Olympics “Day -2” includes six women’s football matches
Unchecked |
This article requires pre-publication review by an uninvolved reviewer (one not substantially involved in writing the article). Note, only qualified reviewers may do this and publish articles. This right requires experience with Wikinews policies and procedures. To request the right, apply here.
Reviewers, please use Easy Peer Review per these instructions. 4238376Article last amended: Aug 4 at 13:47:05 UTC (history) |
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Canada versus Australia. Agência Brasil Fotografias
American swimmers Allison Schmitt and Michael Phelps are seen here in the restaurant of the Athletes Village. At the event’s peak, the venue will prepare 60,000 meals each day. Phelps’ diet has received headlines in the past, clocking in at 12,000 calories a day in 2008.
It’s two days to go until the opening ceremonies, but the football competitions for the 2016 Summer Olympics have begun in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Meanwhile, athletes are arriving to the Olympic Village, which has been one of the many lightning rods of controversy for the event.
Wednesday includes six women’s football match-ups, between Sweden and South Africa, Canada and Australia, Brazil and China, Zimbabwe and Germany, United States and New Zealand, France and Colombia. Canada’s forward Janine Beckie scored a goal just 20 seconds into the game, the quickest in Olympic history. The team beat Australia 2-0.
The men face off Thursday with Iraq vs Denmark, Honduras vs Algeria, Brazil vs South Africa, Mexico vs Germany, Portugal vs Argentina, Sweden vs Colombia, Fiji vs South Korea, and Nigeria vs Japan.
Canada vs. Australia
Zimbabwe vs. Germany
Many athletes are arriving in Rio, for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Teams are welcomed with ceremonies, the India, Bahama, Burkina Faso, Gambia and Norway delegations receiving their a 45-minute welcome Wednesday. While members of the US swim team have been photographed in the Athletes Village restaurant, recent reports suggest that Team USA men’s basketball will be staying in a luxury cruise ship, docked off the Port of Rio. Canadian tennis player Daniel Nestor has suggested the village lacks hot water. Members of the Australian team had their three laptops stolen last week, during a building evacuation due to a nearby fire.
Sources[]
- with files from Canadian Press. “Canadian women’s soccer team wins Olympic opener over Australia” — CBC, 3 August 2016
- Associated Press. “U.S. swimming team wraps up pre-Rio training camp” — NBC, 30 July 2016
- Meghan DeMaria. “Inside The Kitchen At The Olympic Village” — Refinery29, 1 August 2016
- “Rio Olympics 2016: Football kicks off Games before opening ceremony” — BBC, 2 August 2016
- Shekhar Bhatia, Louise Cheer. “EXCLUSIVE: Forget the athletes’ village, we’re staying on a CRUISE LINER! Team USA basketball millionaires reject shared bedrooms for luxury life with spa, shops… and 7ft beds” — Daily Mail, 2 August 2016
- Kerry Gillespie. “Canadian flag raised in Olympic village” — Toronto Star, 2 August 2016
- PTI. “Indians look upbeat at Welcome Ceremony at Olympic Village” — Indian Express, 3 August 2016
- Nick Bromberg. “Australian athletes have three laptops stolen from Olympic Village” — Yahoo! Sports, 31 July 2016
Men\’s, women\’s football team face off in Rio, before Olympics official open
Men’s, women’s football team face off in Rio, before Olympics official open
 |
This article is incomplete and has not been edited recently, and is considered abandoned. It is to be deleted on August 15 (in 2 days), if work on it does not resume. Please edit it so it becomes un-abandoned. If you feel that this article is ready to be published, please add {{review}} to it. |
 |
This article has been assessed not ready for publication.
Please see the review comments on the collaboration page. When these things have been done, and the article is ready to be reviewed and fact-checked, submit for review by changing the |
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Canada versus Australia. Agência Brasil Fotografias
American swimmers Allison Schmitt and Michael Phelps are seen here in the restaurant of the Athletes Village. At the event’s peak, the venue will prepare 60,000 meals each day. Phelps’ diet has received headlines in the past, clocking in at 12,000 calories a day in 2008.
