Cabinet of Tonga meet to discuss sudden death of King

Tonga’s cabinet has met to discuss the sudden death of King George Tupou the fifth.

The King died in Hong Kong on Sunday, with his brother and successor, Tupouto’a Lavaka, at his bedside.

Radio New Zealand reports, the cabinet has established a committee to arrange the funeral and the kingdom's official mourning period.

A cabinet spokesman confirmed that few details are known about the reason for King George's death.

The cabinet minister Lord Ma'afu is to head to Hong Kong today to confer with the new King and his entourage about details around bringing the body of the late King home, and to get more details about what happened.

Tonga's former Prime Minister Feleti Sevele said the late King will be remembered around the region as the driving force behind the Kingdom's democratic reforms.

Meanwhile, the elders of the village of Sawana in Vanuabalavu, Lau held a meeting last night in the village hall traditionally conveying to the 13 families about the death of the King of Tonga.

Tikina representative of Sawana, Pita Foi’akau confirmed that the church minister who is a Tongan national, Reverend Sione Mone would also be present at the meeting.

The people of Sawana will now follow Fijian protocol and await word from the Vuanirewa clan who will lead their funeral delegation to Tonga.

Foi’akau said Sawana is known as a Tongan village in Fiji and the first Tongans came with Ma’afu in the 1800's.

Some Tongans came as missionaries and got married to the women of Sawana.

Story by: Vijay Narayan and Tokasa Rainima