Results for Tonga

Tupouto’a College of the Free Wesleyan Church in Nomuka, Ha’apai that was affected by the the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai natural disasters received new school supplies from the Australian Government.

A 17-year-old youth who sustained serious injuries when he was hit by a vehicle, while he was crossing Taufa'ahau Road at Nualei, on 1 February has been discharged from Vaiola Hospital. The accused driver of the vehicle is expected to appear at the Magistrate's Court on 13 February.

Tonga's first Ombudsman, ‘Aisea Taumoepeau SC is set to retire from the role on 18 February, after nine-years of service.

Manavahetau Fua’eiki (43) is serving a total sentence of three-years nine-months imprisonment for two separate cases, that included charges of serious housebreaking and theft of firearms, which he committed in 2021, while he was on a suspended sentence for drug offences. This suspended sentence was activated.

Reckless driving leading to death is a crime that sadly remains all too prevalent in Tonga and, in this case, resulted in the death of a 21-months old toddler, the Lord Chief Justice stressed in sentencing a 27-year-old driver to two and a half years in prison. Part of the sentence was suspended.

The House spent all day on Wednesday 1 February 2023, debating an Anti-Corruption Commissioner Amendment Bill 2023, one of two Bills that are in the House’s current working agenda. The amendment bill, which passed its third reading today, means that the Anti-Corruption Commissioner may be paid less than a Supreme Court judge and the salaries are no longer equal. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

A prisoner, Motuku Kafalava (25), who is serving a life imprisonment sentence for murder, was sentenced to concurrent jail time, for possession of a substantial amount of methamphetamine. His 24-year-old co-accused, Latu Veamatahau got a lengthy jail term.

Educational bodies in the Pacific Islands are aiming to work together to get the best education results for Pasifika students.

Twenty-two houses are now standing at Masilamea (Atata Si’i) in the new settlement built for the displaced families of Atata. It’s been a year, two weeks and one day since the catastrophic tsunami destroyed their island village life on of January 15 2022. However, more than five houses are yet to have electricity and/or water supplies connected.