Latest news with #MatangiTonga
Scoop
11-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Pacific News In Brief For 11 July
Fiji - donation China's Ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian has handed over a FJ$100,000 (approximately US$44,600) donation to the newly installed chief of the Lau group. Ratu Tevita Mara received the chiefly title of Tui Nayau on Tuesday, and on Thursday the Sau ni Vanua o Lau, Na Tui Lau titles. Solar street lights, household solar facilities, and a mini bus for the people of Lau have also been donated by China. Zhou said with the strong relationship that Fiji has with China, China will continue to provide support and assistance to the best of its ability for Fiji's rural development. He said China will continue to assist Fiji in responding to climate change through both bilateral and multilateral channels. Tonga - court A 37-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison for reckless driving that caused the deaths of his two children. Matangi Tonga reported the court heard that on 22 January of this year, in an attempt to overtake a vehicle at excessive speed, he lost control of the vehicle which had defective tyres and veered off the road. The crash caused the deaths of his two children who were in the car - the youngest was nine years old. Justice Tupou sentenced him on 8 July at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa, after he pleaded guilty to the charge in May. Samoa - death A prominent Samoan businessman and former Samoa National Provident Fund chairman has died. Local media reported Papali'i Panoa Moala died on Wednesday night. He was a long-serving board member of the Fund, and also served as its chair from 2021 until earlier this year. Papali'i was previously the Fund's chief executive and remained on the board following his resignation as chair. Family, friends, and community leaders have been sharing tributes online. Cook Islands - tourism Cook Islands is projected to achieve record visitor arrivals in 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The latest ANZ Research Pacific Insight report forecasts 180,000 tourists. Cook Islands News reported this being due to increased air connectivity. However there are still challenges ahead in the balance of growth with environmental and workforce sustainability. Cook Islands - pearls The Cook Islands marine resources ministry is exploring solutions to revive a shrinking pearl farming industry. Local media reported that discussions around new cultivation methods and international partnerships are still underway. Marine resources minister Tingika Elikana said there are just a few farmers on the island of Manihiki. Opposition leader Tina Browne added that the Manihiki lagoon can no longer support the growth of pearl shells. Because of this, she proposes a hatchery be set up to cultivate the shells before transferring them to Manihiki.
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Pacific News In Brief For 24 June
Tonga - dengue Six new cases of dengue fever have been reported in Tonga, bringing the total to 879 as of Monday. More than half of the confirmed cases are on the main island, Tongatapu. One person is in Niueiki Hospital in stable condition. A dengue outbreak was declared in Tonga in February, with three dengue-related deaths recorded. Tonga - travel proposals Tonga's Prime Minister 'Aisake Eke says he is "seriously alarmed" that the nation is reportedly included in the United States' proposed expansion of travel restrictions. Dr Eke told Matangi Tonga the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with the US Consulate in Nuku'alofa to formulate a response to the US government. Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are said to be included in an extended list of 36 extra countries that the Trump administration is considering banning on entering the US, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. West Papua - lobster Biologists have discovered seven news species of freshwater lobster in Indonesia's West Papua region. Their findings are the result of biodiversity research by Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in collaboration with independent researchers from Germany. Dr Rury Eprilurahman, one of the university's research authors, said the new species were discovered in remote freshwater ecosystems with minimal human activity. He said researchers looked at body shape and colour to confirm these were truly distinct species. Fiji - orphanages A Fijian cabinet minister says two-thirds of the children in Fiji's orphanages are from Indo-Fijian communities. The Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran told a radio show in Suva that this is a serious issue that continues to be ignored. Kiran told Radio Sargam that homelessness, drug use, violence and HIV in the indo-Fijian community is under-reported, compared to iTaukei or indigenous children.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- RNZ News
Man jailed in Tonga after throwing a child against a wall
Photo: 123rf A man has been jailed in Tonga after throwing a six-year-old child - who has a bone growth disorder - against a wall. Matangi Tonga reported the defendant pleaded guilty to common assault and causing serious bodily harm. Justice Tupou said the charges did not reflect what, by his own admission, the defendant did. "He punched and kicked the child until his mouth bled, strangled him by the throat until his eyes almost fell out and then threw him against the wall. Those in my view are acts of a depraved mind, especially when his victim was a six-year-old achondroplasia child that was no match for him," she said. "Meanwhile, the defendant - in an attempt to justify his actions - gave three different reasons to different people. He told [the child's mother] it was because her family were gossiping about them; he told the police he was angry with [the child's mother] and while he was trying to calm down he saw [the child's] soiled nappy leak; and lastly, he told the probation officer that he was mad and angry with [the child's mother] for playing with his feelings." The defendant submitted to court that he had conveyed his apology and regretted his actions; he took responsibility for his behaviour and said he was aware of the consequences, and he had made a vow not to be violent and is taking steps to ensure what happened is not repeated. But the judge was not convinced. "I find it unacceptable that he is more concerned about any disruptions to his studies, as a result of his offending, over the damage he may have caused to the vulnerable victim. For those reasons I doubt his remorse." The defendant was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months of the sentence suspended for two years with conditions. It is another chapter in an epidemic of violence in the Pacific. The United Nations warns that Pacific children face alarmingly high rates of violence and abuse , which are among the highest in the world. At the inaugural Pacific Child Wellbeing Summit earlier this year, UNICEF Pacific's representative Jonathan Veitch said boys and girls in the region face significant challenges that threaten their wellbeing. He also called for increased regional collaboration and resource-sharing to strengthen child protection systems. "It is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do. The impact of child protection on a country's economic and social development is significant." The Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG) said it has noted an increase in child victims being abused sexually and violently. "It is particularly disheartening to witness young girls, as young as 8 and 9 years old, being sheltered as victims of sexual abuse by their own relatives," it said in a statement earlier this month. "One such case involves a young girl currently under SVSG's care, who was discovered by a family sleeping in front of their home." According to SVSG, the girl had been a victim of abuse and felt too frightened to return to her abusive home environment. "The public was also devastated to hear about the death of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually abused and killed by her own relative at her own home." Unicef said up to 80 percent of children in Papua New Guinea experience physical or emotional violence and widespread neglect . Last month, alleged cases of domestic violence in Fiji led to the deaths of three people . In November 2024, a UN Women report stated the prevalence of reported physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence - taking place in the previous 12 months - was 30 percent in Melanesia.
