Latest news with #KalafiMoala
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Tonga police constable arrested for drug possession
Photo: Aleksandr Shyripa A police constable in Tonga has been arrested for drug possession. Matangi Tonga reported a 21-year-old male probationary constable was arrested at the weekend. During the same drug operation in Nuku'alofa, two other men were also arrested for allegedly selling drugs. The arrest was part of an operation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Unit. Tonga Police said the constable has been suspended without pay and will face court at a later date. The Commissioner of Police, Geoff Turner said this is not a reflection of police and thanked other officers for their hard work. "This is not a reflection of who we are," he said. It comes amid widespread drug issues in the region. In Fiji, police and Customs staff were recently charged with drug smuggling . Pacific police chiefs discussed the region's drug trafficking problems on a panel at the World Police Summit in Dubai. Fiji Police Force Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu, Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Commissioner Mostyn Mangau and New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien participated in a fireside chat at the World Police Summit in Dubai. Photo: Pacific Island Chiefs of Police Facebook There are calls for better drug rehabilitation centres in Tonga with drug crime and health issues visablevisible on the streets. RNZ Pacific's Tonga correspondent, Kalafi Moala, said someone can walk down the street and see young beggars seeking money for drugs, or motor vehicles being driven recklessly. He said it's critical for Tonga to have somewhere to rehabilitate people. "If you have a young man, a young woman here that's addicted, you go to the hospital, you're given some pills for treatment, but there's no place where they can be rehabilitated," he said. "You talk to families, and the family will tell you they've got a son that's got a problem, but there's nowhere. "The Salvation Army has a small counselling outfit here, but they don't have a rehabilitation centre, so that's a really big issue. "How can we heal and how can we restore the negative impact of drugs in our society? Until we do that, just stemming the flow is not going to help Tonga in general."
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Deficit budget announced in Tonga; largest ever spend
St George Government Building, Nuku'alofa CBD Photo: Matangi Tonga Tonga's 'Aisake Eke Government has produced its first budget, pumping up spending by more than 10 percent compared with last year. It has some key elements that differ from previous years, such as an assistance boost for some private sector businesses. Don Wiseman spoke with RNZ Pacific's correspondent, Kalafi Moala, and began by asking where the additional money is going. KALAFI MOALA: One of the key things that this government, when they came into being, was declaring and proclaiming changes that they were going to make, compared with, say, the previous government. And one of the things that you've been saying was that they're going to, probably for the first time in Tonga history, give money to the private sector. They've been given the message of private sector development, it is the pathway to economic development, to the future and so on. So in this budget, one of the specific things they've done is assigned quite a bit to private sector development. ...But the whole budget of 992 million plus [pa'anga] - it's the biggest in Tonga's history, more than last year's budget. And also it's a deficit budget. I think, if I can remember this, about 28 million [pa'anga] in deficit. But then the government have said that they are going to pay for this deficit by issuing bonds, public bonds, so I guess they've got it all worked out. DON WISEMAN: Public bonds - has Tonga issued bonds before? KM: I can't recall when, but yeah, in the last, say, 10 years or so, they've done that. DW: In terms of this money going to the private sector. There are no details at all? KM: No details other than the fact that they think that fisheries and agriculture is going to be a major focus, particularly on businesses that have already started. For example, things like marketing and setting up pack houses for export. This is the kind of things that they think government is going to help in the development of the private sector. DW: That essentially is the only difference from the previous government, despite what they had said about the failures of the previous government. KM: That's right. The other thing too, there has been quite a bit of talk this year about kava - kava being a product that Tonga wants to focus on exporting. I mean, you've got this ban out of Fiji, out of Vanuatu, quite successfully. And so Tonga is entering the market. And this is another issue, another thing that they're going to help in the private sector development. DW: We don't know precisely what they might do in terms of that trade? KM: No. But you see, one of the problems that Tonga has been known for over the years is that Tonga has talked about marketing certain products. You remember the days when we were marketing squash, sending to Japan, and to China, and then we ran out, because the complaint has been that Tonga was not able to produce enough for the market. And we've seen that happening to cassava, we've seen it happening to other products, and there's hope that this is not the kind of thing that will happen to kava, that there's an excitement about exporting kava. People are starting to plant kava now, and there's a lot of talk about it. But then are we going to be able to stay and produce enough for the market? DW: In terms of education, subsidised loans will be available for non-government schools. What have they got in mind here? KM: Well, you see, it's been a normal thing that government's contribution to non-government schools - it's 700 [pa'anga] per head for every student. In other words, they're paying all non-government schools 700 per head per year. And this has been going on up to the last government. So they are wanting to continue this process, but to make sure that it's done and to follow up to make sure that the money goes... not just to the schools to spend on just projects that may not be necessary, but the focus on paying teachers. Because the complaint has been that a lot of teachers of non-government schools are underpaid, and some of them are leaving for greener pastures overseas, and so there's a shortage of teachers in non-government schools. So, yes, they're pledging that they're going to continue to do that. Photo: ppart/123RF DW: Work is going to go into the nursing school. KM: Yes, there's a lot of planning going with that. You know, Tonga now, of course, has what we call the Tonga National University, and so all training, tertiary-type training, is now being under the Tonga National University - teachers training, nursing training, training of seamen, that kind of thing. And so, yeah, there's a lot of funding that will go to that as well. DW: And a new hospital - I presume it's a new hospital, on Vava'u. KM: That comes under what they call the development budget. You have the recurrent budget, of course, which is part of the budget that goes into carrying the expenses, the current expenses of government. And then you've got the development budget, which goes to projects. And much of the development budget, of course, comes from aid. It goes into building wharfs and hospitals and things like that. And yeah, there's been a lot of calls for Vava'u - that they need to upgrade healthcare in Vava'u - so the hospital is a major focus.