Author: TALANOA

Tonga’s Parliament wrapped up its first national debate on capital punishment this week, with a resounding rejection by participants. The debate focused on whether reinstating the death penalty could help address the Kingdom’s growing drug crisis. In a clear vote, 38 participants opposed the proposal, compared to just 8 in favor. This comes as drug-related imprisonment rates in Tonga have skyrocketed by 80%. King Tupou VI himself had raised the issue earlier in May, sparking national conversation. Religious beliefs played a major role in the public’s opposition. “We are a Christian country, and this is not the best path for…

An elderly couple died in one car have been identified as Paul and Lois Grimmer. The three people in the other vehicle were Piata Ofufangavalu, Cheyene Love-Mitchell and Suliasi Lefai. Suliasi and Piata were of Tongan heritage. The crash happened at 4.44pm on Tuesday on State Highway 3 in Ōhaupō, about halfway between Hamilton and Te Awamutu. Waikato road policing manager Inspector Jeff Penno said the two cars collided after one crossed the centre line. But he said the cause of the crash could go unknown for months. “We understand the time it happened, where it happened, how it happened…

International financing is critical for sustainable development, yet small island states are “running on empty,” burdened by debt and climate change. This stark warning came from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Day Two of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) currently held in Antigua and Barbuda. The 39 SIDS are uniquely vulnerable, having been crippled by COVID-19, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and ongoing climate catastrophes they did not cause. Guterres highlighted that these nations spend more on debt servicing than on health and education, stalling their progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Classified…

Sia Figiel, an award winning Samoan author has been arrested and charged with murder. The 57-year-old’s works are well-known in the Pacific and New Zealand. She turned herself in to authorities at the main police station in Apia on Sunday morning, having committed the alleged crime on Saturday at the village of Vaivase, just outside of Apia, according to Samoan Police Commissioner Auapaau Filipo. Auapaau said preliminary findings showed that the victim suffered multiple stab wounds. A hammer and knife were allegedly used, the Commissioner said. The circumstances surrounding the death are not yet clear, but it is understood an…

The Tonga Police said in a statement today that it conducted a search at the Tonga Development Bank (TDB) last Friday, May 24th, in response to a complaint for an alleged breach of the Banking Act but have not disclosed specifics about the alleged breach, citing the need to protect the investigation’s integrity and fairness. “This matter is under active investigation,” the police statement read, withholding further details. This investigation is the latest twist in the ongoing TDB controversy. Recently, we reported that TDB CEO ‘Emeline Tuita and Board Chairman Peni Vea were allegedly suspended. This follows earlier speculation about…

The tsunami alert was cancelled at 11:00 am today after it was determined that the threat had passed. Deputy Director of the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), Moana Kioa, reported no damage or injuries in Tongatapu or the outer islands, which was closest to the earthquake’s epicenter. Kioa confirmed that there were no significant waves reaching inland, alleviating immediate concerns. The National Tsunami Warning Centre issued an urgent tsunami alert just before 10 in the morning, prompting immediate evacuations for low-lying areas across Tonga particularly for Tongatapu and Ha’apai after the 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck. Residents were urged to move…

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck the South Pacific Ocean near Tofua Island in Tonga this morning, May 27, 2024, at 9:47 am local time. The quake, which had a moderate depth of 112 kilometers was felt throughout the Tonga group. Authorities have issued tsunami warnings advising residents to remain cautious, move inland and up to higher grounds and listen to the local radio. As the sirens were activated, local radio reported chaos with traffic within the Nuku’alofa Central Business District in Nuku’alofa as workers rush for home and parents scramble to pick up their children from…

Is it or is it not? Has the CEO of TDB, ‘Emeline Tuita stepped down or not? And how about rumors that the Chairman of the Board Peni Vea had been stood down as well? As usual reports on allegedly traumatic events at the government owned bank is hard to verify. Most reports are on social media so one has to check if these reports are factual. But the difficulty obviously is there has not been an official statement made either to confirm or deny the spiraling reports. Because of the lack or absence of official reports, the public therefore…

The Legislative Assembly of Tonga passed the first reading of the 2024/2025 Appropriation Bill 2024 today. They are planning for expenditure of $899.2 million. The Chief Clerk reported that the Bill comprised of the Government’s budget estimates for the period commencing 1 July 2024 and ending 30 June 2025. When introducing the Appropriation Bill to the Legislative Assembly, the Minister of Finance, Hon. Tiofilusi Tiueti said, “The budget for the Financial Year 2024/25 was guided by the theme ‘Building the foundations for sector-driven economic growth and sustainability’ focusing on enhancing growth and development for the benefit of the entire population…

Tonga’s sole financial regulator, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) has closed LWS Trading and RK3 Pacific Tonga Ltd and filed complaints against them with Police. LWS Trading is based in Tonga and was operating in partnership with RK3 Pacific Tonga Ltd which described itself on Facebook as having offices in New Zealand and Australia. Their main business was facilitating the transfer of money to Tonga from overseas. Many Tongans overseas use money transfer services to transfer funds mostly to their relatives in Tonga. This has been a regular practice for many years, as Tongans living overseas help their…