Police were trying to pull out a car mysteriously found in a bush at Lapaha on Sunday.
It was not immediately clear why the car was abandoned in the area.
Sulieti Papa who said they came across the scene on their way to Haveluliki alleged it was an accident.
No one was in the car when Police arrived.
She took photos of the incident and uploaded them to Facebook.
Police have yet to release any information.
The Auditor General’s office has recommended that the ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute be referred to the police after massive discrepancies were found in its accounts.
The Institute, which began operations in 2004, was set up by disgraced former politician and Minister for Infrastructure, Etuate Lavulavu.
The Auditor General’s office said hundreds of students supposedly attending the private school could not be identified and that the Institute should repay TP$553,800 to the Technical Vocational Education and Training fund (TVET).
The report said some of the information used to create students’ identities appeared to have been taken from students who attended training programmes at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Lavulavu’s former portfolio.
The TVET payments had been made based on claims made by the Institute.
The Auditor General’s report said the Institute claimed to have lent students TP$670 for their fees, when these were only TP$100. It also claimed to have offered places in exchange for food and labour, but no proper records were kept and the report concluded these claims led to a significant overpayment of TVET funds.
It said the government should ensure that the Institute and its courses were properly approved before any further payments were made.
The report said a total of 915 students supposedly attending the school, and for which the Institute as receiving funding, could not be identified.
Of these:
Lavulavu told Kaniva News he rejected the report and threatened to take legal action against the Auditor General.
Lavulavu said he was “disappointed” the Auditor General’s office did not give him and his school a chance to discuss the report.
The current director of the school is his wife, Akosita Lavulavu, who was elected as MP for Vava’u No. 16 seat after he lost his seat.
In 2003 Matangi Tonga reported that the Institute would offer Form 5 level English graduates the opportunity to either study Foundation Level, Form 7, or to take a technical course at the Institute.
In September this year the ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute finally complied with a court order to move out of the Tonga National Cultural Centre from which it had been operating for several years.
Head of the Cultural and Youth Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Pulupaki Ika, told the Tonga Broadcasting Corporation the ministry was trying to recover pictures and artefacts that had been removed from the former museum.
In 2009 Lavulavu signed an agreement for the privatization of the Centre and began running the Institute out of it, along with several tourism businesses.
The Government eventually ordered the ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga to vacate the centre, but had to resort to legal action.
As Kaniva News reported in February, Tonga’s Supreme Court convicted him of bribery and spending over the legal limit on his 2014 election campaign.
The conviction cost him his Parliamentary seat for Vava’u No. 16.
In his summary of the case, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said Lavulavu was not a credible witness and that his evidence was implausible, evasive and untruthful.
The main points
For more information
Supreme Court finds Lavulavu guilty of bribery and calls his evidence ‘untruthful’
New opportunities for Tonga’s school leavers (Matangi Tonga)
The Tongan-Chinese family who were struggling to come to terms with the vicious attack of their mother had been dealt another blow.
Ellen Yu, 58, was in hospital and is now reportedly gaining consciousness after the assault on Thursday 17.
To make matters worse, their convenience store in Pahu was burgled yesterday Sunday 20 while the family were away in hospital to see their mother.
Police said they have arrested a 33-year-old man from Kanokupolu with goods believed he had stolen from the store.
Police confiscated a laptop and cigarettes from the suspect.
He had been charged with theft and burglary and was expected to appear at Fasi Magistrate court this week.
Four Tongan nationals had been sent to two years in jail for involvement in issuing forged document to assist producing fake passports.
Justice Charles Cato sentenced Sosefo Sione ‘Ahohako, 37, of Longolongo, Ola Fieauna Tameifuna, 55, of Kolofo’ou,‘Isileli Kaumavae, 30, of ‘Utulau and Sioeli Heleta, 26, of Kolofo’ou on Friday.
Kaumavae was sentenced to 2 year imprisonment with the last 12 months suspended.
‘Ahohako was sentenced to 2 years and 9 months imprisonment with the last 12 months suspended.
Heleta was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months imprisonment with the last 12 months suspended and Tameifuna was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment.