Leading up to the Olympic Games opening ceremonies on Friday, football competitions for the 2016 Summer Olympics began two days before in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Wednesday’s schedule included six women’s football match-ups, between Sweden and South Africa, Canada and Australia, Brazil and China, Zimbabwe and Germany, United States and New Zealand, France and Colombia. Canada’s forward Janine Beckie scored a goal just 20 seconds into the game, the quickest in Olympic history. The team beat Australia 2-0.
The men faced off Thursday with Iraq vs Denmark, Honduras vs Algeria, Brazil vs South Africa, Mexico vs Germany, Portugal vs Argentina, Sweden vs Colombia, Fiji vs South Korea, and Nigeria vs Japan.
Canada vs. Australia
Zimbabwe vs. Germany
When teams arrived at the Athletes Village, they were welcomed with 45-minute ceremonies. While members of the US swim team have been photographed in the Athletes Village restaurant, recent reports suggest that Team USA men’s basketball will be staying in a luxury cruise ship, docked off the Port of Rio. Canadian tennis player Daniel Nestor has suggested the village lacks hot water. Members of the Australian team had their three laptops stolen last week, during a building evacuation due to a nearby fire.
Sources[]
- with files from Canadian Press. “Canadian women’s soccer team wins Olympic opener over Australia” — CBC, August 3, 2016
- PTI. “Indians look upbeat at Welcome Ceremony at Olympic Village” — Indian Express, August 3, 2016
- “Rio Olympics 2016: Football kicks off Games before opening ceremony” — BBC, August 2, 2016
- Shekhar Bhatia, Louise Cheer. “EXCLUSIVE: Forget the athletes’ village, we’re staying on a CRUISE LINER! Team USA basketball millionaires reject shared bedrooms for luxury life with spa, shops… and 7ft beds” — Daily Mail, August 2, 2016
- Kerry Gillespie. “Canadian flag raised in Olympic village” — Toronto Star, August 2, 2016
- Meghan DeMaria. “Inside The Kitchen At The Olympic Village” — Refinery29, August 1, 2016
- Nick Bromberg. “Australian athletes have three laptops stolen from Olympic Village” — Yahoo! Sports, July 31, 2016
- Associated Press. “U.S. swimming team wraps up pre-Rio training camp” — NBC, July 30, 2016
November 24, 2015
Ferry MV Suilven sinks in Suva, Fiji
Ferry MV Suilven sinks in Suva, Fiji
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
MV Suilven off Scotland in 1979.
Image: Dr Neil Clifton.
MV Suilven, a ferry in service in Fiji, capsized and sank in Suva Harbour today.
Around thirty people, all crewmembers, were on board. Local media report all were rescued. The 41-year-old vessel previously saw service in Scotland and New Zealand.
The ship capsized early this afternoon and sank within an hour. It had been converted from passenger to cargo use following its most recent sale, to Venu Shipping in 2012 or 2011. Local reports indicated police, the Navy, local tug boats, and volunteer rescuers all attended the accident.
The converted ferry reportedly began to list on entering the harbour. It was working a route carrying cargo between Suva and the Northern Division.
Built in Norway, in service from 1974, the ship served with Scottish ferry firm Caledonian MacBrayne until 1995, connecting the mainland town of Ullapool to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. It was ultimately replaced by a larger, faster vessel and was sold to Strait Shipping who used it until 2004 to ply New Zealand’s seas, connecting Wellington to Picton and to Nelson.
The name MV Suilven is in reference to the Suilven mountain in Scotland’s Sutherland region.
Sources[]
- The New Zealand Herald. “Ferry capsizes off Fiji” — Otago Daily Times, November 24, 2015
- “Former Cal Mac ferry capsizes in Fiji harbour” — The Scotsman, November 24, 2015
- November 24, 2015
September 27, 2013
Fiji makes progress on gender roles according to 2012 Report on Gender Equality and Development
Fiji makes progress on gender roles according to 2012 Report on Gender Equality and Development
Friday, September 27, 2013
Fiji’s location in the world
Image: TUBS.
On Tuesday the World Bank released the 2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development. For Fiji, the report focused on progress being made in the country as it relates to gender roles and the local impact of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Fijian children
Image: Alex Kehr.
Girls from Fiji believe they can attain a university education. In contrast, boys from rural areas in Fiji generally do not believe they will stay in school past the primary level. The report attributes this to the need for boys to contribute to the family income. This pushes them out of school and into the workforce.
