Fears are growing for the health of King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga. The 82-year-old monarch of the South Pacific archipelago recently underwent heart treatment in New Zealand, and yesterday appeared weak and frail at an official engagement in his country’s capital. It was the first time he had been seen in a wheelchair and observers said he appeared confused and shaky.
Last month, reports from the Kiwi city of Auckland described the King as “near death” and his family was said to be gathering at his bedside. But the Tongan royal court dismissed these stories as misinformation, saying that King Taufa’ahau was well enough to go shopping and attend church during his sojourn in New Zealand.
But events in the capital of Nuku’alofa are painting a different picture. Armed palace guards have shut off part of the city, in anticipation of a power struggle if the king does expire. Tupou’s heir, Crown Prince Tupuotoa is said to be battling for control against his sister Princess Pilolevu Tuita, who is currently sixth in line to the throne. The king’s second son, Prince Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, is the county’s Prime Minister and is keeping well out of the struggle.
“The king is not going to last much longer,” said politician Akilisi Pohiva, the leader of a pro-democracy movement, and the man who alerted the media to the alarm felt in Tonga. “There is uncertainty and confusion. There is a leadership crisis in the country… we really don’t know what is going on.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
