From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Chinese in Tonga
Chinese in Tonga
A significant Chinese presence in Tonga is relatively re- to leave the country. This policy contradicted King Tau-
cent. There were approximately three or four thousand faʻahau Tupou IV’s publicly expressed wish to see more
Chinese people living in Tonga in 2001, thus comprising Chinese immigrants settle in Tonga.[7]
3 or 4% of the total Tongan population.[1] This figure in- In 2006, riots in the Tongan capital, Nukuʻalofa, main-
cludes Tongan citizens of Chinese ethnicity, and marks ly targeted Chinese-owned businesses, leading to the em-
a sharp increase from the 1996 census, which recorded igration of several hundred Chinese.[3]
only 55 persons on Chinese ethnicity living in Tonga.[2]
Chinese in Tonga and Chinese Tongans are Tonga’s main
ethnic minority group, and have been subjected to signif-
See also
icant levels of racism, including racist violence, in recent • Sino-Tongan relations
years.
In the 1990s, the Tongan government controversially
sold Tongan passports to Chinese nationals and residents
References
of Hong Kong, enabling them to settle in Tonga and lead- [1] "Editorial: Racist moves will rebound on Tonga".
ing to the appearance of a visible Chinese community in The New Zealand Herald. November 23, 2001.
the South Pacific kingdom.[3][4] In 1999, the Tonga Chi- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/
nese Association reported around 40 cases of harassment story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=229612. Retrieved
of Chinese businessmen, including several assaults, and September 23, 2011.
Tonga’s then-Crown Prince (now King) Tupoutoʻa con- [2] "Population Census 1996", Tonga Department of
demned what he called "the racially motivated and cow- Statistics
ardly violence which young jobless and, dare I say it, [3] ^ "Flight chartered to evacuate Chinese in Tonga",
hopeless Tongans, visited on our Chinese-owned shops ABC News, November 22, 2006
[in 1999]; an act of such barbarity that it shamed and dis- [4] "In the Court of the King of Tonga", Paul Theroux,
gusted me and every other Tongan of my generation".[5] New York Times, June 7, 1992
In 2000, local authorities in Nukunuku banned all Chinese [5] "Tonga’s Prince takes swipe at racism at home and
shops from the district.[6] abroad". The New Zealand Herald. June 26, 2000.
In 2001, there were about 100 reported cases of racial http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/
assault against Chinese by indigenous Tongans, including story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=141510. Retrieved
the destruction of Chinese owned shops.[7] The violence September 23, 2011.
was thought to have been fuelled in part by resentment [6] "No More Chinese!", Tongatapu.net, 2000
against Chinese shop-keepers due to high levels of un- [7] ^ Paul Raffaele and Matthew Dearnaley (November
employment among indigenous Tongans. Tongan Prime 22, 2001). "Tonga to expel race-hate victims". The
Minister Prince ʻUlakalala Lavaka Ata responded to the New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
violence by announcing that 600 Chinese residents would section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=229521.
not have their work permits renewed, and would have Retrieved September 23, 2011.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_in_Tonga&oldid=452004126"
Categories:
• Chinese diaspora
• Tongan people
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