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“Peace corps operations continue as normal,” US office says as police follow leads after attack

By
Kalino Latu
-

A brutal attack on the US Peace Corps director in Tonga will not affect the organisation’s operation the Peace Corps says.

Erin Durney, a spokesperson for the Peace Corps Office of Communications in Washington, said the woman had been evacuated to Auckland for medical treatment.

The director, who has not been named, was jogging along a footpath behind one of the residences at the waterfront in Sopu when a man attacked her on Saturday, July 16.

The Tongan Police said they were following leads in the brutal attack.

Police said they wanted to speak to a man in his late teens or early 20s in relation to the attack. He is described as Tongan or Polynesians.

The man was seen holding a green towel over his head and across his face while walking away from the area near the scene around the time of the attack.

Miss Durney said the health, safety and security of Volunteers and staff was the Peace Corps’ top priority.

“While we cannot eliminate every risk that volunteers and staff face, the Peace Corps is committed to providing world-class training, guidance and support to help reduce risks and responding effectively and compassionately when incidents do occur,” she said.

“Each Peace Corps post has an emergency action plan which is continually updated.

“Peace Corps security experts in Washington and embassy officials work closely with posts to develop and update the plan and thoroughly train Volunteers and staff to react to emergencies.

“Police investigations are underway, and Peace Corps and other U.S. officials are in communication with local authorities”, Durney said.

Meanwhile the Tongan community is raising funds to pay for a reward to find the person who was responsible for the attack.

The fundraising drive’s host, the Vake Talifolau Radio, station has written to the Tongan Police asking that the money be used as a reward for whoever helps them find the culprit.

“We are willing to proceed with the fund raising, but we still need your support, co-operation and collaboration in terms of allowing us to submit the money that we will collect to the Tonga Police,” the radio station said.

Anyone with information that might lead Police to the man they wanted to speak to is asked to contact the Nuku’alofa Chief Superintendent Tevita Fifita on 7717816 or 922.

The main points

  • A brutal attack on the US Peace Corps director in Tonga will not affect the organisation’s operation, the Peace Corps says.
  • Peace Corps spokesperson Erin Durney said the woman had been flown to Auckland for medical treatment.
  • The director, who has not been named, was jogging along a footpath behind one of the residences at the waterfront in Sopu when a man attacked her on Saturday, July 16.
  • The Tongan Police said they were following leads in the brutal attack.

For more information

Fundraising to find US Peace Corps’ attacker as fury surges among Tongan community 

Indecent assault ends in prison sentence

By
Philip Cass
-

A 17 years-old man from Ha’apai has been sentenced to four years in prison for indecent assault of a minor and sodomy.

The Hon. Justice Cato sentenced Sione Ketau to three years for sodomy and 12 months for indecent assault in the Supreme Court.

The assault took place on June 22 at Lapaha.

The family of the child have not accepted the man’s apologies.

The final 12 months of his sentence for sodomy have been suspended on condition that he not commit any offences punishable by imprisonment for a period of a period of two years, be placed on probation for 12 months and have no contact with the complainant.

Crown Prince attends ʻāpō service for Motuʻapuaka

By
Alpha Latu
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Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa and Crown Princess Sinaitakala were among the mourners at Motuʻapuaka’s funeral.

The king’s leading matāpule died on July 3 in the United States after he was admitted to hospital.

His body arrived in Tonga on Friday and will be laid to rest at Fakaulunafa cemetery on Saturday 23.

A service for his kāinga and friends is being held at his estate, Teʻekiu.

His matāpule Mafi E Vaohehea said a massive crowd attended Motuʻapuaka’s ʻapō (vigil) tonight.

Motuʻapuaka is one of the king’s few heralds who inherited and held lands in Tonga such as His Majesty’s nobles.

Motuʻapuaka’s roles included taking care of the fakapangai and making order during any royal kava ceremony in which the king attended

“Callous” rape earns five year sentence

By
Philip Cass
-

A Supreme Court judge has described the rape of a pregnant woman last year as a “predatory and callous” crime.

Handing down a five year sentence to Paneti Sa, 17, Hon. Justice Cato said the trauma of the rape had seriously   affected   both the complainant and her  husband. He said the baby had not been harmed.

“I have listened to the complainant  in Court,  as she bravely recounted her experience and said she  forgave   the complainant, and indeed asked for leniency for  him.

“Some gifts have been made by the family in the Tongan way,” the judge said.

Hon. Justice Cato said the prisoner knew the woman was pregnant and that her children were nearby. He also used a knife to intimidate her.

Sa was also sentenced to three years for housebreaking. The sentence will be served at the same time as the penalty for rape.

The rape took place on September 25 last year.

The judge said the prisoner’s apology had been accepted.

The final 1 month of Sa’s sentence has been remitted on condition that he lives where directed by his probation officer, does not to drink alcohol and attends courses on drug and alcohol rehabilitation and in relation to the sexual abuse of women.

