Nursing student to face trial for Fung Shing thefts [1]
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 12:33. Updated on Monday, July 20, 2015 - 12:10.
Police Magistrate Salesi Mafi yesterday, March 12 ordered Tipanio 'Ali (22) to appear at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court for trial on charges relating to the thefts at the Fung Shing Shopping Centre that was destroyed on November 16.
'Ali was charged with two counts of housebreaking and the theft of $513 pa'anga worth of goods from the Fung Shing Shopping Center at Fasi on the evening of November 16, 2006. The court was told that the stolen goods included one carton of biscuits, sunglasses, Christmas lights and cans of corned beef .
Tevita Fisi'ilose a police officer, the second and last witness to be called by the prosecutor read to the court the record of an interview of the accused on November 22, 2006 at the Nuku'alofa Police Station, in which 'Ali confessed to the crimes he committed at the Fung Shing Shopping Center. He had also expressed remorse and told the police that he would never commit such crimes again.
'Ali is currently studying to be a nurse at the Queen Salote Nursing School at Nuku'alofa's Vaiola Hospital.
The Police Prosecutor called their first witness, Victor Yu, the son of Raymond Yu, the owner of the Fung Shing Enterprises in Tonga. Victor was the assistant manager of the Fung Shing Shopping Center, Fasi.
Victor told the court that on November 16, after hearing that afternoon that Molisi Tonga Supermarket had been set on fire, they closed down their supermarket and around 4pm after three Tongan men, whom he assumed to be intoxicated, turned up at the supermarket and smashed the windows with cans of corn beef.
"After twenty minutes a group of 20 people turned up and started smashing the windows of the supermarket and went into the shop and started looting the goods. Then all of a sudden a truck carrying seven Tongans turned up to help us stop the looting of the goods, but it was useless. Later on when three more truck-loads of rioters arrived and stormed into the supermarket, at this time we were helpless because we were not able to stop them," said Victor.
He told the court that between 7:30pm to 8:00pm more looters continued to arrive at the supermarket and the whole area including the motel at the back of the supermarket and the karaoke bar was filled with about 1,000 people, "just looting everything they could see, and they just kept saying to us 'thank you for the goods', by this time we feared for our lives so we left for the Chinese Embassy at 8:15pm.
"There were so many looters at the supermarket that I was not able to recognise any of them and what type of goods they took from the shop. I estimate that the total damage to all of our shops and the family residence to be about $11.7 million pa'anga ".
The Police Prosecutor was Mema Latu and the accused was represented by Mana Kaufusi.