The Pacific Island community in Aotearoa New Zealand is grieving for the deaths of two men killed at an Auckland downtown construction site last week.

Solomona To’oto’o, 45, of Manurewa and Tupuga Sipiliano, 44, of Wattle Downs have been named as the victims of 24-year-old gunman Matu Reid, who also died.

Several others were wounded, including a police officer.

The Samoa Observer reports friends and relatives of the two victims took to social media to express their condolences, and relatives of Sipiliago sent messages to the victim’s wife and children as they mourned.

The Samoa Police, Prison and Correction Services have extended their sympathies to the New Zealand Police, saying their thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected, along with their solidarity with the NZ Police.

Former Auckland city councillor and Pacific islands advocate Fa’anānā Efeso Collins told RNZ’s Morning Report the community was rallying around the families.

Fa’anānā said people he goes to church with were social workers and youth workers and are questioning what could have been done.

‘Some questioning’
“Some questioning became what else could we have done?” he said.

“How can we continue to support these communities and even the young man who undertook the shootings as well . . . I guess the holes in the community or in the system that we need to assist and fix and help to facilitate.”

He said some people were “really angry” while some were questioning how else to support young people going through these issues.

Fa’anānā said people were asking how to address issues like poverty, isolation and young people who had fallen out of the school system.

He said he had talked to social and youth workers in churches.

“Because even as young dads we are wondering what it is to get people to talk, to invite people to feel like they re connected to a community, because it is that connection that really is going to offer people support,” Fa’anānā said.

“We experience tragedy and triumphs as a village and the village wants to work out what else can be done to support.”He said it was also going to mean a conversation with public agencies like Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Education.

Tongans ‘thankful’ to police
A Tongan construction worker, Uate Vea, was one of those in the building at the time of the tragic deaths.

RNZ Pacific correspondent Kalafi Moala said Vea said they were at level 21 of the building where the shooting was taking place, about six levels away from the gunman, when they were instructed to leave.

“We ran down to level 15 before we were told to return to level 16 because the shooter was heading our way,” he said.

And while they moved to level 16, he heard more gunshots.

Vea said he was thankful that the NZ police were quick to send the helicopter which helped save them, Moala said.

He said there were eight Tongans altogether in his team and he understood there were more Tongans working at the site.

‘MATES help mates’
MATES in Construction has also extended its sympathies to the workers that were affected by the shooting.

In a statement last week it said it “is actively engaged to support impacted people throughout the industry.”

The suicide prevention group said it was “developing a plan to ensure there is a comprehensive process in place for the weeks ahead and intends to maintain a strong supportive presence on site” when workers returned to the site this week.

“It is important that workers know there is someone to turn to if they need help and know how to look after their mates on site who may be experiencing difficulties.

“MATES help mates and that is a priority for us during this sad time.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Thousands of people will be cancelling their Christmas Day plans thanks to the invisible grinch, covid-19.

Leading epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker estimates 85,000 people will be in isolation by then.

He says gathering outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces is key to limiting the Christmas spread of covid — and testing beforehand.

“No-one will thank you for turning up and infecting other people, particularly if there are vulnerable people there. This is a time to be responsible and test if you have got symptoms, and then act accordingly.”

Crunching the numbers, Professor Baker said we could expect about 12,000 new infections on Christmas Day, based on the daily average of reported cases, plus the same number again of unreported ones.

Covid Modelling Aotearoa programme co-leader Dion O’Neale agreed.

“We’re sitting at the peak of a relatively decent-sized wave at the moment, so definitely lots of people will end up missing Christmas because they’re a confirmed case and will have to isolate.”

He expected reported case numbers to decrease, but reminded people not to rely on that as a signal the wave is over.

“They just don’t report a case when they’re having a fun time, that’s almost certainly happened this week with schools knocking off and a bunch of people leaving work.”

‘We have had to actually cancel Christmas’
One Auckland man, who wished to remain anonymous, said Covid had slipped through the chimney at his house – he had two family members who tested positive this week.

“Sadly we have had to actually cancel Christmas. We had been really looking forward to getting together with my sister and her kids for a big family get-together… and I had to phone her yesterday and say, ‘Look, I’m really sorry we can’t do it, it’s all off’.”

They would take Christmas Day as it came and delay their family gathering.

“We’re just going to have to try and make it as nice as we possibly can, depending how people are feeling. It could be that some people are feeling unwell.”

Auckland woman Melanie Bruges will get out of isolation in time to celebrate Christmas Day with family.