It also says girls have less free time than boys. Girls have specific household chores that limit their free time. Boys, in contrast, have fewer structured household tasks, and the tasks they do have require less time. Boys also have greater ability to leave the house than girls. The report says these differences play a role in defining gender roles. This can lead boys into engaging in bad behavior and increase their exposure to drugs and alcohol. The report says this pattern exists elsewhere in countries like Yemen, Sudan, Bhutan, India, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Papua New Guinea. The report quotes a Fijian boy as saying, “Boys, they take their bikes and scoot off and roam around in villages here and there”.
Participation in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
Fijian girls are beginning to challenge these traditional cultural gender norms. While they acknowledge and admire the hard work their mothers have done in the domestic sphere, they seek better education and opportunities.
While the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1979, Fiji did not ratify it until August 1995. They were the 139th country to do so. At first, Fiji objected for cultural reasons to one part of CEDAW, and said Constitutional sections containing different rules for men and women on their ability to marry foreigners was incompatible with another part.
These objections were eventually dropped and constitutional changes were made between 1997 and 1999. CEDAW helped bring about family law reform in 1995. A civil uprising in 2000 stalled some iniatives, but the 2002 CEDAW review assisted in reviving efforts. In 2009, the minimum age allowed for both men and women to marry was raised to 18 years.
Since the introduction of CEDAW, reforms have been made that allowed for more equal partners, make divorces easier to get, make it harder for women to be excluded from the home, and improve the amount, and enforced the payment, of spousal support and following a divorce. The report notes that a 2010 review of CEDAW said there is still room for improvement in terms of inheritance rights for women.
Fiji has a population of 854,000, with an annual average percentage population growth of 0.6%. 31% of the population is aged 0 to 14. The average life expectancy for men is 67 years and for women is 71 years.
Sources
- Press release. “Many Societies Gradually Moving to Dismantle Gender Discrimination, Yet More Can Be Done, Says World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim” — World Bank, September 24, 2013
- “2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development” — World Bank, September 24, 2013
- “Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women – Fiji Islands” — United Nations, March 14, 2000
- September 27, 2013
June 29, 2013
Air Pacific re-brands as Fiji Airways
Air Pacific re-brands as Fiji Airways
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Fiji Airways’ Suva office featuring the new branding
Fiji’s national airline Air Pacific has now officially returned to its original name: Fiji Airways. Fiji Airways adopted the Air Pacific name in 1971, slightly prior to its first international flight on June 3, 1973. The re-brand was described by interim CEO Aubrey Swift as allowing the airline to align itself “closer with Fiji as a destination”. The name change is designed in part to reduce the confusion which surrounded the name Air Pacific. Swift noted that “Air Pacific just didn’t resonate with our customers” and said that same people “thought we were an air conditioning company”.
The re-brand was celebrated with music and traditional style dancing at Victoria Parade.
Along with the name change, the airline has redesigned its website, and changed the name of each of its classes of service. Pacific Voyager and Tabua Class have been replaced with economy and business class respectively. The airline has also introduced plans to overhaul its fleet of older Boeing 747s with Airbus A330s. It has said that the completion of this overhaul and the re-branding efforts will be completed by the end of the year.
The airline’s new brand-mark and livery features a masi design created by Fijian artist, Makereta Matemosi. The new identity is to “symbolises the airline’s new identity and epitomises all that Fiji Airways represents. It is authentic, distinctive, and true to the airline’s Fijian roots”, the airline said.
Sources
- Steve Jones. “This is just the start, says Fiji Airways” — Travel Weekly, June 28, 2018
- Ben Mutzabaygh. “New-look Fiji Airways officially debuts today” — USA Today, June 27, 2013
- “Air Pacific makes way for Fiji Airways” — ONE News, June 27, 2013
- Repeka Nasiko. “New era begins for Fiji Airways” — Fiji Times, June 28, 2013
- Felix Chaudhary. “The Making of a distinct Fijian airline” — Fiji Times, June 28, 2013
- June 29, 2013
June 12, 2013
Australian Paralympians cycling around Fiji for people with disabilities
Australian Paralympians cycling around Fiji for people with disabilities
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Leanne Del Toso
Image: Australian Paralympic Committee/Australian Sports Commission.
