Missing man believed to be Australian deportee [1]
Wednesday, December 28, 2016 - 17:00. Updated on Thursday, December 29, 2016 - 20:15.
A man missing with a kayak in Tonga, since December 23, is believed to be a Tongan deportee from Australia – released quietly into an unsuspecting community. Little is known about him in Tonga where authorities are now trying to catch up on who he is.
Matangi Tonga found out that Fisiatina Puafisi (45) was booked into the Little Italy Hotel for a month, by the Australian Government's border service, WA Compliance Removals, through an online booking service, Expedia. They paid NZD$2,536 upfront for the man's room (without breakfast) up to 17 January 2017.
When Fisiatina arrived at the hotel on December 22 (two days late) the hotel reception kindly upgraded him to an Oceanview Room because he was staying for a month.
When Fisiatina went out on Friday he left music playing in his room, so staff thought he was still around the hotel. On Christmas Eve they left him a basket of Christmas goodies in the room.
The hotel management had no idea that the man was a deportee until his brother in Tonga came looking for him on Christmas Day- in the morning and again in the afternoon. The music was still playing.
The hotel's duty manager is upset that a deportee was booked into the hotel.
"This is the second time they have booked a deportee here without telling us. ...We would not have known but his brother told us."
Kayak
The hotel was aware that a kayak was missing on December 24 but they thought some local boys had borrowed it. On Sunday they found out the boys didn't have the kayak. The manager viewed their security video after working on Sunday, and called the police immediately on the emergency number at about 1:00am on Monday morning to report the guest had taken it out. The police came and took a statement and found he was not in his room.
Some local children were the last to see him with the kayak on the seafront.
Unknown background
The deportee's Australian criminal record is apparently not known in Tonga.
Matangi Tonga asked the Tonga Police spokesman if it was the same "Fisatina Puafisi" who was named as a dangerous inmate in Australia's Goulburn Supermax prison in a 2015 article on the Australian Daily Mail website. Goulburn is where Australia's most notorious and dangerous criminals are sent.
The article has a photo of a man identified as "Fisatina Puafisi" dated 22/12/2006 with a caption stating: "Fisatina Puafisi (right) is a mentally unstable inmate who has been known to descend into madness if he goes off his medication, with violent results."
Tonga Police spokesperson said this afternoon, "We're trying to get background on the guy."
"Australia doesn't advise us when they send deportees to Tonga," the spokeperson said.
A marine search was still underway this afternoon.
Police understand that Fisiatina had lived in Australia since the age of three years and did not have any immediate family here. His brother had come from Australia to check on him.
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