By Katalina Siasau
Tongan diaspora living in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf (GCC) States are urged to register with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Tonga in Abu Dhabi. The Embassy today encouraged those who are dual citizens to also register with their other country of citizenship in order to access possible evacuation flights, if needed, during the current Middle East conflict.
"We have a small Tongan Diaspora in the United Arab Emirates and the rest of the Middle East who are currently working and residing in the GCC States, and many holds a dual citizenship and others a valid working visas at the moment," the embassy advised. It has reached out to some members of the diaspora to check on their wellbeing and to offer reassurance during the uncertain situation.
International media reported that drones were intercepted by air defence systems near Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, where the Tongan Embassy is located.
However, the embassy confirmed to Matangi Tonga that there was no damage to the building and that it remains fully operational.
The advisory comes as regional tensions continue to rise on the sixth day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, with reports of the conflict escalating across parts of the Gulf, Lebanon and Iraq.
The Tonga Embassy is urging members of the Tongan diaspora to remain safe and follow official instructions issued by the UAE Government.
"The Embassy has reached out to some of the Tongan Diaspora to check on them and give a sense of reassurance to continue to stay safe with families, and follow the official information and instructions provided by the Government of the United Arab Emirates (or other GCC States), and to check also on the other Members of the Diaspora while we continue to monitor the ongoing situation."
So far, not all dual citizens have registered with the embassy and they are encouraged to do so, in line with earlier travel advisories.
Dual citizens are also encouraged to register with authorities in their other country of citizenship to ensure they can access possible evacuation flights if the situation worsens.
Tongan family concerned
Meanwhile, a Tongan family living in Abu Dhabi says they remain safe but are coping with uncertainty as the situation develops.
Kim Halavātau and her family have lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2018, working as a nurse and a teacher.
Kim told Matangi Tonga on 5 March, her biggest concern is the uncertainty about how the situation might develop.
“My family is currently safe and well. It has been stressful having to cope with the uncertainty but we are safe and things seem to be normal," she said.
"The confusion is whether it will get worse or have we seen the worst already," she said, because different authorities are issuing guidance to residents.
“The situation is quite complex, as you can imagine, there are so many layers at play here. The UAE government, who has been amazing, are giving us directives, our companies we work for are also giving us directives and the home embassies are giving us directives, this has caused panic and confusion with all having their own agenda at hand.”
Despite the uncertainty, Kim said the small Tongan community in the UAE remains closely connected.
“We are in constant contact with all our fellow Tongans here in the UAE. Just last month we held the UAE Pasifika where my family represented Tonga. But we have a chat group with all our fellow Tongans where we interact and keep in contact. Yes, we keep in touch with all the Tongans in the UAE."
Tongans in the UAE and region are asked to register with the embassy by emailing diplomats [at] kotembassyuae [dot] gov [dot] to
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consists of six Arab nations bordering the Persian Gulf: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
