The Lauan chief, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara, is believed to be staying at Consular House on Vuna Road on the Nuku'alofa waterfront, as a guest of his kinsman, King George Tupou V while exchanges fly between the Fiji and Tonga governments.

Cmdr Bainimarama has declared Ratu Tevita a fugitive who jumped bail without surrendering his passport as ordered by a Fijian court on May 3, and who was also expected to appear in court in Suva on May 30 to face charges of sedition.

Ratu Tevita Mara's entrance into Tonga with the Tongan navy, raised the question if he had used his Fijian passport to enter the country. Today no one in the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knew anything about the legality of how he had entered the country, but a senior officer in immigration said he would check and come back with an answer. But when government closed for the day it was not clear whether or not Ratu Tevita Mara had been subjected to the usual Tongan immigration procedure.

The Chief Secretary and the Secretary to Cabinet Busby Kautoke said that Ratu Tevita Mara's status in Tonga remains to be "a man rescued at sea."

As of this afternoon, Busby said they had not received any request from Cmdr Bainimarama for the rescued man to be extradited back to Fiji.

Under Tonga's Extradition Act 1988 Fiji is one of the designated countries that an individual could be extradited back to, and the Act clearly sets out the procedure of how an individual could be extradited to a designated country.

An extradition process can be authorised only by the Tongan Prime Miniser, Lord Tu'ivakano, on a request made by the Prime Minister of Fiji or an official on the behalf of the government of Fiji.

Consular House

Meanwhile Ratu Tevita Mara is staying at the Consular House on Vuna Road on the Nuku'alofa waterfront, the residence of the British High Commissioner in Tonga and now a property of the king. It is frequently used as a guest house for visiting dignitaries and friends of the royal family.

Ratu Tevita, so far, is inaccessible, despite the fact that he stressed in his YouTube video that he wanted to come to Nuku'alofa so that he can speak freely and tell the truth about what is going on in Fiji.

The Fijian strongman, Prime Minister Commodore Bainimarama, has accused Tonga for an infringement of Fiji's Sovereignty when the Tongan Navy last week responded to a distress call and rescued Lieutenant Colonel Ratu Tevita Mara from sea and brought him to Nuku'alofa.