Tonga Dismisses Fiji's Claim on Minerva Reef

Radio New Zealand ^ | 1 Nov 2005 | Staff

[Our_Man_In_Gough_Island]

Tonga’s Surveyor General, Tevita Malolo, has dismissed claims from Fiji of ownership of the Minerva reef.

The reef, which is south of both Fiji and Tonga, has been claimed by the people of Ono-i-Lau in Fiji’s Lau Group as the traditional fishing ground of their ancestors for centuries.

The islanders now say they may have overlooked Minerva Reef when registering their fishing and land rights and have asked the government to secure it for them, despite it being officially claimed by Tonga.

But Mr Malolo says the reef, which the kingdom considers two islands, was proclaimed as Tonga’s by its king in 1972.

He says claims by Fiji of ownership are baseless.

“That’s rubbish. We enforced national jurisdiction twelve miles around the two islands there. No formal objection was given to our government.” Tevita Malolo says Tonga has never entered into any formal agreements allowing Fiji to fish in the waters around the reef.

[Our_Man_In_Gough_Island]

Don't laugh - it's something differnt from Beltway politics, for a change.

[Rebelbase]

Minerva reef is an atoll that has completely eroded to the surface of the ocean, leaving an inner harbor of calm in the middle of the South Pacific. Apparantly it is a spectacular site to be safely anchored in the middle and see the ocean waves crashing against the reef 360 degrees.

A favorite stop for sailboats transiting from Tonga to NZ it is covered in shipwrecks.

A great tale of survival is found here the story of a Japanese fishing boat which wrecked there in 1959.

[Our_Man_In_Gough_Island]

Fantastic description, thank you.

[Our_Man_In_Gough_Island]

Here is another one of possible interest.