Global Tonga
The King of Tonga Received by the Pope
Vatican City: ON Feburary 24th the Holy Father Benedict XVI received His Majesty Siaosi Tupou V, King of Tonga. The King subsequently went on to meet with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States. The cordial discussions dwelt on various aspects of the country’s social and economic life, as well… Read More
Tonga’s church, built in hope, faith and pride, collapses in debt
SPORTINGa black homburg and a silver-topped cane, the newly crowned King George Tupou V of Tonga looked every bit as grand as the $10 million church he had crossed the Pacific to open. Three years later the expansive Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga in Australia still stands in an estate… Read More
Tongan Speaker helped drug team, say police
AN INTERNATIONALcrime syndicate headed by Colombians allegedly bribed the Speaker of the Tongan Parliament as part of a plot to import tonnes of cocaine into Australia. The Herald can reveal an Australian Federal Police-led inquiry, Operation Stair, uncovered a global trafficking operation that allegedly used yachts to sail cocaine from South America… Read More
Pacific Islanders in the majority at SPC
Community, Noumea, New Caledonia — MORE Pacific Islanders now work at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the region’s oldest and largest development agency than in previous years, its Director-General, Dr Jimmie Rodgers, told senior foreign affairs officials from its 26 Pacific and metropolitan member nations at the opening of… Read More
Tonga in Polynesian Group
APIA could become home to the secretariat of a new ginger group which Polynesian country leaders are keen on setting up. For years the idea of a Polynesian-oriented grouping has been debated by Polynesian leaders at their annual Pacific Islands Forum summit. Now some of them, including Tonga, have decided… Read More
ADB to Help Boost Affordable, Accessible ICT Services in Tonga
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is assisting the people of the Kingdom of Tonga to gain high-speed internet access by financing the development of a submarine cable system. The ADB Board of Directors today approved grant funds of $9.7 million to help finance the establishment and operation of an 827-kilometer submarine cable… Read More
Pleasure Island
In scenic Tonga, there’s the whiff of success in the air, writes Justine Costigan. ON UTUNGAKE, a small island in the Vava’u archipelago in the Kingdom of Tonga, tourists usually come for the postcard-perfect tropical scenery, the diving and the laid-back South Pacific hospitality. But last year, a small group… Read More
Corona: Station is multicultural spot on radio dial
Every Saturday night, Salesi Paea stays up late to listen to Southern California’s only Tongan-language radio program. It’s a chance to hear familiar music from his South Pacific homeland and inspirational preaching from the Tongan minister who hosts the hour-long show. “He gives us information on what’s happening in Tonga,” Paea… Read More
Global summit signals progress for Tonga’s energy road map
The first governing Council meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in which Tonga took part as a sitting member, concluded this week with a forward looking approach to issues of global renewable energy and energy efficiency. Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakano said: “This is very exciting for Tonga. We are determined… Read More
Polynesian culture offers barriers, blessings, Part II
ORIGINAL ARTICLE on the Mormon Times, Deseret News Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series exploring the cultural barriers and blessings in the Polynesian culture. The tiny, remote island of Niuatoputapu was made famous in the movie, “Other Side of Heaven.” It was where Mormon missionary John… Read More