Dead The Kings Of Tonga

[Windsor 2,233]

Things have been interesting regarding Tonga over the past week:

 

Row between Royals. (Over the King's cow)

 

Predictions for 2006. Notably there is mention of a 'New King'.

[Canadian Paul 97]

Things have been interesting regarding Tonga over the past week:

 

Row between Royals. (Over the King's cow)

 

Predictions for 2006. Notably there is mention of a 'New King'.

I love how subtly it's thrown in there too

[Guest Marvin McConoughey]

I agree that the Tonganese king should be shown more respect. As one of the longest serving monarchs on earth, he has done a better job than most hereditary rulers, and in a country where traditions still hold great power. Marvin McConoughey

[Star Crossed 33]

Some Tongan titbits for you all...

 

 

Tonga hits rock bottom

7.1 magnitude earthquake rocks Tonga's rock bottom, unlike Maxi Priest who only half-filled Queen Salote Memorial Hall

King of Lovers' Rock, Maxi Priest, manages to half-fill Queen Salote Memorial Hall, Nuku'alofa.

Tonga rocks! If you're a slacker at heart like me, this is the place to "work". Futuristic, harmonious Tongan work/life balance demonstrated here...

Fat man catches large fish with bait/hook assembly. The pinnacle of human achievement?

 

I hope you enjoy at least one or two of those. Some thoughts on why I enjoy this thread in particular...

 

I didn't know who King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (T4) was until I started reading DL last year. Now I know more about him than about any other monarch, probably. I have DL to thank for that. The DL equation works out something roughly like this for me; Education + Death + Humour + Statistics + Hunch + Rumour = Mirth & Knowledge.

I pity the fool who can't find humour and education at DL. Ultimately, we celebrate the lives of the individuals involved; indeed, we add (often greatly) to the collective awareness of their contribution to society (with some notable exceptions, of course).

 

T4 is a big man (in many ways) in his own little part of the world. Most people have heard of Tonga, but I don't think more than 20% of the british population could point to it on a map.

I don't know a single person outside this forum who has ever heard of T4 (no, not that T4); I'm unlikely to encounter someone with whom I can discuss tongan politics, economics or society, the track listing on T4's iPod, or the size of his last meal, but it's enough that I can, the simple satisfaction of being better educated.

The brain's infinite capacity for memory storage is surely one of the great joys of being human; all this knowledge gained and at what cost? A little eye strain? Worth the ticket price, imho. Fair enough, none of it's practical unless I emigrate to Tonga, but it's great just to KNOW this stuff. T4's out there, living, breathing, ruling right now and we're watching, waiting, ruminating.

 

I fully understand the Admin team's reluctance to put T4 on the DL 2006.

He's only 86, he's well-fed, well-entertained and absolutely loaded. Granted, he's under-exercised but, generally, he lives the life of the top aristocrat that he is.

Like George Foreman in his heavier (pre-grill) days, he may look wasted and ship a lot of punishment, but you know he's capable of absorbing a lot of it. Durable. I feel a sense of satisfaction and even, dare I say it, pride in knowing that my interest in Tonga is just as durable. I'll be keeping tabs on Tonga and T4 for a while yet. Who knows, one day I might pop across there, maybe book a room at the Sandyboyz Motel and just soak up the sunshine (and, naturally, try to blag a meet-and-greet with T4)...

 

If I'm still a DLer a decade from now, I hope to see him nearer the top of the selection list. Until then he remains one to keep watch over...

 

Bow down and kiss the ring.

 

Yours,

Star Crossed

[Magere Hein 1,400]

Fat man catches large fish with bait/hook assembly. The pinnacle of human achievement?

Hmm, a 328.8 kg marlin.

  Bow down and kiss the ring.

Long live the king! Well, at least another year.

 

burp,

Hein

[Canadian Paul 97]

I completley agree with you Star Crossed. Deadpooling and Deathlisting introduces me to people that I probably wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. The search for ripe candidates leads one to all corners of the globe and expands one's cultural sense.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

There seems to be a bit of a news blackout on the current state of the King of Tonga.

 

No update since he was flown off the island for medical reasons before Christmas. If he was getting better, surely there would have been some announcement by now?

 

I still think it was a mistake to omit him from the 2006 list.

 

[Godot 149]

Maybe they've taken him to Brinsworth House.

