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News Release

Tonga Now Government of Tonga NUKUALOFA, Tonga February 2, 2007

NUKUALOFA, Tonga (Tonga Now, Feb 2) - In a press statement this afternoon, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced that New Zealand will contribute a recovery package of up to TOP$2 million [US$980,000]. This will go towards the Business Recovery Fund which will support business recovery in Tonga.

New Zealand’s contribution will be funded by a reprioritization of New Zeland’s existing TOP$10.1 million [US$4.95 million] annual bilateral aid programme with Tonga.

The Fund is aimed at assisting small to medium sized businesses which were directly affected by the riots of 16/11. Assistance offered includes business advisory services, loan subsidies for up to two years and a credit guarantee scheme.

According to Helen Clark, the scheme is a joint design by New Zealand, Australia and the Government of Tonga and is significant step on...

Editorial

Marianas Variety

SAIPAN, CNMI (Feb. 5) – Voters, in this election year, expect the House minority bloc to further distance itself from the administration’s unpopular measures. The closer we get to election day, the louder will be the noise from the opposition. They could have been more vocal with their "concerns" last year, but they figured that it still wasn’t politically convenient to do so.

Recently, one of the House minority members introduced a bill that he says will allow this bankrupt government to end its "austerity holidays," which have resulted in a 10 percent pay cut for government employees. His proposal? Cut your tax rebates by 20 percent and suspend six government holidays.

The bill’s author says it’s all about "fairness." But fairness to whom? A 20 percent cut in the rebates means a 20 percent tax hike — which will also be imposed on the same government employees who are supposed to "benefit" from this measure. Moreover, now that...

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, Feb. 6) – Tonga's former police minister says the government is trying to halt all discussion of political reform.

Member of Parliament and lawyer Clive Edwards is facing two counts of sedition in relation to statements he made in the lead up to pro-democracy riots in the capital, Nukualofa, in November.

Mr Edwards says the government is creating an image of danger for the country by making up allegations of conspiracy to overthrow the government.

And he says the government wants to send a message to any pro-democracy supporters.

"[They want] to shut us up and keep us quiet and get us out of the way," he told Radio Australia's Bruce Hill. "That would be a lesson to anybody who wants to move or strive for [the] changes that we're doing now."

Mr Edwards is the fourth pro-democracy MP to face charges in relation to their [alleged] role in the November riots, following the arrests of Members of Parliament Akilisi...

By Cherrie A. E. Villahermosa

SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, Feb. 6) – Police have arrested the owner of a recycling center on Middle Road for buying stolen copper wire.

Quan Huang, represented by attorney G. Anthony Long, was brought to Superior Court for a bail hearing yesterday afternoon.

Associate Judge David A. Wiseman imposed a cash bail of US$35,000.

Assistant Attorney General Kevin Lynch is the prosecutor.

The police affidavit stated that Quan Huang is the owner of Huang Zheng Corp., a recycling center on Middle Road in Puerto Rico.

It added that a cooperating defendant provided information to a law enforcement officer regarding several copper wire thefts.

The cooperating defendant admitted stealing copper wires from several Commonwealth Utilities Corp. water wells, residents and establishments.

He told police officers that he sold most of the stolen items to Huang’s recycling center.

Huang, he added, knew that...