Police Commissioner Steve Caldwell said today’s sentencing sent a very clear message about the seriousness of the offending and a deterrent to people tempted to commit such crime in the future.
The investigation by Tonga Police into alleged fraudulent activities over issuing of Tongan passports commenced on August 25th 2015, at the direction of the Police Commissioner Steve Caldwell.
The Passport Taskforce is headed by Deputy Commissioner Viliami ‘Unga Fa’aoa and is staffed by 16 police investigators. “I acknowledge the hard work, professionalism and dedication by Deputy Fa’aoa and his team,” says Commissioner Caldwell.
Princess Pilolevu struggled to fight back tears when she met the motionless Chinese woman who had been brutally attacked while sleeping on Thursday morning.
Local photographer Patimiosi Ngūngūtau said he was at Vaiola hospital when the Princess arrived to see the victim and he took photos of them.
He said the Princess and her entourage were tearful as they were standing by the victim’s bedside.
The Princess was seen weeping while holding the unconscious woman’s hand.
Ellen Yu, 58, was in a serious condition after the assault and she could not be able to speak.
Police have arrested a 21-year-old man from Pahu and charged him in connection with Yu’s attack.
The brutality of the assault heightened fears in the Chinese community in Tonga that their safety and protection were at risk.
Chinese Embassy in Nuku’alofa said Tongan-Chinese had been violently targeted.
It has called for more Police efforts to protect the community.
It has been also revealed a Chinese man was bedridden after he was king hit in his shop by a Tongan man eight months ago.
According to TVNZ report, Huang Xiun Lin suffered a very severe injury to his head after he fell and his head hit a set of shopping racks.
“Mr Lin is now bedridden and living in appalling conditions at the back of his family shop. He can’t move and is fed through a tube”, the report says.
READ MORE
Tongan Chinese Embassy call for more “Police presence” after woman brutally attacked
A car crashed into a utility pole uprooting it out of the ground in a road in Maʻufanga causing a power disruption to the area.
Police were called to the scene shortly after it had occurred yesterday Saturday 19.
A local who sent photos of the incident to Kanvia News said a man and his son returned home from their plantation when the accident happened.
No report of injuries.
Police could not be reached for details of the accident.
Firefighters are battling a huge blaze that engulf a Chinese convenience store at Hala Vaha’akolo in Tofoa this evening.
A local told Kaniva News roads had been closed to traffic and areas close to the fire scene had been also blocked to the public.
She said there is a large Police presence at the scene.
No injuries have been reported.
Tongan Police on Friday arrested a 21-year-old man from Pahu in connection with the attack on a 58-year-old woman in Nukuʻalofa Thursday 17.
The man had been charged with assault with a weapon, housebreaking and theft.
He remains in Police custody.
A Police statement said: “The victim, who was hit around the head, was taken to Vaiola hospital and is in a critical condition”.
Chief Superintendent Tevita Fifita said “this was a traumatic experience for the woman and she is being provided with lots of support”.
The accused was “apprehended soon after the attack which is a great result and has provided the victim with some comfort.”
Police Commissioner Steve Caldwell said “This is outstanding Police work that has led to an early arrest. Our thoughts and support are with the victim and family at this time.”
“Police continue to work closely together with the Chinese Community in Tonga to ensure their safety in their homes and businesses. Our role is to keep all our citizens’ safe; working together with the community we have the privilege of serving.”
The accused is to appear before the Fasi Magistrate Court on Wednesday 23 November 2016.
READ MORE
Tongan Chinese Embassy call for more “Police presence” after woman brutally attacked
The Chinese embassy in Tonga has called for more Police efforts after a Chinese woman was brutally attacked early Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for the embassy said the attack had been one of the most recent brutal assaults against the Chinese people in Tonga.
Ellen Yu, aged in her late 50s, was hospitalised after an intruder entered her residence in upper Railway Road, Nuku’alofa at about 3am.
She was reportedly in critical condition and could not be able to speak.
June Wang from the embassy said the stick used to “commit the crime was even broken”.
“The perpetrator is extremely cruel to ruthlessly attack a woman of over fifty years old. The stick used to commit the crime was even broken”, June said.
“The victim suffered extremely severe wound.