Shelley Chaplin
Image: Australian Paralympic Committee/Australian Sports Commission.
Two Australian Paralympic wheelchair basketball players, Shelley Chaplin and Leanne Del Toso, are cycling around Fiji to raise money for people in Fiji with disabilities. They hope to cover the route, which is roughly 500 kilometers (300 miles) long, in just ten days. They started on June 7, 2013 and plan to finish by June 16.
Along the way, they intend to do outreach, and mentor people with disabilities. They hope to raise A$13,000. So far, they have raised over A$12,400. They are using crowdfunding to finance their sporting event.
Del Toso suffered muscle deterioration in her legs and hands due to a degenerative neurological condition when she was 19, and rides her bike with the aid of orthotics. Chaplin was born a paraplegic, and is using a handcycle.
They won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London with the Australia women’s national wheelchair basketball team, commonly known as the Gliders.
Both also played for Victoria in Round One of the Australia Women’s Wheelchair Basketball League (WNWBL) competition last weekend. Victoria won all four of its games. They expect to be back in action again in Round Two in Perth on June 21–23.
Related news
- “Wikinews interviews Australian Paralympic wheelchair basketballer Shelley Chaplin” — Wikinews, January 4, 2013
Sources
- “From London 2012 Paralympics to Fiji 2013” — Team Bus, June 12, 2013 (date of access)
- “Victoria stars change wheels for charity” — SportingPulse, June 6, 2013
- “Gliders Cycle around Fiji for People with Disabilities” — Sporting Shielas, March 17, 2013
- June 12, 2013
March 26, 2013
Kiribati acquires international funding for solar power
Kiribati acquires international funding for solar power
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Solar panel installation in the United States
Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Last Tuesday, AusAID Australia and the World Bank’s Global Environment Fund (GEF) reached an agreement to give the government of Kiribati US$5 million (AU$4,779,000, NZ$5,985,000, €3,885,000) to install solar panels around the country capital, located on the Tarawa atoll. According to Business Desk of the Brunei Times, AusAID promised AU$3.2 million in funding, while GEF promised US$1 million. The country was the first in the Pacific to make a deal with the World Bank.
The funding was part of a US$530 million (NZ$635 million) package announced at yesterday’s Pacific Energy Summit in Auckland involving New Zealand and the European Union, Australia, the Asian Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the World Bank Group, and the United Arab Emirates. Also at the summit yesterday, New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully had announced a national commitment of USD$54,262,000 (AU$51,861,000 NZ$65 million, €42,178,000) to Pacific region energy solutions, of which US$8,348,000 (AU$8 million, NZ$10 million, €6,483,000) would be specifically earmarked for renewable energy and improved energy efficiency in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
A small school maneaba (equivalent to a school hall) in Nabeina, North Tarawa, Kiribati
(Image missing from commons: image; log)
Kiribati is heavily dependent on diesel fuel for most of the energy available on the national power grid, which supplies power to half Kiribati’s population of 110,000. In addition, a third of the country’s population lacks access to electricity. Once installation of the solar panels is complete, they are estimated to reduce diesel consumption by 230,000 liters (60,760 gallons) a year and give access to the electricity to some parts of the population that currently have no electricity. The European Union already has committed €100 million to sustainable energy in the region, with €10 million of that coming as a result of an announcement made last week.
In a press release about the news, Kiribati President Anote Tong was quoted as saying, “Kiribati faces big challenges it is remote, it is at risk from the effects of climate change, and it is vulnerable to economic shocks. […] Shifting Kiribati’s focus to reliable solar energy will provide a more secure, more sustainable power source for the country’s people.” Radio New Zealand International quoted Tong as saying, “It’s the first time we are doing this. We’re excited at the prospect of even substituting fossil fuel to a small extent at this stage. What the system being envisaged will only produce around 500 kilowatts, but this is the beginning of what I hope will be a pattern, the trend in the future.”
The European Union’s Fiji-based head of operations for the Pacific region, Renato Mele, supported alternative energy solutions like solar power for the region, but said that solar power had limitations because climate and environmental conditions sometimes meant batteries required to power the panels had a life of only 12 months, compared to other climates where batteries normally last five years. This created the potential to drive up standard operating costs. Mele has also noted these additional costs though are still lower than the cost of diesel power.
