Saturday
Brits take note - see what happens when there is no decent succession plan for your monarchy?
[87 year old] King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who lost $37 million of the kingdom's money when he gave it to his American court jester, appears to be falling for a Nigerian-type scam.Oh dear.
Talks were under way "to bring a billion dollars to invest in Tonga to help fund many projects in Tonga" and neighbouring countries, he said.And you thought Prince Charles regularly dressing up like an Imam was a bit embarrassing.He would be involved in a telephone link with the investors to set a date to visit Tonga.
"Talks with this bank are for them to use the Reserve Bank of Tonga, to leave their money there and take the funds for the project from the Reserve Bank.
(Via Silent Running)
What amuses me is the thought of what will happen after the Head Honcho finds out he's been had.
Will Tonga declare war against Nigeria? Or send a war canoe for a CIA style infiltrate-and-snatch-the-crook mission?
Posted by Julian Morrison at April 15, 2006 08:08 AM
That's about a year or so old now. Apparently it was true though.
Posted by Patrick at April 15, 2006 01:04 PM
Thanks so much for that contribution, Patrick - I'm sure it's enormously appreciated by all.
Incidentally, I checked the date on the article - 2nd of November, 2005. Not exactly fresh news, but some way off a year. Irrelevant; a story that dated can't possibly be amusing, right?
Posted by James Waterton at April 15, 2006 02:34 PM
If you actually read the article in its entirety, it appears that the mysterious foreign investor is actually an American, not a Nigerian. Sounds to me like a thrillionaire intent on getting out from under Uncle Sugar. With a billion bucks in the Tongan Reserve Bank, that could be the basis of the sort of digital cash put out by the First Distributed Republic in Neal Stephensons, "The Great Simoleon Caper".
Posted by Mike Lorrey at April 16, 2006 03:31 AM
If you actually read the article in its entirety, it appears that the mysterious foreign investor is actually an American, not a Nigerian. Sounds to me like a thrillionaire intent on getting out from under Uncle Sugar. With a billion bucks in the Tongan Reserve Bank, that could be the basis of the sort of digital cash put out by the First Distributed Republic in Neal Stephensons, "The Great Simoleon Caper".
Posted by Mike Lorrey at April 16, 2006 03:32 AM
The Brits have a succession plan - pray for the Queen outliving Chuck.
Posted by Walter E. Wallis at April 16, 2006 09:42 PM
To Walter E. Wallis, obviously an American. I suggest you keep your ill-informed jokes for your own family and not ours. Prince Charles's name is Prince Charles, or the Prince of Wales.
Chuck is not a British diminutive of Charles, thus, by employing it you do not "cleverly" diminish him in our eyes.
Posted by Verity at April 16, 2006 10:32 PM
I hope that Tongan Government should review this offer before committing to this. Nigerian has been known of doing bad businesses through internet. I hope that whoever is trying to make deal with these
people will check with the US FBI or CIA before setting
anything with them.
Posted by viliami at April 18, 2006 11:19 PM
Hey, I liked the link to the Imam of Wales picture. Oh, and look! The Dorkesse of Cornwall stands next to him!
Posted by Roderick Reilly at April 19, 2006 11:26 PM