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Calls For Tonga To Rethink Sabbath Observance Laws
Article – RNZ Concern is mounting in Tonga over the Sabbath Observance Laws, which ban many activities on Sundays., RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist Concern is mounting in Tonga over the Sabbath observance laws, which ban many activities on Sundays. Most recently, Police Minister Paula Piukala stopped an air ambulance from coming in, saying there was no emergency to justify the flight. The kingdom's tourism industry – which is central to its economic recovery – has long had concerns that many businesses are not allowed to trade, and about the impact on tourism. Meanwhile, Chinese construction workers have had the right to work on Sundays while completing various projects in the country. We asked our Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala what prompted the recent concern. (The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) Kalalfi Moala: There was a recent incident in which permission was sought from the police for a medical airplane to land in Tonga, apparently for some kind of emergency, and the Police Minister did not allow that because he had made inquiries with the Minister of Health, and they did not have any record that there was an health emergency. That has become a public issue that had been discussed because the Minister decided to really emphasise the fact that we do have Sunday laws in Tonga. It forbids the air travel and opening of businesses and trading and all that. But of course, we have always made provision for airplanes to land for emergencies. The Minister's explanation is that, somehow we had received some kind of information, there were people who were using that provision to come into Tonga, whether it is through a yacht or through an airplane for [illegal] drug delivery purposes. So. that is the excuse and the discussion goes on. But there have been calls that we need to review the Sunday Laws in Tonga because some of the issues concerning the ban on trading and all of it, is just a little bit unreasonable, and there is a bit of hypocrisy associated with that. For example, stores are not allowed to open. But you can pay extra money to open a restaurant, and even bars allowed to open, and different activities are open. But there is this public emphasis coming from government leaders that we need to reinforce the Sunday laws. Don Wiseman: Well, one of the critical things, I guess, is Tonga is trying to encourage its tourism industry, and you need to be trading on a Sunday, don't you, for the tourists? KM: Correct. Even the local people are beginning to feel a pinch. They are feeling their freedom is being encroached upon in certain things. You know that it needs to be allowed, because in their thinking, why would an activity like that break the spirit of the Sunday laws, where people are allowed to go to church, but the normal operations of government offices and trading is not allowed. But it is just getting a little bit too far, and you're correct, you cannot have planes landing in Tonga with tourists coming in, and on Sunday, there is nothing that is open. They feel like kind of lost. They have a day wasted in Tonga. DW: Well, the stopping of the medivac plane coming in does seem particularly odd, doesn't it? It's coming in, presumably for an emergency. Even if no one in the hospital seems to know about it, certainly the police knew about it? KM: Yes, it was an odd situation. There are no detailed explanations given. But then, of course, they point out the fact that there has been a major construction carried out by a Chinese company in Tonga, and they work on Sundays. They kind of work secretly, apparently, on Sundays. So there has been kind of an uproar on that. Why are they allowed to work on Sundays? The question has been: what is breaking the Sabbath Law with these guys that are working away? It doesn't disrupt anything going on in Tonga concerning the Sunday. I think this discussion is very important for Tonga because sooner or later we have got, or at least some lawyers or parliamentarians and the leaders, to sit down and really take a look at the Sunday laws.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Calls For Tonga To Rethink Sabbath Observance Laws
Article – RNZ Concern is mounting in Tonga over the Sabbath Observance Laws, which ban many activities on Sundays., RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist Concern is mounting in Tonga over the Sabbath observance laws, which ban many activities on Sundays. Most recently, Police Minister Paula Piukala stopped an air ambulance from coming in, saying there was no emergency to justify the flight. The kingdom's tourism industry – which is central to its economic recovery – has long had concerns that many businesses are not allowed to trade, and about the impact on tourism. Meanwhile, Chinese construction workers have had the right to work on Sundays while completing various projects in the country. We asked our Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala what prompted the recent concern. (The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) Kalalfi Moala: There was a recent incident in which permission was sought from the police for a medical airplane to land in Tonga, apparently for some kind of emergency, and the Police Minister did not allow that because he had made inquiries with the Minister of Health, and they did not have any record that there was an health emergency. That has become a public issue that had been discussed because the Minister decided to really emphasise the fact that we do have Sunday laws in Tonga. It forbids the air travel and opening of businesses and trading and all that. But of course, we have always made provision for airplanes to land for emergencies. The