Results for Vava'u

Siosifa Vailima Tuita (52) was sentenced to 12-years imprisonment for manslaughter of his twin sister in Falaleu, Vava'u, last year. During sentencing today, Lord Chief Justice Whitten KC said the accused stabbed his sister multiple times with a knife, “in what can only be characterised as a heinous and tragic crime of extreme brutality.”

A 63-year-old man who was a passenger in the back of a vehicle died in a crash on a road between Leimatu’a to Holonga in Vava’u on Friday night, 10 March. The male driver has been charged.

The Australian Government is assisting Tonga in its domestic air connectivity by providing flights for the Tongatapu-Vava’u route until at least 30 June 2023 in a partnership with Fiji Airways, the Australian High Commission announced today 3, February.

Two former police officers who are in jail for common assault, after they punched and kicked a defenceless 21-year-old in Vava’u, will not be allowed to appeal their sentences. President of the Appeal Court, Lord Chief Justice Whitten, in his ruling on 12 December rejected their applications, as they had no reasonable prospects of success.

A 46-year-old woman died from a fire at her house in Neiafu, early this morning, 8 November.

‘Okusitino Penisimani Tatafu (50) was sentenced this week to seven-years and eight-months imprisonment for possession of 249.74 grams of cocaine seized in Vava'u in 2021. A jury earlier found him guilty of carrying a significant amount of cocaine. The police drugs taskforce was waiting for the defendant in a hotel room where an informer said the buyer was staying.

Tonga Police are working to identify the body of a man that was found floating in Vaipua Harbour, Vava’u, on 11 October.

A team of scientists is undertaking coastal marine surveys in Tongan waters to evaluate impacts to coral reefs and fisheries following the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai eruption in January 2022. Special Management Areas (SMAs) and aquaculture areas are of prime concern. With support from the Waitt Institute, the research vessel, “Plan b”, will arrive in Tongatapu today, 23 August, and conducting surveys until 5 September.

A 41-year-old man who attempted suicide at ‘Utungake in Vava’u is in a stable condition at Vaiola Hospital, after being transported to Tongatapu on an emergency medical flight.