Latest news with #Tonga
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Tonga's health system hit by cyberattack
Dr ʻAkauʻola said that hackers encrypted the system and demanded payment. Photo: 123RF A team of Australian cyber experts flew to Tonga this week after the country's National Health Information System was breached, leading to a demand for payment from the hackers. Talanoa O Tonga reports the Health Minister Dr ʻAna ʻAkauʻola saying the system has been shut down, and staff are handling data manually. Dr ʻAkauʻola said that hackers encrypted the system and demanded payment, but she has assured MPs "the hackers won't damage the information" on the system. This system was introduced in 2019 with Asian Development Bank (ADB) support to digitise Tonga's health records before going "live" in 2021. Police Minister Paula Piukala was critical of past governments for ignoring warnings that Tonga's digital infrastructure is not fully prepared for these threats. Journalist Sifa Pomana said the hackers are demanding millions of dollars, according to Tonga Police. Residents are being urged to bring essential records to the hospital to help with manual record-keeping.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Inquiry finds appointment of Fiji's former corruption commissioner "ethically reprehensible" and "politically motivated"
On the program today The former head of Fiji's corruption watchdog, Barbara Malimali, says she'll fight to clear her name following a scathing inquiry which described her appointment as ethically reprehensible and plitically motivated. The leaders of Tonga and Vanuatu seek clarity from the US government over possible new travel bans. The Cook Islands compete in the 2025 International Handball Federation Youth Men's Beach Handball World Championships. Calls for labour hire companies to be licenced in New South Wales to prevent the exploitation of migrant workers. And a proposal for a Solomon Islands Indigenous Language Centre is touted as a way to retain traditional languages for future generations.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Refugee tribunal grants woman residency in New Zealand over Tongan persecution
A Tongan woman has been granted the right to remain in New Zealand after the Refugee Tribunal found she would face persecution in Tonga because of her sexual orientation as a lesbian. She is currently recognised as a refugee due to the danger she may face in her home country. Tonga is among several Pacific countries, where same sex relationships are outlawed and can carry jail time. Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Tonga Leitis Association, the only LGBTQI organisation in Tonga, Joey Joleen Mataele said many families are not open about the sexuality of their children, especially when it comes to lesbians. "Gay and trans communities are so open but when it comes to lesbians it is a delicate issue," Joey said.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Pacific nations Tonga, Vanuatu and Tuvalu face sweeping US travel bans — and it's not clear why
Utah-based immigration lawyer Laura Lui doesn't see how Tonga — with a population of 100,000 — could be a threat to the United States. So she was baffled to see her home country on a list of 36 nations the Trump administration is reportedly considering adding to a sweeping travel ban. "We are a small country [that] doesn't have a lot of natural resources," she said. Along with citizens from two other Pacific countries, Vanuatu and Tuvalu, Tongans could soon be barred from entering the US, according to a Washington Post report citing a US State Department memo. In Tonga — with its large diasporas in Utah, Hawai'i and San Francisco — that could pose problems for families hoping to visit US-based relatives on religious or cultural occasions, or to provide support. "People have flown from the US to Tonga to help their families resettle in Tonga, and vice versa, to provide family support in times of strain and in need, whether they've just moved or someone is sick or needs some extra help and care," Henrietta McNeill, a researcher at the Australian National University's Department of Pacific Affairs, said. "[A ban] will really affect communities and families in particular, [who will be] separated from one another." Pacific Islanders in Utah say the Trump administration's immigration crackdown has already raised anxiety levels within the diaspora. Now, those living in the US and abroad are asking why Pacific Island nations were included on the reported travel ban list. The US State Department on Tuesday said travel bans were a national security measure, and the Trump administration was considering restrictions for countries based on their security capabilities, rates of visa overstaying, and failure to repatriate nationals. Tonga's foreign minister is in talks with the country's US-based officials, while the Vanuatu government said it is yet to learn the reasons it was included on the list. Meanwhile, observers say a travel ban wouldn't just hurt Pacific Island countries, but also risks damaging US efforts to grow its influence in the increasingly contested region. The Pacific countries joined 25 African nations — including significant regional US partner Egypt — and countries from the Caribbean and Central Asia reported to be facing travel bans. Earlier this month, travel restrictions on nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen, came into effect, while there are partial restrictions on a further seven countries. US President Donald Trump said other nations could be added to the list as "threats emerge around the world". The 36 countries reportedly have 60 days to meet requirements set by the State Department. Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a press briefing on Tuesday that it would provide "a period of time" for the countries to meet the benchmarks. "The visa adjudication process has got to ensure that US-bound foreign travellers do not pose a threat to the national security and public safety of the United States," she said. Ms Bruce said the US was assessing countries' security capabilities, information sharing, and identity management practices in deciding on travel bans. "These are about very specific aspects about whether or not the United States feels it can trust the information we rely on those countries for, to determine whether or not they'll get a visa." While the Trump administration is yet to say why the Pacific Island nations have specifically been marked for a potential travel ban, the European Union and the United Kingdom recently removed Vanuatu's visa-free status over its scandal-plagued citizenship-by-investment, or "golden passports", scheme. Reports of visa-overstaying by some Tongans in the US may have also motivated the decision to include it on the list. Vanuatu's Internal Affairs Minister, Andrew Solomon Napuat, said its government learned of the proposed ban through media reports and was seeking more information from the local US embassy. "Until we see the memo, we do not yet know what are the specific reasons particularly for Vanuatu [being listed]," he said. "[When] we see the reasons for considering the travel ban, we would then make up our opinion whether the travel ban is fair." Mr Napuat said Vanuatu wanted to maintain a good relationship with the US — something the country's Prime Minister Jotham Napat emphasised in his inaugural speech in February. "It is something that we are working on, and these issues that come up in this relationship that Vanuatu has with the US, we believe that we will find a space and time to have a mutual discussion." Tonga's Prime Minister 'Aisake Eke told the nation's parliament this week that its foreign minister, Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala, was talking to Tonga's US Consul about the proposed travel ban. The ABC approached Tuvalu's government for comment. Reports of the proposed travel ban have raised outcry among Tongans in the US and abroad, who say their country is being unfairly targeted. Stephanie Mahina, a Utah-based Tongan-American radio host, told ABC Pacific's Nesia Daily program the ban was intended as a "distraction" from other Trump administration policies. "And this is just another power play move by a president who doesn't actually care about the people that he's supposed to be serving." Malaki Koloamatangi, a scholar in Pacific politics and registrar at Tonga National University, said Tonga's inclusion on the ban list seemed "racist". "It is a discriminatory move by the Trump administration to include not only Tonga but also other [Pacific] islands, because we're not huge populations," he said. "If the idea is to ensure that the US doesn't suffer from immigration from other countries, then surely you would put the ban on visitors from bigger countries." Ms Bruce, the US State Department official, said the Trump administration was not considering the location of countries when deciding on imposing travel bans. A travel ban could also undermine Vanuatu's efforts to grow kava imports into the US, and reduce the value of its passports sold through its citizenship-by-investment scheme, Dr McNeill said. But Dr Koloamatangi said the US also stood to lose if it went ahead with travel bans on the Pacific countries, having recently made efforts to re-engage with the region by reopening embassies. "Politically speaking, this will not help the case of the US with the Pacific Islands, when they're trying to attract support and have influence," he said. "It'll just push the Pacific towards the north, towards China and other Asian countries. "I'm not sure what Trump is trying to achieve here."
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Pasifika Sipoti in brief for 18 June
Photo: Kubota Spears - K Fukushima Moana Pasifika assistant coach Alando Soakai has joined the 'Ikale Tahi coaching team ahead of the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup series. Tonga Rugby said the former New Zealand sevens player will work with head coach Tevita Tuifua and assistant Nili Latu. Soakai was Wellington Lions head coach last year and led the team to winning the National Provincial Championship (NPC) title, before joining Moana Pasifika this year. Tonga Rugby chief executive Aisea 'Aholelei said Soakai is a timely inclusion to their coaching team, with Tonga set to fight for a 2027 Rugby World Cup spot at the Pacific Nations Cup. Tonga will continue working on hosting the 2031 Pacific Games, despite the need to secure at least 26 million Tongan pa'anga (approximately US$11m) to fund facility upgrades. Internal Affairs and Sports Minister, Sinaitakala Tu'itahi, said the government is committed to ensuring the Games will go ahead as planned. She said negotiations with donor agencies and partners are ongoing. Tonga was given the right to host the Games last year, despite concerns the country might pull out of the hosting agreement again, similar to what they did before the 2019 Games. Back then the late prime minister 'Akilisi Pohiva spearheaded the move to cancel hosting the Games. Australian heavyweight boxer Teremoana Junior Teremoana remains unbeaten in his professional boxing career, following his latest fight at the weekend. The boxer, who is of Cook Islands heritage, knocked out Aleem Whitfield in New York to take his record to 8-0. The 2024 Olympian said he has made his statement in his first fight in the United States of America and looks forward to more fights there. Rugby Australia has confirmed that a new domestic competition, featuring Australia's four Super Rugby clubs, will kick off in September. The four-week senior competition will run from 13 September to 5 October. Additional matches for Australia's domestic sides, the Brumbies, Reds, Waratahs and Western Force, have long been signposted by the governing body. The National Rugby Championship ran for five seasons before being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Super Rugby AU running for two seasons due to international travel restrictions. The Pacific Oceania under-11 and under-13 tennis teams are competing in the 2025 Australian Teams Championships, at the Gold Coast, this week. Oceania Tennis said 11 players, selected from nine countries across the Pacific region, will compete at the event, which will run from 18-23 June. Another team of under-15 players arrive in Australia on 23 June, in time for their tournament's first game on 25 June. Meanwhile, American Samoa will host the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup from 30 June to 5 July, with 11 Pacific countries booked to be involved.
