Results for Tonga

Editor's comment: On Friday we reported the government’s announcement that there would be a test/drill repatriation flight, with 50 overseas Tongans arriving on an Air New Zealand cargo flight “next week”, and quarantined for two weeks at the Tanoa Hotel. The problem with our report was that we believed what we were being told at the Prime Minister's press conference held at the Fa'onelua Centre. But the “flight arriving this week” was simply their flight of fantasy.

‘Evona ‘Akau [55] was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 18-months imprisonment, for carrying an excessive number of passengers on the 'Eua ferry MV 'Onemato, in January last year. “Mercifully, there was no tragedy here because, if a life had been lost...more serious charges could have been laid,” said the judge.

Tonga has extended its State of Emergency for another month, from 8:00pm 11 June until 8:00pm 8 July, the Prime Minister Hon Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa declared this afternoon. In addition, the CoViD-19 restrictions have been extended from 8:00pm 11 June to 8:00pm 8 July. The night curfew now starts an hour later at 12:00am to 5:00am, with mass gatherings still limited to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.

Vava’u youth enjoyed returning to Quick Rip rugby games last Saturday, 6 June, at Toula Rugby field, after CoViD-19 restrictions had stopped all sports games in Tonga since the lockdown on 26 March.

Tongan seasonal workers grounded in Australia are making use of relaxed regulations in the country, finding new jobs with different farms and employers. By Finau Fonua.

Two young Tongan students are continuing their training at the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) in Samoa, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tonga is set to face Samoa next year to qualify directly for the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2023 in France after World Rugby announced details of the qualification process on 8 June.

The Crown has been ordered by the Lord Chief Justice to return more than $30,000 pa’anga in cash to 13 Chinese people. The cash was forfeited when they were arrested during a police raid aimed at illegal gambling in 2019.

After the Tongan Parliament was, for seven days up to Thursday June 4, locked in a tense debate over the preliminary Budget Statement, the House introduced the National Budget and passed the first three vote allocations without any debate at all. The House approved $13.77 million for the running of the Legislative Assembly but the Speaker complained that they had not approved his request for funds to fix the leaking roof. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.