Emotional ocean memorial for Tonga ferry victims

Updated August 26, 2009 06:43:35

Dozens of people in Tonga have attended an ocean memorial 90 nautical miles out to sea, at the site where the Princess Ashika sank earlier this month with 72 people on board. Yesterday at dawn a small flotilla of boats left for the spot where the ferry went down on August the 5th. Attending the memorial were grieving friends and relatives... along with several members of the Tongan royal family, and Prime Minister Fred Sevele. Matangi Tonga reporter Pesi Fonua was also at the service.

Presenter: Geraldine Coutts
Speaker: Pesi Fonua, Matangi Tonga

FONUA: Basically the scene was really very emotional, people were very sad. Fortunately it was a very nice day, the sea was reasonably calm and the procedure just went through memorial services and then the lowering down of the memorial stone with the names of the missing people, and then following then was a lowering down of wreaths into the sea, and more crying and people singing hymns. And then after that then we all came home.

COUTTS: Well you were there, how many others took part in the memorial service?

FONUA: There were three ships, two ferries and two patrol boats, one ferry, two patrol boats, and there were also small boats from the nearby island. So in total maybe you're looking at about 200 or even more, a little bit more than 200 people who were on the site.

COUTTS: Did you speak or did any members of the families speak?

FONUA: Yes there was a representative of, a mother of one of the young men that died. This young man lost his wife and two kids. The only living member of that family was the one middle child, I think he's only about nine or something, and his mother spoke, and she was the only one that spoke. And of course the other relatives were there, they spoke, they made a speech, but was not broadcasted.

COUTTS: Who represented the Royal family at the service?

FONUA: Well the Princess Regent was there, Mrs Pilolevu Tuita and I think there were also other members of the royal family and the prime minister, a few cabinet ministers, a few members of parliament, people's representatives, nobles, so a lot of people were there.

COUTTS: Did the Prime Minister or any members of the royal family speak?

FONUA: No, it was just a normal funeral service, mainly conducted by the reverends of different churches and then the words of thanks were said by the governor of Hapai. It was just a normal funeral service.

COUTTS: Now this is a sensitive issue Mr Fonua but has a decision been made to abandon the hopes of recovering the bodies from the Princess Ashika?

FONUA: Well I think it was more or less like accepted. The Princess Regent made the speech the night before on the TV and more or less like saying at the end of this well people will all come home and more or less that was the funeral service. And I think generally that was accepted.

COUTTS: Because some of the families were saying that they wanted no cost or effort spared to bring the bodies home?

FONUA: Well I think the reality is that it would be very difficult and also I think there will be, I don't know if they can find anything down there.