Tonga urged to sign Arms Trade Treaty [1]
Thursday, April 28, 2016 - 18:42. Updated on Thursday, April 28, 2016 - 18:43.
Tonga could be used as a transfer point for the illegal trade of arms if its government doesn’t sign the International Arms Trade Treaty, warns Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).
Peter Barcroft, the New York based Director of Peace & Democracy Programme for PGA, said this week that the illicit trade in arms and weapons respects no borders and has no frontiers and he urged Tonga to sign the treaty.
“It is in Tonga’s best interests to be party to a Treaty which could assist in prevention of proliferation of illicit arms to Tonga, in particular via possible maritime routes,” he said.
“To make the Arms Trade Treaty truly effective, it is essential that all countries join up.”
So far in the Pacific region, Tuvalu, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand have signed and ratified the treaty, while Vanuatu, Palau, Kiribati and Nauru have signed.
The treaty, opened for signature in June 2013, requires countries to better regulate the international trade in weapons in order to maintain international and regional peace ensuring arms don’t fall into the wrong hands or are used to commit human rights abuses.
The Pacific region is vast and its expanse and lack of security measures makes it easy for illegal traders of armed goods to use to reach their end market.
Tonga
In May 2015, Tonga hosted a two-day workshop to promote and implement the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in the Pacific region, which was attended by parliamentarians from eight Pacific countries.
In a statement released by the Tongan government on 18 May 2015, Lord Tu’ivakano said the workshop would catalyze Tonga to sign the Treaty.
“Our initiatives will trickle down to the rest of the country and so it is crucial that we are well informed on the ATT and how we as Members of Parliament can promote its ratification and implementation,” he said at the time. Lord Ma’afu, Dr Pohiva Tu’ionetoa and Lord Tu’iha’ateiho also participated in the workshop, held at Davina House in Nuku’alofa.
However, since the ATT workshop a year ago, further action is still pending on Tonga’s part.
Mr Barcroft said that once Tonga ratifies the ATT, it would gain international support, cooperation and assistance to help with implementing the treaty.
“It is an important foreign policy priority of both Australia and New Zealand, one or both of whom would no doubt be keen to facilitate implementation and provide the resources to do so,” he said.
History
Tonga Police seizures of illegal firearms in Tonga have been significant in the past. Powerful weapons including a semi automatic assault rifle of a kind used in gang warfare, have been seized by the police in 2010, and again in 2011 a total of 11 rifles, consisting of .22 rifles, a 12-gauge shotgun and a sniper-scope rifle were surrendered to the police during a Firearm Amnesty. At the time there was throughout Tonga, some 2000 licensed firearms, with 850 of them registered in Tongatapu.