“We’re having family over on Christmas Day on Sunday, so I’m going to keep a really low-profile until then. We’ll probably test on Christmas Day before everybody comes over.”

If her husband or their seven-year-old tested positive, they would postpone.

“We’ve got five grandparents around for Christmas Day and we wouldn’t want them to be exposed to anything just for the sake of a meal. We can always put it off.”

Free biscuit not worth the risk
For the thousands who were flying to their Christmas Day destination, O’Neale said it paid to be cautious and mask-up.

“Is it really diminishing your travel experience if you don’t get your free glass of water and a dry biscuit on the plane? Would you rather have a dry biscuit or covid?”

He and Professor Baker did not want the grinch to steal Christmas.

“It’s absolutely essential for your health, wellbeing and enjoyment of life to get out and reconnect with your family and friends and have an enjoyable summer, that is so important,” Professor Baker said.

“Covid should not get in your way at all, and it’s a matter of making small changes in how you do things just to make it a lot safer for everyone.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ. 

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Indonesia has cut off the internet in West Papua to conceal its crackdown on the peaceful liberation movement, says a leading Papuan campaigner.

Benny Wenda, interim president of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), has condemned the internet gag while Indonesia’s leading English-language daily newspaper, The Jakarta Post, has also criticised Jakarta’s actions.

In an editorial last Friday, the Post said that many people “suspect that the disruption to the [Papua] internet service in April was actually a deliberate move to silence anti-government critics and activists”.

“The government has been cutting off Papua from the outside world for decades by measures that included restricting foreign visitors, especially foreign journalists,” the newspaper said.

Jakarta remained “stubbornly insistent on maintaining its isolation policy for Papua”.

Erik Walela, secretary of the ULMWP’s “Department of Political Affairs”, is now in hiding, and two of his relatives — Abi, 32, and Anno, 31 — were arrested by the Indonesian colonial police on June 1.

Victor Yeimo, spokesperson of the KNPB, had already been arrested.

Stigmatised as ‘terrorists’
“I am concerned that all the ULMWP leaders and departments inside West Papua are now at risk after Indonesia has tried to stigmatise us as ‘terrorists’,” said Wenda.

“The head of Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has stated that it considers the entire liberation movement, including anyone associated with me, to be terrorists.

“Anyone who stands up to injustice in West Papua is now in danger. Indonesia is cutting off the internet to conceal its crackdown and military operations, continuing its long tradition of concealing information from the world by banning international journalists and spreading propaganda.

“The only way anyone can currently access the internet inside is by standing near a military, police, or government building.”

Wenda said Indonesian authorities had tried to label Papuan pro-independence groups “separatists”, “armed criminal groups”, and in 2019, “monkeys’”.

“Now they are labelling us ‘terrorists’. This is nothing but more discrimination against the entire people of West Papua and our struggle to uphold our basic right to self-determination,” he said.

“I want to remind the United Nations and the Pacific and Melanesian leaders that Indonesia is misusing the issue of terrorism to crush our fundamental struggle for the liberation of our land from illegal occupation and colonisation.”

21,000 troops deployed
More than 21,000 troops had been deployed in less than three years, including last month ‘Satan’s forces’ implicated in genocide in East Timor, said Wenda.

Densus 88, trained by the West, were also using their skills “against my people”.

These operations were being carried out on the direct order of the President and the head of the Parliament.

“My people are traumatised, scared to go to their gardens, to hunt or fish. Everywhere they turn there are military posts and bases,” said Wenda.

“How long will the world ignore my call? How long can the world watch what is happening to my people and stand by?”

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

New Zealand today reported one new community case of covid-19 – the first in five days.

There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the source of the community case was still being investigated.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service has identified all close contacts, who have been isolated and tested.

The other case has been detected in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility.

The number of active cases continues to fall with five recovered cases today, leaving a total of 67.

Four people are in hospital with covid-19 – one each at Auckland City and North Shore hospitals and two in Middlemore. None of them are in ICU.

The ministry said 34 are imported cases in isolation and quarantine facilities, and 33 are community cases.

Total confirmed cases 1460
The total number of confirmed cases of covid-19 is now 1460

More than 900,000 tests have now been carried out in New Zealand, with another 8359 processed yesterday.

There were no new cases of covid-19 reported in New Zealand yesterday – the first day with zero cases since early August, when the Auckland cluster was revealed.

The last community case before today was reported on Monday.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

• All RNZ coverage of covid-19
• If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP – don’t show up at a medical centre.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz