Aid for Tonga: Foreign Affairs ponders options

The Government is contemplating what sort of help it can lend Tonga, said Tourism Minister and acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Tomasi Vuetilovoni yesterday.

He said there was "general discussion" on the matter and he needed to meet with a Foreign Affairs senior officer to gauge the situation.

"I need to meet the officer so I can know how much or what can be given as aid to the people of Tonga after what they have gone through," he said.

Rioting in Tonga, which was reported to be against the slow progress in implementing pro-democratic policies, left six people dead on the island kingdom.

Meanwhile, more than 200 Chinese nationals whose businesses were targeted in the rioting were evacuated from Nuku'a-lofa yesterday on an Air New Zealand charter flight to Fiji.

They were then transferred to another aircraft which flew them to China.

About 100 to 200 people have been arrested over the rioting.

AAP said Tonga's embattled monarch, King George Tupou V, extended an olive branch to democrats in a speech at the ceremonial closing of parliament and assured that moves were being made to make Tonga a democracy.

But many leaders of the pro-democracy movement questioned the sincerity of the king.

A member of parliament representing Tonga's nobility boycotted the ceremony, saying he did not want to sit alongside "terrorist" MPs of the pro-democracy movement.

"We might as well invite (Osama) bin Laden to attend the closing of parliament," said the Honourable Tui'pelehake, who blames the pro-democracy movement for last week's riot.

Only nine MPs were democratically-elected while nine were chosen by the nobles and the king chooses Cabinet.

"All the proposals that are now in the public arena have the same ultimate aim a more democratic form of parliament and government but appropriate for Tonga about which we all agree," he told MPs and dignitaries.

"The differences among the various proposals are not irreconcilable, and can be resolved through dialogue," he said.