A brutal attack early this morning on a Nuku'alofa business woman who was sleeping at home in Pahu, has put her into Vaiola Hospital with head and other injuries including a suspected broken collar bone. She remains in a critical condition.

Mrs Ellen Yu, aged in her late 50s, was attacked by a male intruder at around 3:00am at her residence in upper Railway Road, Nuku'alofa, where she and her family have lived since the 1990s.

Mrs Yu has been unable to speak since the attack.

Mr Jeremy Wang, Secretary of the Tonga Chinese Federation, said it was not a robbery and appeared to be a targeted attack. It is not known at this stage how the intruder managed to get into the home which has a high wall and barred windows "but the attacker knew where to go."

"A nephew heard the ruckus and went to her assistance but the attacker got away," he said.

"How can someone do such a vicious thing to a woman?"

Her husband Mr Raymond Yu had gone to New Zealand for a party for their new grand-daughter, which was to be held on Saturday. It is understood he is flying home to Tonga tonight from Auckland, with their son.

Ellen Yu had stayed behind in Tonga to manage the family retail shop on Taufa'ahau Road. She is known as hardworking grandmother who walks to work very early in the morning and finishes late in the evening.

Jeremy said it was the fourth break-in to the Yu's home this year. In March they suffered an armed robbery by two men and lost cash and computers. In that incident Mr Yu's car windowscreen was shot at and one of the robbers was injured by the moving car, he said.

"There is a lot of speculation about what is the agenda behind the attack...the man didn't really ask for anything, he just attacked," he said.

The attack on Mrs Yu is the latest in a series of attacks, which include violent robberies of members of the Tonga's ethnic Chinese community this year.

Tonga Police

Tonga Police confirmed they received a report at around 3:30am today from a resident at Mailetaha. Police confirmed there was a Chinese woman who was seriously assaulted and remains in a critical condition at the hospital.

The police investigators are currently working on the case and they have not arrested anyone at this stage.