“Currently the police [are] trying to catch the perpetrator who is still at large.
“The Chinese embassy hopes that police presence could be increased so that the criminal can be arrested and brought to justice as early as possible”, June said.
A trimaran designed to meet the needs of poor and isolated people in the outer Tongan islands will be launched in Auckland next week.
The wind powered double hulled canoe is the first of its kind to be designed by the North American Boat Designers Hall of Fame member Dick Newick.
The project is informally called ‘Vaka e Masiva’ or The Poor’s Boat.
It was built in Pipiroa, near Thames in the Coromandel Peninsula and will be launched on November 21.
It is currently in Auckland at Half Moon bay to be fitted with its sails and mast .
The trimaran has an engine which is only used when it docks at Niuafoʻou because the island has no wharf.
Dr. Sitiveni Halapua, who is monitoring the boat project, said the running and operating costs for a boat to the Niuas were the key factors behind the project.
Dr. Halapua, whose father was from Niuatoputapu, came up with the idea while he was visiting the outer islands of Tonga during his political career in the kingdom in mid 2000.
He saw how the people of Niuafoʻou and Niuatoputapu struggled to make ends meet because there was no regular boat service to transport goods from mainland Tongatapu to the Niuas.
Dr. Halapua discovered the Tongan government could not schedule a regular shipping travel to the Niuas because it would cost taxpayers about TP$60,000 for one travel.
The cost meant there was no way the government could recover that amount of money because the Niuan travellers were few and their need for supplies was marginal.
According to Tongaʻs census in 2006 there were about 700 people living in Niuafoʻou and 1000 people living in Niuatoputapu.
The trimaran can carry 12 passengers with enough shipments.
Ideas
The cost of the NZ$600,000 trimaran has been donated by the Niuans living overseas.
Dr. Halapua said when he asked Newick to design a boat for the poor he responded that there was no such thing as boat for the poor.
He told Halapua the boats he designed were for rich people because only the rich could afford them.
But Halapua persisted and Newick agreed to undertake the project when he told him this could be the first time he designed such a boat .
“While we were in Australia to raise funds for the project one woman said she was concerned that the Niuans were regarded as poor and that they were raising money because there was poverty in the Niuas,” Dr. Halapua said.
The woman thought the label let the people of Niua down.
Some people even wanted to cancel the boat project and raise money for a mobile mortuary, which they said was more important.
Dr. Halapua said he explained to the people he understood Niuans overseas had money, but the situation in Niua could not be improved because there was no boat to reach them with the good things they wanted to send them.
Halapua said he named the project ‘Vaka e Masiva’ because the main reason the people of Niuans suffered was that goods could not reach them.
“There was a project for the Niuans to grow vanilla, but the project was cancelled because there was no boat to take the fruits to Tongatapu or Vavaʻu for processing and marketing,” Dr Hapaua said.
“A group of people travelled from overseas to Tongatapu to travel to Niua for a funeral and they could not make it to Niua after they arrived in Tonga because there was no ferry to take them there
“A Niuan rugby league player in Australia sent money to her sister in Niua to run a small retail shop
“He later called to check on the business and he was a bit worried when he was told the shop was defunct because there was no boat to keep supplying goods for the shop from Tonga or Vavau”.
Technology
Dr. Halapua said people made positive fun of the project and said Niua was going backward because they created a boat powered by wind.
But Halapua said it was better to have the wind powered boat than nothing.
He said if they built a motorised vessel it would not last long because the Niuans would not be able to maintain it financially.
Halapua said that would decide how often the Vaka e Masiva’ sailed to The Niuas after they took it to Tonga.
It has been built in Pipiroa, near Thames in the Coromandel Peninsula, and it will be launched on November 21.
It was currently in Auckland at Half Moon bay to be fit with its sails and mast before continuing on to Tonga and being delivered to the Niua Island communities.
The main points
For more information
Sustainable shipping in remote Tongan islands (Pacific Cooperation Foundation)
Looking for a new spaceship captain? Try the skipper of the Niuafoʻou ferry
Young bride faces the nightmare of a mother-in-law’s fakalotoloto
Tongan family’s heartbreak after father dies and is buried before they arrive to say goodbye
