Tongan aid goes above and beyond

Tonga has been inundated with humanitarian aid and military assistance in the past two weeks – partly the result of concern about the impact of the volcanic eruption, and partly because neighbours near and far are vying for influence over the Pacific nation.

Navy ships from the United States, United Kingdom, French Polynesia and New Caledonia have arrived in Tongan waters, while China and Japan sent flights to Nuku’alofa to drop off supplies. That’s in addition to pledges of more than $10m, including US$2.5m from the United States this week.

But Tonga has also been flooded with other items that weren’t requested, and probably weren’t needed, like the life jackets that China donated.

Meanwhile, the 50 engineers from Fiji and an Australian navy vessel, boasting a 40-bed field hospital, have not been able to help because they can’t operate without contact – a requirement to keep Tonga free of Covid.

Anna Powles, a senior lecturer at Massey University’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies, said the response to the eruption had been phenomenal.

‘‘There’s a lot of activity, there’s a lot of things on offer, but it’s not entirely clear how it all fits into a coordinated response based on the Tongan government’s need assessment,’’ Powles said.

The eruption of the Hunga TongaHunga Ha’apai volcano and resulting tsunami has affected more than 80 per cent of Tonga’s population of just over 100,000 people.

It has destroyed infrastructure, flattened homes, and poisoned water and food supplies. Three people have been confirmed dead.

More than 400,000 litres of water have landed in Tonga, as well as food, tents, and other shelters, vital for allowing the Tongan people to get back on their feet.

New Zealand donated $3m, 250,000 litres of clean drinking water, and has a desalination plant in place which can provide 70,000 litres of water per day.

Australia has also donated millions to the cause, provided clean drinking water and a desalination plant, as well as food and shelter. All aid was delivered in a contactless way.

As much as Tonga needs aid from other countries, it is determined to maintain its Covid-free status, having had only one case of the disease during the entirety of the pandemic.

Curtis Tuihalangingie, a Tongan

diplomat in Canberra, told ABC News he was concerned about ‘‘a tsunami of Covid hitting Tonga’’.

The concerns were amplified when it was confirmed that almost two dozen sailors on the HMAS Adelaide had the virus. The ship was allowed to dock on Wednesday, with the infected crew isolated on board.

Powles said the high level of aid provided, relative to the size of the crisis, was due to three factors: a desire to help, a lack of certainty about what was needed, and strategic competition.

‘‘I don’t want to overplay this, but there is an element of geopolitics in there as well,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s less about Tonga than it is about the wider region, and partners working together.’’

China has been expanding aggressively into the Pacific, including into Tonga, and has a history of seizing upon crises. Beijing gave Tonga more than $300 million in loans for the reconstruction of Nuku’alofa after riots in November 2006.

But Tonga has struggled to pay it back, and even before the eruption had asked China for debt forgiveness. Beijing has instead offered a repayment holiday.

Suzanne Vares-Lum, president of the East-West Center in Hawaii, also said politics would be at play in the response to the eruption. But she said countries offering aid should take a step back and learn from the way Tonga has responded, essentially free from interference.

‘‘We often look at our Pacific Island cousins as if they need everybody’s assistance, but are we willing to look at what they have to offer, when we talk about resilient communities,’’ VaresLum said.

‘‘We often look at our Pacific Island cousins as if they need everybody’s assistance, but are we willing to look at what they have to offer, when we talk about resilient communities.’’ Suzanne Vares-Lum President of the East-West Center in Hawaii