By Hayley J. Campbell
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania
NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – Tonga’s announcement to reassert and expand its emergency police powers has drawn criticism and concern from Parliament members.
Nearly two years ago, the pro-democracy movement in Tonga turned violent, causing the death of eight and destroying Tonga’s capital city, Nuku’alofa. The riots erupted after the Legislative Assembly of Tonga adjourned for the year without employing promised reforms.
Following the 2006 violence, the government issued a 30 day state of emergency, and has since renewed those regulations on a monthly basis. The last state of emergency declaration was allowed to expire last month without renewal.
The new regulations grant significantly greater power to the Tongan government under the guise of emergency police powers. For example, Tongan police are now allowed to stop individuals, search them without a warrant, and even enter into and seize evidence from any vehicle, ship, or aircraft.
Prime Minister Feleti Sevele has justified these measures as necessary to combating the state of danger still existing in Nuku’alofa.
But pro-democracy MP, Clive Edwards, believes the new regulations constitute an abuse of the political process:
“It’s a selfish stupid motive that is behind it. And they are not to be questioned, not to be disputed in what they are doing and not to revert back to civil law and constitutional rule. We are being denied that because they want absolute power and we don’t have access to the TV and radio and things like that,” Edwards said.
The Tongan government, meanwhile, has issued a statement defending the new police powers as necessary “to preserve public order and secure the public’s safety for another month.”
For more information, please see:
ABC Radio New Zealand – Tonga reimposes emergency regulations – 10 September 2008
Radio New Zealand International – Anger in Tonga after emergency police powers put back in place – 10 September 2008
AFP News Service – Tonga extends area under emergency powers – 10 September 2008