The main points

  • Paneti Sa, 17, has been sentenced to five years in prison for what a Supreme Court judge decribed as a “predatory and callous” crime.
  • Sa raped a pregnant woman on September 25 last year.
  • Justice Cato said the trauma of the rape had seriously affected   the  complainant   and  her  husband.
  • The baby had not been harmed.

Last minute visit to Tonga ends in tragedy as three die and one injured in car crash

By
Kalino Latu
-

Peni Loea Musie, 44, was not so sure whether or not he would go to Tonga and his ‘Aholelei family were surprised when he contacted them last week and said he was coming.

But he was killed in a horrific accident in Tonga over the weekend and his body will be buried in Kolonga next week.

His wife Maama Niupalau and their only daughter as well as family in New Zealand have just left Auckland for the kingdom to farewell him.

Musie was in Tonga to join his father’s maternal side’s family reunion – the ‘Aholelei.

He was one of the three people killed when the rental car they were travelling in hit a coconut tree on Talasiu Road near Kolonga on Saturday 16.

The other two victims had been named by Police as  Sonatane Lātū, 14,  and Tangiloto ʻAholelei, 25 who was also the driver.

A fourth person, Soakimi Kanongataʻa, 21, was severely injured.

All the victims were from Kolonga and have connections to the ‘Aholelei family.

Peni and victims

Tangiloto was married with children and his parents live in the United States. Lātū was staying in Kolonga.

Musie’s youngest sister Simaima, who lives in New Zealand, told Kaniva News in a telephone interview that they decided to bury Musie in Tonga because their mother was still there with most of their siblings.

Simaima said Musie rented the car. He and his friends were celebrating their reunion before he was due to leave for Auckland.

She said Musie worked for the New Zealand Fire Services for about five years before he took another job.

Police said alcohol and speed were factors that contributed to the fatal incident.

The horrific accident came after three people were killed in a car accident in ‘Ahau on July 9 after the car they were travelling in hit a toa tree on Hihifo Rd near ‘Ahau. One woman survived with severe injuries, Police confirmed alcohol and speeding were factors in the fatal crash.

The main points

  • Peni Loea Musie was not so sure whether or not he would go to Tonga and his ‘Aholelei family were surprised when he contacted them last week and said he was coming.
  • But he was killed in a horrific accident in Tonga on the weekend and his body will be buried in Kolonga next week.
  • His wife Maama and their only daughter as well as family in New Zealand have just left Auckland for the kingdom to farewell him.
  • Musie was in Tonga to join his father’s maternal side’s family reunion – the ‘Aholelei.

Newborn baby found abandoned on side of road in Halaleva

By
Kalino Latu
-

A baby thought to be just a few hours old when it was found this morning abandoned in a bush area near By-Pass Road in Halaleva, Nuku’alofa is in a stable condition in hospital.

The newborn girl, who was found alive and was wrapped in a plastic bag,  was discovered by two nuns near the Church of Tonga chapel shortly before 8.00am.

Tongan authorities said the baby is being kept in an incubator in Vaiola hospital.

Police are investigating and looking for the child’s mother.

NZDF-led task group launches construction projects in tonga

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A multinational task group led by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has started community projects aimed at improving water storage and sanitation in two main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group.

Lieutenant Colonel Josh Wineera, NZDF Task Force Commander and Senior National Officer, said construction work being undertaken as part of Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016 was well underway in Lifuka and Foa.

Nine 10,000-litre water storage tanks are being installed at churches, the fire station and city hall in Pangai, the administrative capital village of Ha’apai. One of these tanks will be placed at the community hall in Faleloa, the home village of Tongan-born All Black midfielder Malakai Fekitoa.

Engineers from His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga (HMAF Tonga), the New Zealand Army, China’s People’s Liberation Army and the United States Army are also building a toilet block near the Pangai Ferry Terminal, a high-traffic location.

“Our international partners and Tongan colleagues have fully integrated with our NZDF personnel and we are working together to make tangible improvements to the local infrastructure. These projects will surely make a positive difference to the local community,” LTCOL Wineera said.

Medical personnel from New Zealand and Australia, meanwhile, are conducting environmental health tests to assess the risk of communicable diseases to the local population. US Army soldiers are also operating a desalination system that provides a supply of potable water to the multinational task group.

Lance Corporal Michael Salmon, an environmental health specialist from the New Zealand Army, checks larvae samples gathered by military personnel taking part in Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016, a humanitarian activity focused on disaster relief operations that is being conducted this year in Tonga. An environmental health team comprised of personnel from New Zealand and Australia is carrying out a mosquito eradication programme to reduce diseases such as dengue and zika as part of Tropic Twilight.
Lance Corporal Michael Salmon, an environmental health specialist from
the New Zealand Army, checks larvae samples gathered by military personnel taking
part in Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016, a humanitarian activity focused on disaster
relief operations that is being conducted this year in Tonga. An environmental health
team comprised of personnel from New Zealand and Australia is carrying out a
mosquito eradication programme to reduce diseases such as dengue and zika as
part of Tropic Twilight.