[Star Crossed 33]

There seems to be a bit of a news blackout on the current state of the King of Tonga.

 

No update since he was flown off the island for medical reasons before Christmas. If he was getting better, surely there would have been some announcement by now?

 

I still think it was a mistake to omit him from the 2006 list.

 

DDT, you're on the money. I smell conspiracy... maybe our Fidel Castro/Oscar Niemeyer/Communism/Nazism guest-rant-theorist has some news?

[Windsor 2,233]

The King of Tonga is still undergoing medical treatment in NZ.

 

 

But don't worry, the government of Tonga say that he is in good health.

[Star Crossed 33]

Perhaps he's dead already. That would provide the Prince Regent who, conveniently, is also the tongan Prime Minister ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, an opportunity to delay reformists' demands from being formally heard indefinitely.

 

Pro-democracy Reformists: "Tell the king we want to talk"

Prince Regent/Prime Minister: "He'll look into it as soon as he returns from NZ... I promise."

 

I reckon they could keep up this "he's still in New Zealand" lark for a while, until they work out a way to avoid the burgeoning civil war. It's a precursor to the type of situation in Nepal at the moment, except without the state brutality, curfews and civil disobedience. Yet. Perhaps the Tongan revolution will be bloodless? They seem pretty chilled-out.

 

Who knows? Maybe Taufa' knows, or maybe he's dead.

[Star Crossed 33]

 

"The smaller the country, the bigger the leader": excerpts from an article by T P Sreenivasan.

 

...the king received us and seated us, while he himself filled a whole sofa. He was 70 years old and weighed 200 kilograms then, today he is 87 and heavier.

The moment we started a conversation after the credentials ceremony, the band outside struck up a tune to proclaim to the world that a foreign envoy was paying respects to the king. The band virtually drowned out the king's voice. We had to sit on the edge of the sofa and lean forward to hear the king and we found ourselves shouting when the band stopped to recharge. This is the reason why, in every picture of the king's audience, the visitors look awkward, while the king looks fully relaxed.

...the king has no qualms about receiving ordinary people like captains of visiting ships and even interested tourists. He told me a story as to how he came to collect nearly a hundred ukuleles. A Soviet captain asked him some years ago what he could bring for the king when he came back to Tonga next time. The king said he was interested in an ukulele. Apparently, his weakness for the string instrument went into the KGB files and from then on, every Soviet captain, who came to the island, brought him an ukulele.

Believe it or not,

the king is as fond of exercise as he is of food and set an example to the overfed Tongans by exercising publicly. On a certain day in the week, the Tonga airport would be closed as the king would be riding a specially designed bicycle on the tarmac, with six bodyguards running alongside.

 

If any of you have read this far, please, please go to Jane's Tonga Postcards Page. You'll need sound on to appreciate this. The muzak is almost unbelievable, it had me in stitches. Give it a few minutes, it really gets going. NB If you are suicidal, PLEASE don't listen to this music; it may just tip you over the edge. If that's what you're looking for though, that final push, by all means crank your amplifier and slip away. I've a good mind to email Jane to let her know just how much I "like" it.

[Guest Captain]

i as a Australian with a Tongan backround

Is "backround" a Aussie or Tongan description for a fat a*rse?

 

Because, boy, there's plenty of them in Tonga....

Your mom did a very bad job raising you

[Guest Captain]

King of Tonga

 

This fat old bugger was born in 1918. At 87 therefore, and considerably over weight, must soon be a goner.

 

Any thoughts?

Mr. Joscos,

 

Shame on your mom. Did she leave you by the road side and forgot to teach you some manners?

 

 

Poor thing

[Anubis the Jackal 77]

King of Tonga

 

This fat old bugger was born in 1918.  At 87 therefore, and considerably over weight, must soon be a goner.

 

Any thoughts?

Mr. Joscos,

 

Shame on your mom. Did she leave you by the road side and forgot to teach you some manners?

 

 

Poor thing

Are you the same Captain that brought the ukeleles?

[Guest Lost in Sactown]

To no surprise,

The Tongans who have found their way to this thread all echo the level of respect that we share for our Monarch-our devotion to him and his house runs deep. I find the premise of this thread to be totally tasteless and insensitive. But then, this is the 'net. You guys just dont know any better.

 

Which is a shame really, cause Tongans are the most loyal friends you could ever make.

