Family distraught after parents’ skeletal remains stolen from Tongatapu cemetery

Tukuaki'i ne kaiha'asi e 'anga'anga 'o ha ongo pekia mei ha fa'itoka 'i Longoteme pea maumau'i e fa'itoka' pehē ki he maka mo e tā fakamanatu 'o e pekia'.

The Po’uhila family in Longoteme were left distraught after they discovered the skeletal remains of their parents were allegedly stolen from their grave.

The grave had been partly destroyed and photos placed on the deceased’s headstone were also damaged.

The grave belonged to Finau and Katalina Po’uhila, Kakalu ‘O Tonga newspaper has reported.

A complaint has been lodged with Police.

Despite public appeals and inquiry conducted by the family there was no report that might lead the family to the vandals.

A member of the family appeared on the paper and appealed for the community’s help to identify the suspects.

As Kaniva news reported last month a Tongan family in Auckland has been devastated after vandals damaged their mother’s grave by opening large holes at both ends of the grave.

Last week the family said they were scared to update us on the incident after they learnt their suspect had been allegedly jailed in the past.

They said they did not want to talk in fear the suspect might retaliate.

On a separate incident in Vava’u, Neiafu town officer Vava Lapota said the vandalism was thought to be the result of someone believing the spirits of the dead were harming members of their family.

Lapota contempted the act and said this type of false belief was still held by uneducated and ignorant people.

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