12:04 PM |
SOURCE: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/200911/s2737727.htm
TITLE: TONGA'S SHIPPING COMPANY BOSS SUSPENDED
Updated
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
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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.
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pacific islands media association
pima.nius@gmail.com
aotearoa, new zealand
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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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