Allegations of professional lying have surfaced after the shocking aftermath of 16/11. TNEWS received these allegations after media outlets were accused of “Misleading the Tongan People”. According to one source (refuses to be named for fear of being jailed), supporters of the current government in Tonga are patrolling internet sites, posing as common Tongans and writing letters or making personal comments trying to discredit media outlets who talk/broadcast/publish anything against the government while praising those who support them.  “It’s a prime opportunity, the demo’s have their backs against the wall, all their communications are severed, their hands and feet are tied and the government knows this is their chance to crush them once and for all, they’re trying to turn the peoples focus, to lift their low profile up and pull the demos down and bury them, its revenge!”

 

TNEWS did some investigations which did appear to support the allegations, but with no hard proof, verifying is extremely difficult.

 

One website had a person who joined the online site dated 26/11, no real name or details are entered only an alias, several comments made accuse the media of lying and misleading the facts. Close to home, one comment claimed TNEWS received it’s information from Tonga via a known Democratic supporter of which we can verify as false.  TNEWS also received a letter firsthand from a Lieutenant at Tongan defense accusing them of misleading people with wrong facts, facts which when TNEWS had previously contacted the Defense Force to verify them they had refused to comment.

 

“You just can’t imagine the twisted lies going on here” claims the source, in a sarcastic way you have to applaud them, they are succeeding in manipulating some of the people, they have taking lying to a new level, it’s become professional jobs, but what really shocks me the most is how gullible we as Tongans are, and so easy to forget the corruption and the previous state our government left us in. Yes we had shops and a main street, but underneath that shell was a country already on the brink of bankruptcy, it’s a land like the biblical Egypt which will not let it’s people go, will famine, maybe pestilence, no, instead of dealing with the real core issue here, we’re now concentrating on rebuilding our beloved city with bricks and no straw.

What do the people say, we’re better off in Egypt, are we?”

 

TNEWS received several claims of “professional lying” including claims of a government Minister’s wife starting serious rumors and allegations. At the time of publishing we were unable to establish contact with the accused.

 

 

“The government was so fast to pull down Gus Mclean, I believe they put pressure on the organisation he was with to disown him, and they did, they’re just bullies trying to cover their corruption”

 

TNEWS recently interviewed Tongan Minister Hon.Paul Karalus who initially strongly denied the abuse, but as the interview went on he admitted the government knew there was abuse, “We agree, we agree there is abuse happening in Tonga” he said.

 

 

Another incident adding weight to the “professional lying” allegations is a recent interview with the Prime Ministers Press Secretary / Political Advisor Lopeti Senituli who also recently released a press release blaming the PCPR for the riots immediately after a damning report against the Government was released from Dr. ‘Ana Taufe’ulunaki.  Lopeti Senituli had told TNEWS immediately after the riots “the government is partly to blame”, yesterday in another interview he had changed his tune, when challenged regarding his comments he said what he meant previously was “We are all to blame”.

 

No such comments can be found in his report.