Vava'u petitioners defy march ban to protest over shipping monopoly [1]
Saturday, November 12, 2011 - 20:59. Updated on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 09:54.
Marching in defiance, and singing hymns, over 200 protestors petitioned the office of the Vava'u Governor, Lord Fulivai, yesterday morning, opposing a move by government to create a monopoly shipping service between New Zealand and Vava'u.
Reporting from Vava'u, Sione Vuki told Matangi Tonga that the situation was very emotional, and people were crying, after they were informed by the police that their request to march had been turned down. But the petitioners marched to the governor's office anyway.
He said that the petitioners were expressing their dissatisfaction with a decision by government to terminate the licence of Reef Shipping to operate a direct shipping service between New Zealand and Vava'u.
Tino Tofu, a former civil servant, after presenting their letter of petition to the governor, told the marchers that the governor was willing to inform the King and the parliament of their grievances.
The petitioners believed that government would terminate the licence of Reef Shipping, a New Zealand company, that had been running a service to Vava'u for the last ten years. They also understood that the sole provider of this service would then become the Jaws South Pacific Shipping Company, which in August started serving the New Zealand, Vava'u, Ha'apai shipping route. Jaws South Pacific Shipping, is locally owned by Sosefo and Soane Ramanlal.
The petitioners, however, insisted that they would walk on the side of the road to the governor's office, and some of the petitioners would use their right and drive their vehicles on the road. The petitioners were marching, singing hymns, and some people were crying.
Police Commander Falakiseni said the petitioners were peaceful, and so they just allowed them to march to the governor's office and present their petition, and then disperse.
A government decision on the petition will not be known until next week.