fatal hit-and-run incident that killed a man in his 50s in New Lynn last night, police said.

The incident occurred on Great North Rd at 9pm on Monday night.

The victim received first aid at the scene but sadly could not be revived and died.

Police believe the driver of the vehicle would have known that they struck someone last night, says Detective Sergeant Steve Salton.

“We want the person or people in that vehicle to come forward and contact Waitemata Police immediately on (09) 839 0697 or information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

We are also keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the crash last night or may have seen a vehicle that has damage to the left front, which they didn’t have before.

The information you have may not seem like much to you, but it could be just what Police needs to solve this, says Detective Sergeant Steve Salton.

Vanuatu seasonal workers claim low wages and unsafe working conditions

By
Kaniva Staff
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VANUATU DAILY POST / PACNEWS

Vanuatu seasonal workers that were employed by Agri Labour in Australia have claimed that they were unfairly treated by their employer.

One of the workers, Tulia Roqara, says before they left Vanuatu for Australia, they signed a contract with the agent in Vanuatu to work under a piecework-rate basis.

It was their understanding that this means they are paid according to the number of bins each person fills at the tomato farm.

Under the first contract they read the conditions and know how much they were going to get paid.

But when they reached Australia, they were told to sign another contract and were allegedly not given time to read it.

Roqara said in the first contract they were supposed to get $59 (US$44) dollars per bin per person but after the first week they found that they were getting paid only $56 (US$42) dollars per bin filled.

One bin was shared by three people and the three people shared the amount paid.

She says they went to the employer to enquire and they were told about the required deductions.

But Roqara said the deductions went over the required amount.

The deductions mean they are left with around $100 (US$75) dollars per week.

She said they experienced bleeding in the nose, ears, and eyes which they think may be related to the chemical used in the tomato farm.

Despite raising the issue they were not taken to the hospital but were told to use cotton to cover ears.

The Team Leader for the group, Nako Naeiu, confirmed that they all faced the same issued identified by Roqara.

He said the first time he went to Australia the package was better, not like the experience with Agri Labour where there were too much deductions.

In the end, they were promised to return to Vanuatu with around 700,000 vatu but they only returned with around 20% of that amount.

Some of the workers have sought the assistance of the workers union.

Meanwhile, the Vanuatu National Workers Union (VNWU) Vice President, Valu Gremson, says they are working

closely with their counterparts in Australia to ensure Vanuatu workers are not exploited.

Fifty workers arrived at the VNWU office last week to deal with their issue in relation to their superannuation and workers' rights.

He highlighted the recent case where workers were only paid $8 dollars an hour and the workers union stepped in to assist the workers.

The collaboration with the National Union of Workers (NUW) in Australia is taking place after an agreement was signed in 2015 with the VNWU.

Gremson says the Union wants the government to involve them in pre-departure briefings to talk about the process of claiming their superannuation and how to deal with disputes in Australia with the assistance of the Union.

He says with the network created by the NUW and VNWU, already nearly 500 members of the Union have been assisted to claim their superannuation in Australia.

The VNWU is looking at establishing the same connection with the Union in New Zealand.

Kaniva Tonga news has a republication arrangement with PACNEWS

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