The Government of Tonga plans to launch a new weekly newspaper next month.

Paula Ma'u, the Secretary for Information and Communications said today that the establishment of a new government newspaper is in line with their commitment to a Freedom of Information Policy for Tonga.

Their newspaper will provide information from ministries and departments. "But we intend to have a section for sports but our overall aim is that this would be a newspaper publishing news from government," he said.

The name of the newspaper and whether it would be published in Tongan or English has not been confirmed.

Tonga Chronicle

The government's former weekly newspaper the Tonga Chronicle was outsourced to private management in  March, 2009 but had ceased publication since mid-2011.

Paula confirmed that the Tonga Chronicle and its assets formerly managed by the Taimi Media Network Ltd. had been returned to government, as the management contract that was signed between Taimi Media Network Ltd. and Government ended on  March 20 this year.

"The assets returned to government include the old Tonga Chronicle office in Nuku'alofa, which we will use for our newspaper, to be staffed by a newly selected team. And whether the newspaper will still be called Tonga Chronicle or by another name is yet to be confirmed," he said.

The government newspaper when launched, will become Tonga's fifth weekly newspaper, in addition to the Taimi 'o Tonga, the Talaki, the Kele'a, and the Ita.