Thousands march on Tongan Parliament

Thousands of people brought Tonga to a standstill yesterday with a march on the Legislative Assembly to protest against constitutional changes that would give more powers to the King.

More than 6000 marchers took a petition asking the Assembly to reject changes to clause seven of the constitution, which they said would limit media freedom and give even greater power to King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

Church leaders, teachers, doctors, mothers and babies were among those to take to the streets, carrying banners opposing the changes.

Protest marches in the kingdom of 104,000 are rare and the last of any significance was in 1991, when 1500 people marched on the palace to protest against the sale of Tongan citizenship to non-Tongans.

Police could not give an estimate of the crowd size but reporters at the scene put it at between 6000 and 10,000.

Catholic Bishop Sioane Foliaki led the march and presented the petition.

Hundreds of people remained outside the tiny Assembly building waiting to see what would happen to their petition.

The King has sought to change the constitution after failing in bids this year to ban the New Zealand-published Taimi o Tonga newspaper through the courts.

The paper's New Zealand-based publisher, Kalafi Moala, said the march signalled the people's growing anger at the proposed changes and the gathering strength of the pro-democracy movement in Tonga.

"People are feeling that their freedom is going to be infringed on, not just the media, but their freedom to speak. There was a lot of passion from people at the march."

Mr Moala said it was unlikely the King was aware of the numbers who had turned out to vent their anger - "he lives in a bubble not knowing what's going on in the rest of the country" - and he did not expect the petition to make a difference.

But in Tonga, Filo Akauola, general manager of the paper, was more optimistic the Government would have to listen. While yesterday's march had been peaceful, a third march might not be.

"They shouldn't underestimate the power of the people," he said.

The editor of Matangi Tonga, Pesi Fonua, said in an editorial this week that the changes were "madness".

"[It] will damage the reputation of this country beyond our wildest nightmares. It goes against the principles of the civilised world."

Pesi Fonua said the Government would not win respect by changing the laws, simply because it has been losing its court cases against its critics.

"What we are about to debate and fight over will only make us poorer, and allow other people to tell us how backward we are," he said.

King Tupou, 85, controls the 30-seat Parliament and appoints the 12-man Cabinet for life, led by his youngest son, Prime Minister 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata.

STAFF REPORTERS, NZPA