[Windsor 2,233]

To no surprise,

The Tongans who have found their way to this thread all echo the level of respect that we share for our Monarch-our devotion to him and his house runs deep. I find the premise of this thread to be totally tasteless and insensitive. But then, this is the 'net. You guys just dont know any better.

 

Which is a shame really, cause Tongans are the most loyal friends you could ever make.

Don't look at it like that.

With your Kings death - you will get a new one. Perhaps even less obese...

[Star Crossed 33]

To no surprise,

The Tongans who have found their way to this thread all echo the level of respect that we share for our Monarch-our devotion to him and his house runs deep. I find the premise of this thread to be totally tasteless and insensitive. But then, this is the 'net. You guys just dont know any better.

 

Which is a shame really, cause Tongans are the most loyal friends you could ever make.

I think you'll find that most of our posts have shown due respect to King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV and his house (aside, perhaps from a few light-hearted remarks regarding his musical tastes).

 

We're not all morons out to get a rise from guests; that's mainly Windsor's vocation, it would seem.

 

Just last night I spent half an hour educating three good friends of mine about Tonga, her people, monarchy and constitutional aspirations. I also expressed my deep concern that there appears to be a news blackout regarding the health of your King.

 

I wonder if any of our Tongan friends have any news about King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV's health? The last we heard, he had been rushed to NZ for treatment, but that was over a month ago. I can find no recent news. Your help would be appreciated...

 

Yours Sincerely,

Star Crossed

[Windsor 2,233]

We're not all morons out to get a rise from guests; that's mainly Windsor's vocation, it would seem.

Thats you off the Christmas card list....

[in eternum+ 22]

Just last night I spent half an hour educating three good friends of mine about Tonga, her people, monarchy and constitutional aspirations. I also expressed my deep concern that there appears to be a news blackout regarding the health of your King.

Sounds like a good time was had by all - I bet your friends were so pleased they decided to get together with you.

[Star Crossed 33]

Just last night I spent half an hour educating three good friends of mine about Tonga, her people, monarchy and constitutional aspirations. I also expressed my deep concern that there appears to be a news blackout regarding the health of your King.

Sounds like a good time was had by all - I bet your friends were so pleased they decided to get together with you.

True, my friends do get used to my eccentricities (oh dear, I'm starting to sound like Banshees ). I feel compelled to educate the uneducated. My thirst for knowledge has been a life-long affair and it has cost me "good friends" in the past. One ex-friend was disowned after she insisted that engine braking was not a "proper" part of driving. Haven't spoken to her since that conversation 5 years ago; no great loss (I'm sure she feels the same ).

 

I do get a little over-protective when it comes to this thread, for which I make no apology; I actually have a genuine interest in it, having known nothing of Tonga prior to joining DL.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm no party-pooper (feel free to disagree by PM, not on this thread), but flaming relatively polite guests, especially those who may have some updates on Taufa's health, gets us nowhere.

 

Yours Sincerely,

Star Crossed hasn't had breakfast yet and is already on the defensive.

[Captain Oates 21]

In my Tongan browsing, I found this update on the king.

My apologies if it has been posted already (I can't find it).

 

....the 87-year-old king remains in good health, ....

[football_fan 42]

From: The King closes parliament

Sitting before the throne in his wheelchair, and looking frail but happy, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (87) closed the 135th session of the Tonga Legislative Assembly this morning

 

From: Tonga’s King still undergoing medical check ups in NZ

 

THE King of Tonga who left Tonga suddenly for New Zealand on December 19 2005 for medical reasons, remains in Auckland and it is still uncertain when the King will return home, said Sateki ‘Ahio, the Acting Secretary of the Palace Office today.

 

Sateki said that HM King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV was still undergoing medical check-ups in New Zealand. Although it has not being confirmed when he would return the 87-year-old king remains in good health, said Sateki.

 

There is obviously something that we are not being told. When King Taufa’ahau went to New Zealand on Dec 19th, he was frail and in a wheelchair, but they said that he was in good health and was just going for a medical checkup. Now seven weeks later he is still undergoing a medical checkup? Something is not right. Maybe I should have selected him for my 2006 ddp.

[Gunjaman5000 30]

The Crown Prince has packed in his day job, got some inside information perhaps?

[M Busby Airlines 7]

All I know is ;

 

If this guy & the emir of Kuwait go to-gether - Im fu**ed

 

That will take me 3 days to decipher.