Emergency regulations in Tonga rolled over for the 28th time
Posted at 05:47 on 20 February, 2009 UTC
Tonga’s Government has renewed emergency powers in parts of the capital for another 30 days.
The regulations give the police and soldiers wide powers to detain and arrest in the heart of Nuku’alofa, which lost much of its CBD during riots in November 2006.
The acting chief secretary to the government, Paula Ma’u, says the Minister of Police has recommended their renewal.
The emergency powers have been criticised as an abuse of process and an unjustified attempt to frustrate the pro-democracy movement.
The Tongan government has extended the state of emergency in the capital, Nukuʻalofa, for another month.

The move has been criticised as unnecessary by the chairman of the Tonga Civil Society Forum, Drew Havea. He says that life is now back to normal in the capital, and blames a group of Nukuʻalofa businessmen for the rollover.

"We are not sure why they are taking that particular action because we don’t see any issue but that’s their right. If they want to petition for rolling over these emergency regulations, there’s not much we can do, on our part," he said.

The emergency regulations were originally put in place two and a half years ago, as a response to the 2006 Nuku'alofa riots, and have been renewed monthly ever since. They give police wide powers to search, detain and arrest people without warrant within Nukuʻalofa's CBD in order to protect public safety.  

Central Nukuʻalofa was severely damaged by pro-democracy riots on November 17, 2006.