Tongan soldiers to serve in Afghanistan [1]
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - 10:34. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
A CONTINGENT of 55 Tongan soldiers is expected to begin service in Afghanistan in November, the first of 275 soldiers committed over a two year period by the Tongan government yesterday, after convincing the House it will provide much needed jobs.
The Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele reportedly told the House that there had been a request from Britain and from NATO for Tonga's assistance to the war in Afghanistan, and for Tonga to send soldiers to assist in the fight against the Taliban there.
The House overwhelmingly voted 22-0 yesterday afternoon, July 27, for Tonga to send soldiers to Afghanistan at the end of the year. They will be under the command of the British Armed Forces.
However, one People's Representative, 'Etuate Lavulavu (Vava'u) was not happy that the soldiers will be putting themselves at risk 24 hours, for a daily pay of only £30 pounds (TOP$83.00). He said that pay offered was too small, "considering that he is risking his life and I earn $50 an hour and I am not at risk."
If a solider dies his family will receive £30,000 or about $83,000 pa'anga at today's rate of exchange.
After six months the first deployment will be replaced by a new contingent.
British Government
Brigadier Tauaika 'Uta'atu, commander of the Tongan Defence Services said this morning that he was happy with the positive decision made by parliament. The TDS gave a presentation to Cabinet and parliamentarians on Monday before the debate.
He said that now a Memorandum of Understanding with the British Ministry of Defence was being drafted by Crown Law and this will set out the timeline of the deployment and other things. It will need to be approved by the Tonga Defence Board chaired by HM King George Tupou IV,
"The British Government will pay £2.6 million to cover all the costs over the first year. This will include the uniforms, stores, ammunition, accommodation, travel expenses and a stipend of £30 a day for each soldier every day in Afghanistan."
He said during the six weeks training in the United Kingdom, which could start at the end of September or in early October, the soldiers will be paid £10 a day. In addition to this the Tonga Defence Services will continue to pay their fortnightly wages of around $100 pa'anga a fortnight to their families in Tonga.
"This is an invitation from the British Army who saw our soldiers work in Iraq and the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote to our Prime Minister and asked for support," he said. "This is something we think is an honour to be a part of."
Force protection
Brigadier 'Uta'atu said he and three other officers had been to London and Afghanistan in May and saw four places before choosing a location for the Tongan deployment.
"It looks safer than Iraq," he said. "Our soldiers will not be doing street patrols where there have been a lot of deaths.
"We will be doing force protection, and security on the boundaries of a camp, which is in the desert."
He said the camp holds about 20,000 British troops and US Marines and the Tongans will be working with the same 1st Marine Division that they had worked with in Iraq.
Tonga soldiers served in Iraq from 2004 to 2006, and again from 2007 to December 2008.
Parliament
Meanwhile, 'Etuate Lavulavu said that the three main advantages that were stated by government for Tonga to send soldiers to Afghanistan were that
- there will be economic benefit, and it will provide jobs for the growing unemployment in the country.
- It will open up doors for overseas scholarships for Tongan students.
- There will be opportunities for Tongan to become British and EU citizens, and to find employment overseas, the same opportunities that have been made available to Fijian soldiers.
- Tonga will strengthen its military relation with the UK and other western countries.
He said he voted for the proposal but he still had some concerns. "If it is to find employment, the unemployed can get jobs if they are given skilled training, rather then sending them out to the battle field to get killed!"
"The other issues that we have to worry about are the wounded and those who will be mentally disturbed from their war experience, they will have to be looked after."
'Etuate said that his final contribution to the debate was that he was very upset with the 74 people who died in the Ashika disaster, "and that was by accident. If 55 Tongan soldiers will die and I am the one who give the approval for them to go to Afghanistan, I think I'll go mad."
But 'Etuate said that government was lobbying for an unity by the House over the issue and after lunch when the Speaker called for votes on the proposal for Tonga to send soldiers to fight in Afghanistan, it was carried overwhelmingly 22-0.