[pima.nius] Re: Tonga's shipping company boss suspended

WELL AT LEAST PAUL KARALUS (ANOTHER NEW ZEALANDER) DID THE PROPER
THING AND RESIGN AS MINISTER OF TRANSPORT SOON AFTER THE DISASTER...
I MUST SAY ITS NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR NEW ZEALANDERS...

PItv

On Nov 10, 9:04 am, pima news <pima.n...@gmail.com> wrote:
> SOURCE:http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/200911/s2737727.htm
>
> TITLE: TONGA'S SHIPPING COMPANY BOSS SUSPENDED
>
> Updated Mon Nov 9, 2009 6:02pm AEDT
>
> In Tonga, a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the country's most recent ferry
> disaster has entered its third week. 74 people - mainly women and children -
> drowned when the inter-island passenger ferry "The Princess Ashika" sank off
> the Tongan coast in August. Relatives of the victims say they don't trust
> their government - which is controlled by the Tongan Royal Family - to
> ensure the outcome of the inquiry, is the right one. And today questions are
> being asked about why the man who purchased the ferry was stood down from
> the government-owned Shipping Corporation of Polynesia - part way through
> giving evidence.
>
> *Presenter: New Zealand correspondent Kerri Ritchie
> Speakers: Elisapeta Ofa; Suspended Shipping Corporation of Polynesia boss,
> John Jonesse; Pesi Fonua, editor of Matangi Tonga online news; Tongan
> journalist, Mateni Tapueluelu *
>
>    - *Listen:*
>    - Windows Media <http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/m1810505.asx>
>
> RITCHIE; The MV Princess Ashika went down in darkness, after setting off
> from the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa.
>
> Afterwards, the traumatised captain said the 37 year old vessel seemed to
> sink in seconds.
>
> Many of the men - who were on the deck smoking and resting - survived.
>
> But the women and children sleeping down below, couldn't get out.
>
> Elisapeta Ofa lost her sister, her brother and her beloved mother.
>
> OFA: When I ring home, you're expecting to hear her voice, just thinking of
> all the things that I actually miss out when talking to my mum and my
> sister, my brother.
>
> RITCHIE: Throughout the inquiry, it has been made very clear that the
> Princess Ashika should NOT have been operating in open waters - it was
> classed as a smooth-water vessel.
>
> It was only legally allowed to travel between a few islands at a reduced
> speed and with minimal cargo.
>
> John Jonesse has been giving evidence.
>
> The New Zealander WAS the boss of the shipping company which operated the
> ferry - The shipping Corporation of Polynesia.
>
> On Friday his testimony was cut short - the board of the Shipping
> Corporation of Polynesia suspended him and told to find new legal
> representation.
>
> Mr Jonesse admitted at the hearing that he had no shipping experience when
> he travelled to Fiji to inspect the ferry. He was the only one to look at
> it, and reported back to the Tongan government that it was mechanically
> sound.
>
> But at least 40 faults had been highlighted to him including holes and rust
> - Mr Jonesse said he was never been given a time frame to fix them.
>
> On the phone this morning John Jonesse said he'd prefer not to make any
> statements, but he did say this about the inquiry..
>
> JONESSE: With this whole process, there is an awful lot of pressure.
>
> RITCHIE; When asked if he still believes he didn't do anything wrong,
> regarding his involvement with the doomed ferry, he said ..
>
> JONESSE: I followed the procedures as far as our corporation was concerned.
>
> RITCHIE: Pesi Fonua is the editor of the Matangi Tonga online newspaper.
>
> He was at the inquiry on Friday and says it's very odd that Mr Jonesse was
> suspended right in the middle of giving evidence.
>
> FONUA: The announcement was kind of a surprise to everybody. Nobody saw it.
> If that was their decision why didn't they do it earlier, or even do it in
> the morning, but just those kind of promptly like you feel like there is
> something wrong or what happening.
>
> RITCHIE: Do you feel like the decision was made so that he would not say
> anything more about the problems on the ferry, like rust and holes?
>
> FONUAl Well, you can't help but think like that, because up to that point
> everything was kind of very open,
>
> RITCHIE; Another journalist Mateni Tapueluelu agrees - he told Radio New
> Zealand there're a lot of unanswered questions about the timing ..
>
> TAPUELUELU: It raises a lot of speculation as to why Mr Jonesse is being
> suspended when he is beginning to show evidence that the Ashika was indeed
> very rusty and repaired the Ashika was not completed when it went on its
> final voyage.
>
> RITCHIE: The inquiry will break around Christmas, but could last until
> March.
>
> Tonga's former Minister of Transport Paul Karalus will give evidence. He
> quit his job six days after the ferry sank.
>
> In his resignation letter he apologised for any shortcomings..
>
> Elisapeta Ofa is very interested to hear what The Transport Minister has to
> say - as well as John Jonesse when he resumes giving evidence.
>
> OFA: He knew there was something wrong with the boat as he admitted now and
> he should have saved the people and let them know, tell them the truth
> actually.
>
> RITCHIE: Do you feel like he may have been suspended during giving evidence
> to keep him quiet, is that something?
>
> OFA: Yes, I believe so.
>
> RITCHIE: Do you trust the government in Tonga to handle this?
>
> OFA: No. They actually got the Royal Commission to do the investigation
> which I believe they answered direct to the king himself. So all the other
> information, the people of Tonga, they don't have access to that, so I don't
> really trust the way that they actually handled the case.
>
> RITCHIE: Elisapeta Ofa has decided to move back to Tonga from New Zealand ..
>
> She wants to look after her father .. who she says is struggling after
> losing his wife and two children..
>
> OFA: It's going to take him a long long time to cope with it.
>
> RITCHIE: She says something good must come out of this inquiry - and that
> must be that never again are innocent Tongans loaded onto a ferry .. when
> people in positions of power KNOW it's unsafe.
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------
> pacific islands media association
> pima.n...@gmail.com
> aotearoa, new zealand
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pacific islands media association
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The pima.nius googlegroup is a facility for discussion and distributing information. Content sent by this googlegroup are forwarded from various networks and media publications.

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