Viliami Latu

Who is Viliami Latu?

Dr. Viliami Uasike Latu is a Tongan politician.

After completing secondary education at Tonga High School, he became a high school teacher at the Mailefihi & Siuʻilikutapu College in 1991. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from ʻAtenisi University in 1995, then continued his studies at the University of Auckland, obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Arts Degree in 1997, then a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1999. He returned to Tonga to work as a civil servant, and served as Assistant Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office from 2000 to 2003, before beginning doctoral studies in Japan, on a scholarship provided by the Japanese government. He completed his Ph.D. in Asia Pacific Studies at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in 2006.

Returning to Tonga, he served as Principal Assistant Secretary to the Prime Minister's Officer in 2006 and 2007, then as Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer and Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Education in 2008. In May of that year, he was appointed Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.