“New Zealand and Australian environmental health officers are working with Tongan medical staff on vector monitoring. They are checking mosquito traps and will teach the locals how to recognise certain species that might carry such diseases as dengue fever or the zika virus,” said Flight Lieutenant David Pennisi, Senior National and

Environmental Health Officer from the Royal Australian Air Force.

Tongan officials are impressed by the industry and enthusiasm of the multinational task group.

“It’s great to see the Chinese, Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and Tongan soldiers working alongside each other. This contingent is clearly well-led and they have an inclusive and respectful nature about them; they have a good sense of humour too. I also like how the junior non-commissioned officers are trusted to go about their work and make decisions,” said Commander Brisbane Lokotui, HMAF Tonga’s liaison officer.

About 40 personnel from the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, half of whom are engineers and tradespersons from the Army’s 2nd Engineer Regiment, are working alongside engineers from Tonga, China and the United States as part of Tropic Twilight. The NZDF contingent also includes medical, dental and logistics specialists.

The recurring humanitarian activity, which is focused on disaster relief operations, is being conducted this year in Tonga from 7-29 July. New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is funding the projects being delivered as part of the New Zealand Aid Programme.

 

NZDF personnel lead outreach activities in Tongan schools

By
Kaniva Staff
-

About 40 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel currently leading a multi-national task group undertaking humanitarian projects in Tonga have led outreach activities at schools in one of the main islands in the Ha’apai island group.

Lieutenant (LT) Aidan Bilbe from the Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps said many students in primary and secondary schools in Lifuka expressed a wish to join the military during a recent visit by military personnel taking part in Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016.

“The visits were very well-received by the teachers and the principals. They were very grateful that we would take the time to talk to the children. It was the first time these kids had the opportunity to meet people from other countries, especially foreign military personnel. When prompted, a lot of the children said they wanted to join the armed forces and the teachers were very supportive of their career choice,” LT Bilbe said.

Personnel from the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, half of whom are engineers and tradespersons from the Army’s 2nd Engineer Regiment, are working alongside engineers from Tonga, China and the United States to improve water storage and sanitation in two main islands in Ha’apai.

NZ
Members of a multinational task force led by the New Zealand Defence Force recently visited primary and secondary schools in one of the main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group. The multi-national task group has launched construction projects to improve water storage and sanitation in Ha’apai as part of Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016.

Nine 10,000-litre water storage tanks are being installed at churches, the fire station and city hall in Pangai, the administrative capital village of Ha’apai. A toilet block is also being built near the Pangai Ferry Terminal, a high-traffic location.

“We explained to the children that what we are doing in Tonga isn’t just about building projects but also about building friendships and partnerships between all nations involved,” LT Bilbe said.

“We spoke about the value of family and community, education and respecting other people especially elders. We also encouraged them to aspire to do great things and emphasised that the world beyond their island cares about the people of Ha’apai.”

Many students in primary and secondary schools in Lifuka, one of the main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group, expressed a wish to join the military during a recent visit by military personnel taking part in Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016. About 40 personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force are working alongside engineers from Tonga, China and the United States to improve water storage and sanitation in two main islands in Ha’apai.
Many students in primary and secondary schools in Lifuka, one of the main islands in Tonga’s Ha’apai island group, expressed a wish to join the military during a recent visit by military personnel taking part in Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016. About 40 personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force are working alongside engineers from Tonga, China and the United States to improve water storage and sanitation in two main islands in Ha’apai.

LT Diana Denhaan from the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps said she found the school visits rewarding.

“Engaging with the children is important. Some day, some of them will be holding key appointments. Hopefully, they will remember the Kiwis who helped rebuild their community and spoke with them. I hope I was able to instil motivation and inspiration into the children. Everyone was so warm and welcoming,” she said.

Tropic Twilight is a recurring humanitarian activity focused on disaster relief operations that is being conducted this year in Tonga. New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is funding the projects being delivered as part of the New Zealand Aid Programme.

Tongan patterns and philosophy shape towering sculpture for Waiheke Island

By
Philip Cass
-

A massive white sculpture by Tongan architect Semisi Potauaine will feature in next year’s Headland Sculpture collection on Waiheke Island.

The sculpture, whose Tongan name, Manuesina, translates as white bird, will weigh 4.5 tonnes and cost $NZ60,000.

The work, whose colour symbolises purity and the global spirit, was one of the 34 finalists chosen from 250 entries.

According to headland Sculpture on the Gulf director of Cultural Programmes, Zara Stanhope says the successful proposals came from “a broad spectrum of exceptional artist.”

