Dateline Pacific evening edition for 5 February 2018

The captain of the Kiribati ferry which sunk last month may have ignored pleas from passengers to turn back; The dengue fever related death of a 12-year-old girl in Tonga has highlighted the need for more awareness of the disease throughout the region; The police in Niue say they have opened an investigation into a complaint laid by an opposition MP, who says he was punched in the face by a cabinet minister; A former New Zealand diplomat says a new Australian foreign affairs white paper could foster instability in the Pacific, and; A team of plastic surgeons from Australia will provide free surgeries for patients in Tonga.