Media Release
Tongan Advisory Council (TAC)
22/11/2006
TAC Grateful For Support
The Tongan Advisory Council fully supports the presence of New Zealand and Australian defence services in Tonga. The
need to establish law and order and promote the safety of ordinary Tongan citizens is paramount.
The outcry, particularly from the leadership of the Pro-Democracy Movement for the involvement of foreign troops on
Tonga’s Sovereign soil, is disappointing and bewildering. To maintain law, order and safety after civil disobedience on
an unprecedented scale is in the best interests of all Tongans.
Ironically, if Pro-Democracy leaders were able to contain the crowd it gathered in Pangai Si’i, then there would be no
need for foreign troops to maintain law and order. The fact remains, that the crowd that they gathered began rioting and
then escalated.
The Tongan Advisory Council unanimously supports the presence of New Zealand and Australian troops to assist Tonga. We
thank these Governments for their presence in the Pacific region, offering assistance while recognising Tonga’s
sovereignty. We hope that law and order will be restored so that our kind neighbours may return home to their families
in time for Christmas.
Ends