Potauaine, who is associated with Auckland University’s architecture and design programme, is internationally recognised for his work.

His work ranges from sculpture through weaving and tattoo to graphic design.

In 2010 his work was the subject of the book Tatau: Fenapasi ‘oe Fepaki’ (Tatau: Symmetry, Harmony and Beauty) which also examined the philosophy behind his work.

His work is based on the ‘ta-va theory of reality’, which encompasses Tongan concepts of time and space.

In 2010 he was selected as a Commonwealth Connections International Artist in Residence, only the second Tongan to be appointed to the position.

His work was displayed in the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology in Cambridge where he created works based on the museum’s Tongan collection.

Pola
The image shows what Semisi Potauaine’s sculpture Manuesina will look like when displayed as part of the 2017 Headlands Sculpture on the Gulf.

He told the Western Leader this week that he hoped somebody would buy the sculpture and bring it back to West Auckland.

“It would be best suited for a place like Piha,” he said.

He said the sculpture was based on traditional Tongan geometric shapes.

Headland Sculpture on the Gulf will run from February 3-27 next year.

The biennial exhibition was first held in 2003. It features a display sculptures along a two kilometre coastal walk above Matiatia Bay on Waiheke Island.

More than 55,000 people attended the last event in 2015.

The main points

  • A massive white sculpture by Tongan architect Semisi Potauaine will feature in next year’s Headland Sculpture collection on Waikheke Island.
  • The sculpture, whose Tongan name, Manuesina, translates as white bird, will weigh 4.5 tonnes and cost $NZ60,000.
  • The work was one of the 34 finalists chosen from 250 entries.
  • Headland Sculpture on the Gulf director of Cultural Programmes Zara Stanhope said the successful proposals came from “a broad spectrum of exceptional artist.”

For more information

Artists revealed for 2017 headland Sculpture on the Gulf

Titirangi artist’s concept selected for Waiheke Headland Sculpture on the Island (Western Leader)

MAA hosts Semisi Fetokai Potauaine (Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology Cambridge)

Tongan concepts of time and space (Cook Islands News)

Fundraising to find US Peace Corps’ attacker as fury surges among Tongan community

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Tongan community is raising funds to pay for a reward to find the person who brutally attacked the director of the US Peace Corps in the kingdom over the weekend.

It was understood the 56-year-old was taken to Vaiola hospital on Saturday and that she and her husband left Tonga on Monday.

The woman was jogging along a footpath behind one of the residences at the waterfront in Sopu when a man attacked her about 10am, police said.

She received severe injuries to her face.

The Peace Corps Office in Tonga confirmed the victim was the director of the Peace Corps, but would not answer any other questions.

Paul Jurmo at the Peace Corps Office directed Kaniva News to the organisation’s main office in Washington. We had received no response from the office when this story was written.

The attack has infuriated the community after we published a story on the attack on Saturday 16.

Many have described the attack on Facebook as embarrassing and giving a bad images of Tonga.

There have been calls for the assailant to be given the maximum penalty if they are caught.

A commenter on our website said:

“This young lady leave the comfort and safety of her homeland to come all the way to so called “The Friendly Island” voluntary so she can do good to the wider communities and being brutally attacked like this. I am dumbfounded and speechless.”

Fundraising

The US-based Tongan internet radio station Vākē Talifolau started a campaign this afternoon calling on social media users to support a drive to raise $10,000 to help find the attacker of the Peace Corps victim.

The money will be given as a reward for anybody who could help Police identify the attacker.

The radio station’s general manager Sione Tuʻalau Makahili said it had consulted the Peace Corps offices in Tonga and Washington and was awaiting contact from the Tongan Police about the campaign .

The public has been asked to contact the radio at 6502077551 or  radiovtf@radiotongavtfusa.com for details.

In 2014 Kaniva News reported on plans to make a film about the murder of  Peace Corps volunteer Debra Gardner in the village of Ngeleʻia in Tongatapu on October 14, 1976 by Dennis Priven, a US Peace Corps volunteer.

The film’s producers said it would allege that US authorities helped Priven, who was charged with murder, to go free.

The  main points

  • The Tongan community is raising funds to pay for a reward to find the person who brutally attacked the director of the US Peace Corps in the kingdom over the weekend.
  • It was understood the 56-year-old was taken to Vaiola hospital on Saturday and that she and her husband left Tonga on Monday.
  • The woman was jogging along a footpath behind one of the residences at the waterfront in Sopu when a man attacked her about 10am, police said.
  • US-based Tongan internet radio station Vākē Talifolau started a campaign this afternoon calling on social media users to support a drive to raise $10,000 to help find the attacker of the Peace Corps victim.

For more information

Peace Corps Tonga

Film claims US Peace Corps helped accused go free after 1976 Tongan killing

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