IN a dramatically worded official statement Tonga's Minister of Information 'Eseta Fusitu'a on November 4 denounced a group that is questioning the King's sale of the 'Atalanga royal residence in Auckland, apparently for daring to ask questions of Tonga's kingy.

The Minister concluded that the group's writing a letter to the King on October 25 and making media statements questioning the king's ownership of the multi-million dollar property, was attacking the king's reputation.

She said that the Tonga Government's maintenance of 'Atalanga was wrongly portrayed as conclusive evidence that it is public property and that such claims were "derogatory" and " wrong and unjust to its victims."

Antiques

'Eseta declared that the residence was not bought for students as the group claimed, because it was furnished with antiques.

After the property was bought by the late Queen Salote in 1952 the Minister said that a few Tongan government students were allowed to stay at the residence, but she pointed out that the king had not made any money out of the students: "Neither Their Late Majesties or His Majesty the King have ever charged any rental," she stated.

"To claim that such an expansive and high class property with antique furniture was bought to be a student residence . . . is most ludicrous. On the other hand as the royal residence of Her Majesty the Queen of Tonga in New Zealand, the purchase then makes sense," 'Eseta stated.

Forced to work at home

The Minister of Information said similarly in Tonga the king was not charging the government any rental when, "he has been forced to reside and undertake his official duties at his private residences," and she claimed that the group were rewarding "such magnanimity" with "ingratitude and the tarnishing of His Majesty's good name".

'Eseta also concluded that, "Perhaps the most tragic feature of this unfortunate saga is that because it has so seriously breached elementary courtesies and protocols" .

The Minister claimed that the group were actually requiring the king to provide the evidence for the group's threatened legal actions against him.

People of Tonga

In a letter sent to the King of Tonga on October 25 Sione T. Fonua, the leader of the Langafonua Tu'uloa Party and a candidate for this month's election had asked the king to clarify the details of the king's legal authority to sell the Epsom property that has been a Tongan royal residence maintained by the Government of Tonga for over 50 years. Sione and his party believed that the property was held by the king on behalf of the people of Tonga.

The Prime Minister had earlier in the week responded to the claims.