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FM AMEMBASSY SUVA
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INFO RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SUVA 000508 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID TN
SUBJECT: TONGA NAT'L COMMITTEE CHAIR BLAMES PM SEVELE FOR 
RIOT ATMOSPHERE 
 
REF: SUVA 507 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
Classified By: Amb. Dinger.  Sec. 1.4 (B,D). 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1. (C) According to Sitiveni Halapua, the Chairman of Tonga's 
National Committee on Political Reform (NCPR), and a person 
whose instinct is always to find the middle ground, much of 
the blame for the atmosphere that led to last week's riot in 
Nuku'alofa rests on the shoulders of Prime Minister Sevele. 
Halapua figures Sevele did at least three things very wrong: 
he put forward an alternative reform proposal, outside the 
NCPR framework, thus sowing confusion.  He moved the action 
from Parliament to Cabinet, probably hoping to evade street 
pressure from pro-democracy elements, thereby raising alarms. 
 His security forces had no plan in place to deal with a 
major demonstration/riot.  Halapua said Sevele no longer has 
the confidence of the people, so he should be replaced. 
Halapua urges the international community to help keep 
attention focused on all-important political reform.  End 
summary. 
 
Halapua takes sides: blames PM Sevele for Tonga mess 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
¶2. (C) Sitiveni Halapua, head of the Pacific Island 
Development Program (PIDP) at the East West Center in 
Honolulu, has been a member of Tonga's NCPR for the past 
year.  When Prince Tu'ipelehake died last July, Halapua 
became chair of the NCPR.  His instinct is always to be a 
mediator, not to take sides.  However, in an interview with a 
New Zealand reporter this week, Halapua placed blame on Tonga 
PM Sevele for the circumstances that led to a riot last 
Thursday (reftel) which left central Nuku'alofa devastated. 
Halapua is presently in Auckland, where we spoke with him by 
phone. 
 
Sevele skirted the framework, causing confusion 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶3. (C) Halapua accepts that pro-democracy elements must bear 
"some degree of responsibility" for the riot, but he believes 
it was actions of PM Sevele that incited the uproar.  Halapua 
said the big achievement of the NCPR process was to create a 
framework for reform, within which there could be 
constructive debate about details.  All sides, even 
pro-monarch conservatives, were happy.  A sense of calm, of 
relief, was engendered.  Pro-democracy leaders, especially 
Akilisi Pohiva, didn't get all that they wanted, but they 
accepted the framework and agreed to work within it.  PM 
Sevele, on the other hand, insisted on putting forward an 
alternative proposal, outside the NCPR framework.  Halapua 
said this "caused confusion in the people."  It also "opened 
a flood gate," causing pro-democracy activists to put forward 
their own counter-proposal outside the framework. 
 
Shifting from Parliament to Cabinet 
----------------------------------- 
¶4. (C) When the competing proposals caused Parliamentary 
deliberations to grind to a halt last week, a Parliamentary 
leader phoned Halapua, asking him to put together terms of 
reference for discussions to find a way out.  The 
Parliamentary leader said the only other option was to close 
down Parliament for the year.  Halapua urged that Parliament 
stay in session, since "you can't shove this under a mat." 
He asked Sevele and pro-democracy leaders Pohiva, Clive 
Edwards, and others  to withdraw their non-framework 
proposals so there could be a fresh start.  Sevele and 
Edwards agreed.  Pohiva wanted to discuss a few details.  On 
Thursday, the day of the riot, PM Sevele called a Cabinet 
meeting, which in Halapua's view "deliberately shut down" 
Parliament.  It moved the reform issue from the proper forum, 
Parliament, to Cabinet, which the King and PM control. 
Still, Pohiva went to the Cabinet and gained agreement on a 
political compromise.  While that was being put into writing, 
the riot exploded. 
 
Demonstration captured by criminal elements? 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶5. (C) Halapua said that his sources in Tonga have told him 
elements of the pro-democracy movement had plans for a big 
demonstration if the Government voted down the 
NCPR/pro-democracy agenda in Parliament.  The aim was to 
pressure Government, but within the context of democracy. 
Halapua expects it was to avoid such pressure that Sevele 
steered the issue away from Parliament to Cabinet.  Halapua 
speculates that criminal elements got involved with the crowd 
of political demonstrators.  (Note: some have suggested in 
the media that business interests who recently have opposed 
 
SUVA 00000508  002 OF 002 
 
 
the PM's stated intention to clean up Tonga Customs could 
have encouraged the riot.  Another rumor circulating is that 
deportees from abroad, including the U.S., were active in the 
violence.) 
 
Halapua: Sevele failed Tonga; must be replaced 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶6. (C) In Halapua's view, Sevele failed Tonga on several 
counts.  By putting forward his alternative reform proposal 
outside the NCPR framework, he sowed confusion.  By moving 
consideration of reform from Parliament to Cabinet, he raised 
alarms in the street.  By not having a "Plan B" in place for 
the contingency of a major disturbance, the Government was 
not ready to deal with criminals.  In order to "put right" 
the atmosphere for rebuilding Tonga, Halapua has concluded 
that Sevele must go. 
 
Important: keep focus on political reform 
----------------------------------------- 
¶7. (C) It disturbs Halapua that Sevele and the Tonga 
Government now seem to be focusing all attention on the 
looters -- "all condemn such acts" -- and on reconstruction 
activities.  Halapua believes strongly that the real issue 
remains political leadership and the need for reform.  In 
Halapua's view, Sevele no longer has the confidence of the 
people, and he lacks competence to deal with Tonga's problems. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶8. (C) Halapua was not in Tonga last week when all hell broke 
loose.  However, he is a Tongan himself and he has immersed 
himself for the past year in Tonga's current political 
adventure.  He has heard from many Tongans from all aspects 
of the spectrum.  Thus, his views bear consideration.  A key 
judgment, already reflected in the State Department 
spokesman's guidance, is the need to keep Tonga focused on 
political reform.  We now have Embassy Suva Pol/Econ Officer 
Siler and Defense Attache Reardon in Nuku'alofa to plug in as 
well.  Siler is tasked, in particular, to gain perspective on 
what the need might be for immediate donor assistance.  Our 
Consul returned to Fiji today, having ensured that all Amcits 
who want to depart have been able to do so. 
DINGER