WELLINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Tongan Prime Minister'Akilisi Pohiva, a pro-democracy and climate change campaignerin the South Pacific, died in a New Zealand hospital onThursday, the information ministry and media reports said.
Pohiva, 78, had been diagnosed earlier this year with aliver complication and was admitted to a hospital in Tonga twoweeks ago for pneumonia, the prime minister's office said in astatement on Wednesday.
Medical experts decided he should be medically evacuated toNew Zealand, it said.
Parliament has been deferred indefinitely, Tongan mediasaid.
Known as a champion for democracy, Pohiva's political careerwas marked with constant battles against the monarchy of theSouth Pacific nation. He was charged with sedition in wake ofpro-democracy riots in the capital Nuku'alofa in 2006.
"Terribly saddened to hear of the passing of Tongan PrimeMinister, the Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva. He was a passionate advocatefor his people, for his beloved Tonga & our Pacific family,"Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a Twitter post.
Pohiva, Tonga's longest-serving member of parliament sincehe was first elected in 1987, was outspoken about climate changeand called for world leaders to help island nations, some ofwhich are battling rising sea levels.
Pohiva also raised concerns about the mounting Chinese debtin the South Pacific.
Tonga is heavily indebted to China, with more than 60% ofits external debt owed to Beijing through bilateral loans,according to the country’s 2019-20 budget.
The small Pacific nation received a reprieve from China lastyear on the timing of debt repayments after it signed up toChina’s Belt and Road initiative.
"Such a tremendous loss for all of us Tongans," JennySalesa, New Zealand's Minister for Ethnic Communities tweetedafter the news was reported.
Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Twitter thatthe world must by continue Pohiva's fight for climate action.(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Additional reporting by JonathanBarrett in Sydney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and MichaelPerry)