Minister's explanation is that, somehow we had received some kind of information, there were people who were using that provision to come into Tonga, whether it is through a yacht or through an airplane for [illegal] drug delivery purposes. So. that is the excuse and the discussion goes on. But there have been calls that we need to review the Sunday Laws in Tonga because some of the issues concerning the ban on trading and all of it, is just a little bit unreasonable, and there is a bit of hypocrisy associated with that. For example, stores are not allowed to open. But you can pay extra money to open a restaurant, and even bars allowed to open, and different activities are open. But there is this public emphasis coming from government leaders that we need to reinforce the Sunday laws. Don Wiseman: Well, one of the critical things, I guess, is Tonga is trying to encourage its tourism industry, and you need to be trading on a Sunday, don't you, for the tourists? KM: Correct. Even the local people are beginning to feel a pinch. They are feeling their freedom is being encroached upon in certain things. You know that it needs to be allowed, because in their thinking, why would an activity like that break the spirit of the Sunday laws, where people are allowed to go to church, but the normal operations of government offices and trading is not allowed. But it is just getting a little bit too far, and you're correct, you cannot have planes landing in Tonga with tourists coming in, and on Sunday, there is nothing that is open. They feel like kind of lost. They have a day wasted in Tonga. DW: Well, the stopping of the medivac plane coming in does seem particularly odd, doesn't it? It's coming in, presumably for an emergency. Even if no one in the hospital seems to know about it, certainly the police knew about it? KM: Yes, it was an odd situation. There are no detailed explanations given. But then, of course, they point out the fact that there has been a major construction carried out by a Chinese company in Tonga, and they work on Sundays. They kind of work secretly, apparently, on Sundays. So there has been kind of an uproar on that. Why are they allowed to work on Sundays? The question has been: what is breaking the Sabbath Law with these guys that are working away? It doesn't disrupt anything going on in Tonga concerning the Sunday. I think this discussion is very important for Tonga because sooner or later we have got, or at least some lawyers or parliamentarians and the leaders, to sit down and really take a look at the Sunday laws. Some reviews need to be taken. Some adjustment needs to be made.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Calls For Tonga To Rethink Sabbath Observance Laws
, RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist Concern is mounting in Tonga over the Sabbath observance laws, which ban many activities on Sundays. Most recently, Police Minister Paula Piukala stopped an air ambulance from coming in, saying there was no emergency to justify the flight. The kingdom's tourism industry - which is central to its economic recovery - has long had concerns that many businesses are not allowed to trade, and about the impact on tourism. Meanwhile, Chinese construction workers have had the right to work on Sundays while completing various projects in the country. We asked our Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala what prompted the recent concern. (The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.) Kalalfi Moala: There was a recent incident in which permission was sought from the police for a medical airplane to land in Tonga, apparently for some kind of emergency, and the Police Minister did not allow that because he had made inquiries with the Minister of Health, and they did not have any record that there was an health emergency. That has become a public issue that had been discussed because the Minister decided to really emphasise the fact that we do have Sunday laws in Tonga. It forbids the air travel and opening of businesses and trading and all that. But of course, we have always made provision for airplanes to land for emergencies. The Minister's explanation is that, somehow we had received some kind of information, there were people who were using that provision to come into Tonga, whether it is through a yacht or through an airplane for [illegal] drug delivery purposes. So. that is the excuse and the discussion goes on. But there have been calls that we need to review the Sunday Laws in Tonga because some of the issues concerning the ban on trading and all of it, is just a little bit unreasonable, and there is a bit of hypocrisy associated with that. For example, stores are not allowed to open. But you can pay extra money to open a restaurant, and even bars allowed to open, and different activities are open. But there is this public emphasis coming from government leaders that we need to reinforce the Sunday laws. Don Wiseman: Well, one of the critical things, I guess, is Tonga is trying to encourage its tourism industry, and you need to be trading on a Sunday, don't you, for the tourists? KM: Correct. Even the local people are beginning to feel a pinch. They are feeling their freedom is being encroached upon in certain things. You know that it needs to be allowed, because in their thinking, why would an activity like that break the spirit of the Sunday laws, where people are allowed to go to church, but the normal operations of government offices and trading is not allowed. But it is just getting a little bit too far, and you're correct, you cannot have planes landing in Tonga with tourists coming in, and on Sunday, there is nothing that is open. They feel like kind of lost. They have a day wasted in Tonga. DW: Well, the stopping of the medivac plane coming in does seem particularly odd, doesn't it? It's coming in, presumably for an emergency. Even if no one in the hospital seems to know about it, certainly the police knew about it? KM: Yes, it was an odd situation. There are no detailed explanations given. But then, of course, they point out the fact that there has been a major construction carried out by a Chinese company in Tonga, and they work on Sundays. They kind of work secretly, apparently, on Sundays. So there has been kind of an uproar on that. Why are they allowed to work on Sundays? The question has been: what is breaking the Sabbath Law with these guys that are working away? It doesn't disrupt anything going on in Tonga concerning the Sunday. I think this discussion is very important for Tonga because sooner or later we have got, or at least some lawyers or parliamentarians and the leaders, to sit down and really take a look at the Sunday laws. Some reviews need to be taken. Some adjustment needs to be made.
