Kali Fungavaka and his wife Audra Watts
“This is a date I will never forget, but will never want to remember, 23 Aug 2012 at 1830 Kali passed away peacefully at the Viola Hospital, Tonga”
Constable Kali Fungavaka’s wife Audra Watts and her four children were at her husband’s bedside last night in Tonga following an assault in the police cell in Nuku’alofa six days ago.
Fungavaka was in Tonga for his grandfather’s funeral where he was a pall bearer but was arrested in a bar later for drunken behaviour.
Reports from Fatai Faingaa from Radio Tonga says “We’ve also heard from one of our sources from the Ministry of Police that he first hit one of the Tongan Police, he fell down, but then they didn’t do anything about it, they (brought) him to the prison and did the alleged assault inside the prison.”
Fungavaka was assaulted by two police officers before being locked up. He was then placed in a police cell with five other men where he was assaulted by a third man sustaining major head injuries.
He was transported to the Viola hospital for surgery to his head but sadly never regained consciousness.
“Kali fought long enough for the children to see him, hug him and tell him how much they love him. Thank you to the support group we had here in Tonga and to the staff at the Viola Hospital”, his wife has said.
His body will remain at the Viola hospital until a post mortem is conducted to determine the cause of death.
Tonga’s assistant police commissioner Viliami ‘Unga Fa’aoa has ruled out more serious charges against the two officers who have been arrested and charged and remain in custody.
The authorities have now opened up a manslaughter investigation upgrading the charges from grievous bodily harm to either manslaughter or murder following his death but are unsure who these charges will be laid against.
Assistant commissioner Fa’aoa said a civilian, Kalisitiane Manu, who was also arrested for drunkenness in a public place last Friday, had been charged with grievous bodily harm of Fungavaka and will appear in the Magistrate’s Court next Monday.
Tongan police have always had a reputation for brutality especially towards prisoners. In the past years tongan authorities have been reluctant to lay full murder charges as the mandatory death sentence is allowed in Tonga.
Former commissioner Chris Kelley of Dunedin told Radio New Zealand “that violence and offending of that nature was prevalent”.
He said there were a number of incidents of “police officers taking the law into their own hands” while he served from 2007 to 2011.
“I dealt with 270 complaints received and 40 of those were related to violence, violence by police officers, and I put a number of those people before the court,” he said.
In a country where alcohol abuse is a major concern coupled with the police brutality, it was very unfortunate that this has happened.
tonga needs to get there grap straight
HE DID NOT GIT ANYONE!!! GET YOUR STORY STRAIGHT!! I WAS THERE!!
Thanks for your comment Isi Taufui, that was reported by Fatai Faingaa from Radio Tonga.
Yes Tongan police should get their fact straight and stop beating around the bush, where i have seen totally UNFAIR VIOLENCE done by them, and don’t talk about school cause you guys are so NOT IN SCHOOL TALK!
clean up your grap!and get the FACT STRAIGHT!
My condolences go out to the family, especially his Wife and kids. I don’t really know what happen to him, but reading this story, I think it was wrong for what those officer’s did. Every person has a right, and if this was taken into Civil Rights court, those officer’s would be facing some real charges and could loose their privileges. Everyone gets drunk once in a while, but they should have let him sleep it out in prison, because that’s what we do out here in the States. I pray that him and his family find some closure.
Please excuse if I am coming at anyone false. I am just speaking what’s on my mind!
GET READY FOR THE WORLD WAR 3!!!!!
condolences goes out to da family…keep yall in prayers <3
all this is nothing but bull..we all know KALI die outside in the hand of the TONGAN POLICE…. stop all this bull crap n the lies..moe fkpiko..ai ke mahino koe tau ki fonua nae tuku tau TUI TUPOU ULUAKI ki LANGI….koe mea ko ena he ikai pe ke mou lava fkpulipuli te mou kai pe mamahi ae mali moe fanau a KALI ka tau mai a mate fk mamahi a KALI…. NO JUDGING but i hope u all burin in hell……u could lie but it will hunt u all down tell the last of u all go to hell…..R.I.P KALI FUNGAVAKA………………..TONGA need to wake up n stop all this nonsense naa faifai to mai ha matangi fk auha a TONGA….where is the LOVE n RESPECTED? what happen to r island we so proud of? lea mooni tuku loi naa tautau mai ha elelo ha taha ki tua ia mou3 nau fai tamate……I FEEL SORRY FOR ALL OF U WHO DID THIS TO KALI,,,,,,,,,,pay back will be painful for u all who did this to him n the familys………lau puaka laka anga mou he puaka moe manu..so keke iloi pe koe ha mou3?……………………..ofa atu KALI we will never 4get u rip in heaven….
all we need is for them to just open up all there mouth who was there and tell the truth what happen moe lahi fkpiko naa faifai kai ha taha ha fuu polo fifisi ia mou3 kau police nae fai ae tamate………..malo tauhi mai news ke mau iloi whats going on………
The police who did this to one of their own people should be ashamed. Just remember you will have to one day face the man up above and what will you have to say. This isn’t manslaughter this is murder from injuries inflicted from you lying, corrupt police. Hope you all along with the that other person in the cell rot in hell. You have all robbed a loving family of a husband and father.