Results for Tongans Overseas

The Tongan community in Utah are mourning the loss of 46-year-old Kolei Soseti Maile of St George, Utah, USA who passed away on Christmas day after an illness. He leaves behind a wife, four children and a football team – the Pine View High School football team – for whom he worked for as an offensive line coach.

A memorial service was held outside the New Zealand town of Gisborne on Chistmas Eve to pay tribute to the victims of a bus crash that killed three Tongan visitors last year. The memorial marks a year since the tragic accident occurred.

MP Jenny Latu Salesa of the New Zealand Labour Party, will become the first Tongan-born New Zealand Cabinet Minister tomorrow October 26, when her party leader Jacinda Ardern assumes office as the newly elected Prime Minister of New Zealand, replacing the outgoing Prime Minister Bill English. Ardern announced her 21-member cabinet last Friday, including Jenny Salesa.

Dame Valerie Adams-Price gave birth to her first child last week, a baby girl Kimoana Josephine Adams-Price. She announced Kimoana’s arrival on Facebook last Tuesday.

A Tongan national, Pesi Tuivai (44) has been confirmed to be one of four victims who passed away after a devastating collision between two cars on a New Zealand highway yesterday afternoon 10 October.

Tongan born Australian politician, Elizabeth Falemaka Kikkert of the Australian Liberal Party (Liberal), spoke in Tongan during an address to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on Wednesday.

An audio recording of the 2014 courtroom shooting of Siale Angilau (of Tongan descent) has been published in Utah. In the dramatic 3-minute long audio recording, at least four gunshots can be heard as Angilau was shot by a U.S. marshal, after he charged towards a witness during a federal racketeering trial aimed at the Tongan Crip Gang.

A statistical report released by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E) has revealed that 22 Tongan immigrants/visitors were deported from the United States in 2016. The number is a significant increase from 2015 when ICE recorded 16 deportations to Tonga.

A towering 7-year-old Tongan boy in Australia, Vaka Tuitupou, is gaining media attention for his strength and physical prowess. A recent video captured the youngster playing in an Under-8s Rugby league game where he was seen running through his opposition players like a champion.