moy
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Tonga to spend millions on coronation May 8, 2008 5:11 PM
The tiny Pacific nation of Tonga looks set to splash out millions of dollars on the coronation ceremony this year of King George Tupou V. There are even unconfirmed rumours that Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger will be invited. New Zealand's Dominion Post newspaper reports that the cost of the lavish ceremony to crown the new monarch could climb as high as $T10 million ($NZ6.8 million). Tonga's economy is largely dependent on money sent home by Tongans overseas and on foreign aid, including about $A!2 million ($NZ14.6 million) each year from Australia. The coronation ceremony is planned to run from July 29 to August 2. A new gold sceptre has been cast in gold for the occasion, which will feature luncheons, balls, a fireworks display and a rugby match between a World XV and the Tonga XV, it is reported. Pro-democracy supporter and Tonga MP Akilisi Pohiva said parliament was expected to be given costings for the coronation when it sat later this month. Pohiva said he hoped the king would use the coronation to sign a document supporting political change in the South Pacific nation, where the king chooses many of the country's MPs, including all the ministers. "We expect it to be a highlight of the coronation," Pohiva said. The current system is expected to be altered before the next election to make it more democratic. Pohiva said pro-democracy supporters had no plans to protest at the coronation, but that could change if the king decided against signing the document. Riots broke out in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa in 2006 just weeks after Tupou became king. Many of the king's businesses were targeted by the riots, which destroyed much of downtown Nuku'alofa and left eight people dead. Plans for a coronation ceremony to be held last year were shelved amid concerns people would be angered by the extravagance.
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