> Tongan Pro-Democracy Leader Says Truth Behind Riot Will Come Out
NUKU'ALOFA (RNZI Online/Pacific Media Watch) - Tonga’s leading pro-democracy MP Akilisi Pohiva says the motivation
behind last year's November 16 riot will be revealed in court.
He was granted bail after the Chief Justice overturned a ruling by the Magistrates Court for Pohiva to be further
detained.
Pohiva is the second pro-democracy MP to be implicated in the riot, which resulted in seven deaths and major damage to
the capital’s central business district.
His fellow people’s Representative, Isileli Pulu, was arrested last week and has been charged with manslaughter,
sedition and abetting wilful damage to property.
Our correspondent in Tonga, Mateni Tapueluelu, says Pohiva, who is facing four charges of sedition, says all the facts
will be revealed in court.
“He says that the people will know the truth, that they didn’t plan it. He knew what the people were upset about. They
were upset because the very peaceful approach that they’d made to the government demanding political reform hadn’t
worked. And he knew why their anger spilled out and this is why he made a statement to that effect, which is now
interpreted by the government as meaning that they (the pro-democracy movement) did plan it.’”
Mateni Tapueluelu says further arrests of pro-democracy movement figures are expected.
+++niuswire
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE