Government

Tonga Government has promised to hand out $80,000 in compensation to families for each of the victims who died in the sinking of the MV Princess Ashika last August, on the condition that the next of kin will not file any civil claims against Government.

The Government of Tonga will close down for the Christmas and New Year holidays between December 23 and January 2.

Reef Shipping is surprised to learn that a decision is pending to grant an exclusive licence to carry cargo between New Zealand and Ha’apai and Vava’u in Tonga. Reef hopes that the opportunity to go on serving the people of Vava’u will not be arbitrarily taken away from it by the Tongan Government, without any prior consultation or opportunity to argue its case. - Phillip McNicholl.

In case some of your readers are interested, I did take up the Hon Minister of Police’s offer to “… whisper in my ear”, as reported in your article, “Tongan businesses struggle to pay rising fees and taxes, MPs told” (9 October 11). The Hon Minister “whispered” that Cabinet’s decision to allow businesses whose licences were revoked to re-open, was done whilst he, as Minister for Labour, Commerce and Industries, was not in Nuku’alofa. He did not offer any other information. – Lopeti Senituli.

Under a proposed new structure of the Tongan government, aimed to be in place by 1 July 2012, it is proposed there will be only 13 line ministries, which will include a new Ministry of Internal Affairs.