The 37th Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting due to be held in Tonga in October is most likely to be moved to a new venue, Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio reported on Wednesday.

The radio said Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who lies gravely ill at a hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, is suspected to pass away in the very near future and strict mourning rituals will be in effect when the forum leaders arrive.

It would be almost impossible to have both events at the same time, and so the Tongan Prime Minister Fred Sevele has contacted the forum chair Michael Somare and the organization's Secretary- General Greg Urwin, urging them to change the venue, the report said.

Tonga's news web site, Matangi Tonga, has said the King's palace has been painted and workers are cleaning up the palace grounds while students from nearby Queen Salote College have started cleaning the royal tombs.

The 88-year-old king has ruled Tonga for 41 years when his mother, the late Queen Salote Tupou III, died at the age of 65.

Source: Xinhua