One News Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver noted, “Governments will be able to put the money they (currently) spend on diesel into things like education and health.”
Sources
- “Kiribati gets donor funding for Tarawa solar panels” — Radio New Zealand International, March 26, 2013
- “Multi-million deal for energy efficient Pacific” — ONE News, March 26, 2013
- BusinessDesk.co.nz. “Batteries the biggest obstacle to solar power in the Pacific” — ShareChat.co.nz, March 25, 2013
- Xinhua. “Pacific leaders discuss plans to break fossil-fuel reliance with major donors” — Global Times, March 25, 2013
- March 26, 2013
August 30, 2012
Wikinews interviews Oceania Paralympic Commitee President Paul Bird
- 30 August 2012: Wikinews interviews Oceania Paralympic Commitee President Paul Bird
- 30 August 2012: Kate Lundy watches Australian women qualify for the women’s R2-10m air rifle final
- 29 August 2012: Paralympic cyclists test out the London Velodrome
- 29 August 2012: Vanuatu sends lone Paralympian to London
- 29 August 2012: Turkey men’s wheelchair basketball team practices ahead of 2012 Summer Paralympics
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Map of Oceania
Image: CIA World Factbook.
London, England— When Wikinews interviewed Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC) President Paul Bird, the day before the start of this year’s Summer Paralympics, he shared the idea that whilst Oceania may not be the first place one thinks of in connection with “Paralympics” or even “developing countries”, Oceania is represented at the Games in London athletes who have overcome many obstacles in order to compete.
According to Bird, two athletes from Oceania are regarded as medal prospects. One, Fijian high-jumper Iliesa Delana, missed out in Beijing due to his event being cancelled. He is currently ranked number two in the world, having won silver at the World Championships. The other is Francis Kompaon, a sprinter from Rabaul in Papua-New Guinea competing in the 100 and 200 metre sprints. These athletes qualified under the standard Paralympic processes. Other Oceania athletes are “wildcards”, selected by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to broaden the number of nations taking part. Countries do not always get their preferred choices of wildcards; for a variety of reasons, the IPC may select a less-favoured athlete. In particular, women are more likely to be chosen to address the games’ gender imbalance.
It’s not easy being an athlete, or an official, from a developing country says Bird. Often people are confronted with a host of unfamiliar situations. For example: many of the required forms are now online; officials with little technology experience have to navigate an unfamiliar landscape of browsers, buttons and passwords.
The OPC consists of eight countries: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua-New Guinea. Papua-New Guinea and Samoa are sending two athletes each to the London Games. Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands are sending one each.
Bird says, in attempting to promote Paralympic sport in Oceania, the region’s Paralympic Committee puts a priority on training local officials, coaches and classifiers. This helps member countries conduct their own events, without assistance from Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, the Committee organizes the Arafura Games, a regional competition.
Countries in the region are encouraged by the OPC to assemble teams, get athletes into work rankings, and plan ahead for the 2016 Paralympics to be held in Rio. Efforts are being made to strengthened ties between the region and international bodies such as the International Tennis Federation.
Bird, as head of the OPC, has been a member of the Australian Paralympic Committee since 1993. He won gold and silver medals in swimming at the 1984 Paralympics where he was the Australian Team Captain. He was the Australian Chef de Mission in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004, and the Assistant Chef de Mission in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Beijing in 2008. He also currently sits on the Australian Paralympic Committee’s board.
Sources
- August 30, 2012
Wikinews interviews Oceania Paralympic Committee President Paul Bird
Wikinews interviews Oceania Paralympic Committee President Paul Bird
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Map of Oceania
Image: CIA World Factbook.
London, England — When Wikinews interviewed Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC) President Paul Bird, the day before the start of this year’s Summer Paralympics, he shared the idea that whilst Oceania may not be the first place one thinks of in connection with “Paralympics” or even “developing countries”, Oceania is represented at the Games in London by athletes who have overcome many obstacles in order to compete.
