The Times of Tonga (''Taimi o Tonga'') was a biweekly newspaper in

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

. First published in April 1989, it was published for 30 years by editor and publisher Kalafi Moala and was a frequent target of the Tongan government. Moala sold the business in 2019, and it is now an online publication. The ''Taimi 'o Tonga'' was a frequent target of the Tongan government. In 1996 Moala and editor Filokalafi Akau’ola were imprisoned for 30 days for contempt of parliament after reporting on a motion in the Legislative Assembly which criticised a government minister. Their imprisonment was declared unconstitutional by the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, and they were later awarded US$26,000 in compensation. In 2002 Moala published a history of the newspaper, ''Island Kingdom strikes Back: The Story of an Independent Island Newspaper''. In 2002 editor Mateni Tapueluelu was charged with sedition and forgery over the publication of a letter claiming king

Taufa'ahau Tupou IV George Tupou I (4 December 1797 – 18 February 1893), originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, was the first king of modern Tonga. He adopted the name Siaosi (originally Jiaoji), the Tongan equivalent of ''George'', after King George III of the U ...

had a secret fortune. In 2003 the newspaper was banned by the Tongan government for campaigning to overthrow the constitution. The ban was declared unconstitutional by the

, but the government repeatedly ignored the ruling and reinstated the ban. The ban was eventually lifted in June 2003. The failure of the ban caused the government to amend the constitution to limit judicial review of royal decisions. In 2004, the newspaper was banned under a new Media Operators Act, which prohibited foreign owned publications. The law was later overturned by the Supreme Court, and the Times was issued with a media licence. In 2005 Tonga's Crown Prince

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala Siaosi (George) Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho (born 17 September 1985) is the crown prince of Tonga. Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala became heir apparent to the throne in March 2012 upon the accession of his father, Tup ...

claimed that the newspaper's legal problems were due to a personal vendetta by then Police Minister

Clive Edwards Clive Edwards (born 19 January 1953, Hounslow, Middlesex, England) is a drummer, who is best known as a former member of the British band, UFO (from August 1989 to June 1993). He also featured on the Bronz second album ''Carried By The Storm' ...

. In March 2009 the Times purchased the government-owned ''

Tonga Chronicle The ''Tonga Chronicle'', also known as ''Kalonikali Tonga'', was a state-owned weekly newspaper in Tonga. It was established in 1964 and until 2009, published both in the English as well as the Tongan language. In March 2009, due to poor returns ...

''. In November 2009 the publication celebrated its 20th birthday.

References

{{reflist Newspapers published in Tonga 1989 establishments in New Zealand