One Tongan bookshop gets licence [1]
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 16:13. Updated on Monday, May 5, 2014 - 11:48.
Only one of Nuku'alofa's two bookshops has been issued a licence to sell publications.
The Friendly Islands Bookshop was one of three applicants successful in the latest round of licences issued on February 16, but the Dateline Bookshop is still waiting under the draconian new media laws that came into effect in Tonga in January. Matangi Tonga's licence is still being withheld.
The Department of Communications of the Prime Minister's Office issued one newspaper license to the Vula News Co. Ltd for its newly produced Talaki Newspaper. Two import and distributions licences were issued to the Friendly Island Bookshop and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Acting Manager of the Friendly Islands Bookshop Fiefia Taufa said that their licence enabled them to continue importing and selling their current foreign newspapers and magazines. He added that their entire list of foreign publications currently selling was approved by the Prime Minister's Office.
Silongo Samani of the Latter Day Saints Administration office said that their licence enabled them to continue importing and distributing their church magazine and pamphlets.
The Dateline Bookshop on the other hand has not been issued a licence to import and sell its foreign publications. Soape Tu‘iono, the manager, said he did not know why was it taking them a bit longer to be issued a licence but he expected it would be issued perhaps sometime this week.