Tonga's most prominent pro-democracy activist, Akilisi Pohiva, says the government should drop its lengthy investigations into the riot last November and put the money into reconstruction.
Hundreds of people have been charged over the riot, including Mr Pohiva, who is to begin his trial on sedition charges next week.
Mr Pohiva says the way to bring peace back would be to divert all the money being spent on the judicial enquiry into rebuilding the country.
"It would be better you know for government to make peace with the people, settle all the cases, cancel all the cases, get all the resources - the very huge resources that would go to the lawsuits and all these legal and judicial proceedings - these can be added to the reconstruction of Nuku'Alofa. That would be better."
