Two Tongan police arrested as NZ policeman remains on life support [1]
Thursday, August 23, 2012 - 17:46. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Update: The Tonga Police advised Matangi Tonga shortly before 7pm, that Kali Fungavaka had passed away at Vaiola Hospital.
Earlier story:
Kali Fungavaka, the New Zealand Police officer whose family at Fua'amotu was informed he had died at Vaiola Hospital this morning, is now confirmed to be held in a serious critical condition on life support. It is understood that hIs children have arrived in Tonga and other family were travelling from New Zealand to be with him tonight.
Meanwhile, two Tonga police staff have been arrested for allegedly assaulting the victim before he was put into a police cell. An inmate of the cell has also been charged with assaulting the victim.
Assistance Commissioner of Police Viliami 'Unga Fa'aoa told Matangi Tonga this afternoon that Kali had suffered head injuries and undergone surgery at Vaiola Hospital after being taken there at around 5:00 am on Saturday August 18. He understood that the victim had not regained consciousness.
"Kali Fungavaka remains in the intensive care unit at Vaiola Hospital and his condition is listed as very serious. He is on life support but it is up to the family and doctor to make a decision when to remove the life support," he said.
Minor offence
'Unga as Head of the Tonga Police serious crime and transnational crime unit running the investigation, said that Kali was in Tonga to attend the funeral of his grandfather at Fua'amotu on Tongatapu.
"He had travelled into central Nuku'alofa with a relative on Friday evening and was drinking at a local club in the CBD. He was arrested for a minor drunkenness offence around midnight on Friday night and taken into the Central Police Station and placed into the cells."
He was put into the cell at about 12:30 am, he said. The victim had not been charged at that time.
"While in the cells he has been assaulted by a prisoner who was in the same cell. As a result of this assault he has been transported to the Vaiola Hospital at around 5am on Saturday morning where he subsequently underwent surgery for head injury," he said.
'Unga believed that the arresting officers did not know that Kali was a copper. "No, they did not know he was a serving police officer in New Zealand but they found it out later," he said.
While he agreed that there was a special risk to place police officers in a cell with suspected criminals, "But normally, with any persons who breach the law, we try to treat them the same as anyone," he said.