According to Bird, two athletes from Oceania are regarded as medal prospects. One, Fijian high-jumper Iliesa Delana, missed out in Beijing due to his event being cancelled. He is currently ranked number two in the world, having won silver at the World Championships. The other is Francis Kompaon, a sprinter from Rabaul in Papua-New Guinea competing in the 100 and 200 metre sprints. These athletes qualified under the standard Paralympic processes. Other Oceania athletes are “wildcards”, selected by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to broaden the number of nations taking part. Countries do not always get their preferred choices of wildcards; for a variety of reasons, the IPC may select a less-favoured athlete. In particular, women are more likely to be chosen to address the games’ gender imbalance.
It’s not easy being an athlete, or an official, from a developing country says Bird. Often people are confronted with a host of unfamiliar situations. For example: many of the required forms are now online; officials with little technology experience have to navigate an unfamiliar landscape of browsers, buttons and passwords.
The OPC consists of eight countries: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua-New Guinea. Papua-New Guinea and Samoa are sending two athletes each to the London Games. Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands are sending one each.
Bird says, in attempting to promote Paralympic sport in Oceania, the region’s Paralympic Committee puts a priority on training local officials, coaches and classifiers. This helps member countries conduct their own events, without assistance from Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, the Committee organizes the Arafura Games, a regional competition.
Countries in the region are encouraged by the OPC to assemble teams, get athletes into work rankings, and plan ahead for the 2016 Paralympics to be held in Rio. Efforts are being made to strengthened ties between the region and international bodies such as the International Tennis Federation.
Bird, as head of the OPC, has been a member of the Australian Paralympic Committee since 1993. He won gold and silver medals in swimming at the 1984 Paralympics where he was the Australian Team Captain. He was the Australian Chef de Mission in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004, and the Assistant Chef de Mission in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Beijing in 2008. He also currently sits on the Australian Paralympic Committee’s board.
Sources
- August 30, 2012
April 1, 2011
Tonga: Four guilty over ferry disaster that killed 74
Tonga: Four guilty over ferry disaster that killed 74
Friday, April 1, 2011
Tonga’s largest criminal trial today ended in the conviction of four men and the state shipping firm over the sinking of MV Princess Ashika. 74 were killed when the ferry went down off Nuku’alofa in 2009.
The vast majority of bodies remain missing. Only two were recovered, including one Tongan — a 21-year-old mother called Vae Fetu’u Taufa. The Shipping Corporation of Polynesia (SCP) manager John Jonesse, acting director of the national department for ports and marine affairs Viliami Tu’ipulotu, captain Viliami Makahokovalu Tuputupu, and first mate Semisi Pomale were all convicted of her manslaughter by negligence. The men were remanded into custody over the weekend to await sentencing; they face a maximum of ten years in jail.
Justice Shuster cited the severity of the offences in denying bail, which was requested by Laki Niu and Vuna Fa’otusia, attorneys representing the accused.
Built in the early 1970s, by 1985 the ferry was found to be unseaworthy and hence not suited for use in deep water. When SCP bought it in 2009 from Fiji, it suffered from “huge” rusting holes and on August 5 that year sank in deep water during a storm. Most passengers were sleeping below deck when the ship was lost near the island of Tongatapu, where it remains on the seabed. No women or children escaped.
The six-week trial followed a royal commission of inquiry that found Jonesse, from New Zealand, bought Princess Ashika “without any proper due diligence, surveys, inspections, valuations, documentation or proper inquiry having been completed.” It also concluded Tuputupu chose to sail that day despite the ship leaking on other journeys. The inquiry branded the loss “a result of systemic and individual failures… The tragedy is that they were all easily preventable and the deaths were completely senseless.”
SCP was convicted of charges concerning the vessel’s seaworthiness by the jury, which sat in Tonga’s parliament building after the trial’s high profile saw it moved away from Nuku’alofa Supreme Court.
Jonesse and Tuputupu have both been convicted of five counts of taking an unseaworthy ship to sea under the Shipping Act, for voyages held on July 3, July 9, July 15, July 23 and August 5. Jonesse is also guilty of forgery and knowingly using a forged document.
Sources
- Dominique Schwartz, Agencies. “Four guilty over Tonga ferry tragedy” — ABC, April 1, 2011
- “Four found guilty at Tonga ferry disaster trial” — BBC News Online, April 1, 2011
- Press Release. “All Princess Ashika defendants found guilty” — Tonga Ministry of Information, April 1, 2011
- April 1, 2011
Powered by WordPress