970213

A collection of newsbriefs from The Tonga Chronicle, Lao & Hia, and Taimi 'o Tonga.

Mr Petelo Puli'uvea aged 24 of Lapaha was sentenced to a 12 year sentence for manslaughter on Feb. 6 following a jury trial in the Supreme Court in the shooting death of Ms Annarietta Tapeso on April 27, 1996. The prosecution had sought the death penalty, arguing that the plaintiffs behaviour indicated premediated intentions of the crime and the physical steps to enacting the crime could not have been performed by a man without his wits.

Defence argued diminished responsibilities from impaired mental functions, which was supported by the only psychiatric evidence available to the court (Mapa Puloka, Vaiola Hospital's Psychiatrist.)

Chief Justice Hampton said that there was no doubt that Mr Puli'uvea had shot Ms Tapeso unlawfully and killed her. The only question was whether his action was that of a responsible or abnormal mind.

While evidence presented indicated Mr Puli'uvea had been under the influence of alcohol, intoxication was no defence nor suggested as a defence. Mr Puli'uvea's lawyer, Mr. Laki Niu, pleaded the court for the sentence be for manslaughter by negligence instead of manslaughter but Chief Justice Hampton told Mr Puli'uvea that the Jury's verdict was "merciful" in light of the seriousness of the crime.

The Chief Justice expressed hopes that Mr Puli'uvea would get the treatment necessary to ensure that he would never be a danger to another woman once he was released from prison. Exhibits of the case were kept in Police custody until the appeal process is concluded.

Mr. 'Esau Namoa, entrepreneur and operator of fast growing 'Ala ki Hihifo motors is one of the big financiers, supporters for a newly formed cooperative of over 200 growers from Western Tongatapu. The Hihifo Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society held their general meeting on Feb. 8 with the objective of coordinating the export of 2,000 tonnes of squash to the Japanese market this season.

Members of the cooperative will receive monetary loans for the supply of seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides while the cooperative's own vehicles whill be used for tilling the land and transportation of produce. Four trucks, and two forklifts have been supplied by 'Ala ki Hihifo Motors as part of the initial assets of the ocoperative.

At least 2 Japanese importers are expected to be in Tonga on Feb. 22 to negotiate and review with the government squash.

The Tonga Chronicle reports five chinese were granted naturalisation by the new Naturalisation scheme and visa applications at the Immigration Department.

The five applicants were apparently granted naturalisation on humanitarian grounds, with the Officer-in-Charge Cadet Officer 'Alifeleti Soakai stating that checks are made with interpol to verify applicants are of good character.

The equivalent of US$20,000 allows successful applicants to receive their naturalisation papers which is deposited with the Tonga Trust Fund. Final approval for transfer of funds from the Tonga Trust Fund rests with the Legislative Assembly, and funds are designated for national development.

Jointly organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, and the Ministry of Labour & Commerce, a three-day seminar on Copyright was held in Nuku'alofa last week. Approximately 40 participants from the region reviewed and discussed issues pertaining to copyright laws.

Copyrighting in Tonga is still in its infancy with the first copyright law only enacted in 1985 with further reviews in 1987, 1988, and 1991. In 1991 responsibility for the Copyright Act went to the Ministry of Labour, Commerce, and Industries.

WECO Tonga Ltd, sometimes trading as South Pacific Engineering Services Ltd, was placed in Receivership by the Bank of Tonga under a floating charge, taking over the whole of the assets of the company. Receivership proceedings became effective Feb. 4, 1997.

The annual music festival of the Tonga National Music Association is to be expanded to three weeks this year, from June 15-July 4 to provide more opportunities for more competitors and more listening opportunities for audiences.

Registrations for all categories has been scheduled for March 1-May 31 with commitments already received from performers in Wellington, NZ, and Queensland, Australia.

The tentative program will include.

Programmer/Analyst - USP, Fiji, F$30,144-$34,002 pa

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