Police officers seemed to soak up a real appreciation for the culture, the people and the beauty of Tonga, according to Emile Hons, who said little has changed there since his Peace Corps days



Police officers seemed to soak up a real appreciation for the culture, the people and the beauty of Tonga, according to Emile Hons, who said little has changed there since his Peace Corps days

Peninsula cops find different life in Tonga
Officers return from trip designed to give them insight into troubles of local youths
By Amy Yarbrough, STAFF WRITER

With its white, coral beaches, empty roads and primo snorkeling, the island of Tongatapu, Tonga, is a far cry from the bustling Bay Area.

Violent crimes are about as rare as a chilly day, there's a lot of respect for police and there are just 111 prisoners in the whole Kingdom of Tonga, six of them female.

But even with those differences, the idyllic island had a lot to teach local police about life back home.

San Bruno Police Cpl. Mark Phillips and Burlingame Sgt. Ed Nakiso returned from a recent trip there, where they took in the culture and got ideas on how to curb violence among young Tongans in their cities.

Both officers said they were struck by
the kindness of the people and how differently their youth acted.

In Tongatapu, kids are respectful to their parents and avoid doing anything that might disgrace their family name, said Nakiso, who battled pneumonia during their trip, from March 10 to 17.

In the U.S., Tongan kids are often raised by two working parents andmostly left alone. Strapped for time, their parents are trying to raise enough money and, they hope, send some back home.

But in Tongatapu, everyone seemed to keep a sharp eye on each other's kids, Nakiso said.

"They come out here and have children who were born in California, and those values are lost in the shuffle," he said. "The old adage, 'it takes a village
to raise a kid,' it's true out there."

The week-long trip was just part of a larger effort by Burlingame, San Bruno and San Mateo police, who have been fighting a recent uptick in Tongan youth crime.

Since last year, police in San Bruno alone say they have seen two dozen incidents involving young Tongans, including fights and drive-by shootings, some involving members of rival gangs.

Unlike San Mateo and San Bruno, Burlingame has very few Tongans but receives some fallout from its neighbors. Last weekend, fights erupted at a Tongan party held at a Burlingame social hall, and police asked for help from neighboring agencies to deal with the large crowd.

Nakiso
and Phillips, whose trips were paid for by community donations, traveled with Emile Hons, a San Bruno resident who had lived in Tonga when he was in the Peace Corps during the 1970s.

The officers seemed to soak up a real appreciation for the culture, the people and the beauty of the island, according to Hons, who said little has changed there since his Peace Corps days.

"People have asked, 'What's Tonga like?"' he said. "It's not like Hawaii, it's not like Tahiti. You have to experience it.

"It seems like a lot of the kids who are causing problems have never been to Tonga, but they (burst) with pride at being Tongan. These officers have been there."

Phillips said the Tongan people were shocked and embarrassed to hear about the trouble the youths had been getting into.

"Tongan males and Tongan youth don't act like this in Tonga," he said. "Crime is just something that is not in their vocabulary."

While youth in Tonga are free of some of the bad influences kids face in San Mateo County, Nakiso and Phillips said they did notice graffiti from a gang active back home and were able to decipher it for Tongan police.

Phillips, an officer of 18 years, said he was impressed with how modern the local police department is — from Dell computers to its connection with Interpol, the largest international police organization in the world.

Now, Tongan police are talking about sending some of their representatives to tour the Bay Area.

"Hopefully, with all these agencies working cooperatively, we're going to figure this out," Phillips said.

Staff writer Amy Yarbrough covers police and public safety. She can be reached at (650) 348-4339 or ayarbrough@sanmateocountytimes.com.

When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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Crisis Corps arrives in Thailand After the Tsunami in Southeast Asia last December, Peace Corps issued an appeal for Crisis Corps Volunteers and over 200 RPCVs responded. The first team of 8 Crisis Corps volunteers departed for Thailand on March 18 to join RPCVs who are already supporting relief efforts in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and India with other agencies and NGO's.

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This Month's Feature Stories - only on PCOL Dream Come True - Revisiting India after 34 years The Coyne Column: Read Winning Vanity Fair PCV Essay Tomas Belsky's paintings inspired by service in Brazil RPCV reunites with friend after 40 years RPCV reviews "Los Heraldos Negros" by Cesar Vallejo Photo Essay: Taking it to the Streets

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March 26, 2005: This Week's Top Stories PCVs in Kyrgyz Republic Are Safe 25 Mar The Coyne Column: A Good Friday Message 25 Mar Frederic Zenhausern developing "biometric bodysuits" 24 Mar Robert Blackwill calls for US co-operation with India 23 Mar Margaret Krome promotes alternate crops 23 Mar Al Kamen says allies disappointed in World Bank 23 Mar Ambassador Randall L. Tobias speaks at PC 22 Mar Becky Binns helps organize 30-hour fast 22 Mar Fred Poses meets with Vice-Premier in China 22 Mar John Hoff unionizes substitute teachers in Hawaii 21 Mar Bill Moyers takes time to "sit and vegetate" 21 Mar Tony Hall says Ethiopia may need more food aid 21 Mar Taylor Hackford's 'Ray' wins four NAACP Image Awards 21 Mar PCV seeks tap shoes for students in Moldova 20 Mar Adam Donaldson learns to believe in Baltimore 20 Mar Allen Andersson builds libraries in Central America 19 Mar Senator Sarbanes' quiet leadership will be missed 15 Mar

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March 26, 2005: RPCV Groups in the News Houston RPCVs sponsor "Around the World in a Day"on April 6 25 Mar Minnesota RPCVs need Photos for Exhibition 24 Mar Vasquez to visit DePaul University on April 6 22 Mar New Jersey RPCVs host exhibit in Maplewood on April 2 20 Mar Maryland RPCVs eat crab cakes in Annapolis 17 Mar Connecticut RPCVs held fundraiser on March 5 3 Mar RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter.

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Add your info now to the RPCV Directory Call Harris Publishing at 800-414-4608 right away to add your name or make changes to your listing in the newest edition of the NPCA's Directory of Peace Corps Volunteers and Former Staff. Then read our story on how you can get access to the book after it is published. The deadline for inclusion is May 16 so call now.

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

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