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TSUNAMI STRIKES SAMOA Details are still patchy about the effects of the tsunami triggered by 8.0 magnitude Earthquake that struck 195km (125 miles) South of Apia at 06:48 local time September 29th 2009. The earthquake was felt throughout the Samoan archipelago and Northern Tonga and as far away as Wallis and Futuna. The resultant peak-to-trough tsunami wave heights were, 314cm in Pago Pago, 140cm in Apia and 14cm at Nuku'alofa in Tonga. Figures for the numbers of casualties, injured and homeless have not yet stabilized, but it seems certain that more than 150 people in the region have died. Samoa has the largest number of fatalities, at least 110, with the southern coast of Upolu being particularly badly hit. At least 31 people have been reported dead in American Samoa, and Tonga is reporting that 10 people, on the island of Niuatoputapu, lost their lives in the tsunami. Villages have been washed away, bridges demolished and communications severely disrupted. RELIEF EFFORTS The "Tsunami Samoa 2009" press release #3 can be found here. The "Tsunami Samoa 2009" press release #2 can be found here. A Telethon will be held in Samoa from Friday 00:00 GMT to Friday 12:00 GMT. 2 hours of coverage will be webcast by Samoalivenews, from Friday 04:00 GMT to Friday 06:00 GMT (that is Thursday 16:00-18:00 WST). Informaton about the webcast and telephone numbers can be found here. The Australian Red Cross now has a Samoa and Tonga donations page. The New Zealand Red Cross has set up a donations page to assist victims of the Samoan tsunami. Oxfam NZ has setup a Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami 2009 donations webpage, which can be accessed via this link. Caritas has also started an appeal to assist those affected by the tsunami. The Tongan acting Prime Minister, Lord Tuita, announced that the island of Niuatoputapu in Tonga has been declared a disaster area. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Situation Report #2 can be found here. Reliefweb is keeping track of the relief/humanitarian efforts at this web page. ShelterBox, Telecoms sans Frontieres, AusAID and the New Zealand Airforce to provide assistance in Samoa. FEMA has put out a press release providing details of manpower and supplies being shipped into American Samoa on the first flights to make up its "air bridge". More information about FEMA's response can be found here. REPORTS The Samoan Tourism Authority has a press release with a list of those resorts which were most affected and are not open for business. TVNZ One News have a report from Lalomanu, which focuses on the apparent lack of tsunami warnings. The Samoa Observer has an article on the problems facing the medical services in Samoa. Mata'afa Keni Lesa of the Samoa Observer has written about the day of the tsunami in the New Zealand Herald. Sia Figiel describes the impact of the tsunami on her family and friends in American Samoa. SamoaLiveNews has a photojournal of the devastation of the south coast of Upolu. They have now added a second page of photographs showing the destruction wrought on the south coast. Samoa News has an article giving an overview of what happened in the various districts around Tutuila. They are also providing details of shelter provision around Tutuila. Lance Polu is providing blog updates at Talamua.com and he reports that Samoan death toll is 126 and that Saleapaga is one of the hardest hit villages. Another firsthand account can be found at savaii.blogspot.com, don't be fooled by the name, it is reporting what happened on Upolu, not Savai'i. Matthew, a peace corp volunteer, in Apia has updated his blog with several entries about the earthquake and the evacuation of Apia. He has now added an "Earthquake, Day 2" entry.Sara and Cale Reeves are also Peace Corp volunteers in Samoa and they have extensive updates to their blog about the earthquakes and tsunami. Erica Wales is also a peace corp volunteer in Samoa, in her blog she describes her experiences as the village of Salesatele was hit by the tsunami. Sinalei Reef Resort reports, on their website, that all staff and guests are safe and accounted for. Sadly this is not entirely accurate and it has been reported in several places that the owner Ana Tui Annandale was apparently swept out of the back of a pickup by the tsunami. [We spent one night at Sinalei in 1998 and whilst we were there an earthquake off the coast of Chile resulted in a tsunami watch - fortunately for us there was no tsunami.] Pamela Stephenson Connelly, of Not The Nine O'Clock News fame and wife of Billy Connelly, is in Samoa at the moment and describes the scene for The Guardian Daily podcast, coverage of the tsunami starts about 4:49 into the pod cast. Footage of the devastation in Leone, American Samoa can be seen in this WAToday TV report. Extended footage of the damage to a stretch of the American Samoan coast can be found in this YouTube clip. Joey Cummings captured footage of the water rising around his building in Pago Pago and talks about it with Good Morning America. The southern coast of Upolu appears to have been particularly hard hit. Reports are coming in of Lalomanu being washed way. Tony Manson of TVNZ was in Lalomanu when the tsunami struck, and he describes what he saw. Another TVNZ report shows footage of the damage done in Poutasi on Upolu and American Samoa. The New Zealand Herald is regularly updating this webpage with information about the tsunami. The Daily Telegraph has a small media gallery including photos of the devastation, one of the incoming tsunami and interviews with the editor of the Samoa Observer and the CEO of the Ministry of Communications and IT. Lisa Owen of TVNZ tells the BBC of the response underway in Samoa and retells some eye-witness accounts. KGMB9 News in Hawaii has a report on the effects of the tsunami on American Samoa and the relief efforts that are starting to materialise. The BBC has some additional coverage of American Samoa governor Togiola Tulafono's press conference. The BBC is reporting that the clean-up is under way in Samoa. SAMOAN NEWS SOURCES SAMOALIVENEWS will be updating their website with information about the tsunami in Samoa. Samoa News have photos and updates about the tsunami in American Samoa. The Samoa Observer has started updating their website and has a number of articles about the tsunami and impact.. MISCELLANEOUS This article contains information about the free phone call offers to Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, that are available in New Zealand. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently advising against all but essential travel, to Samoa, until further notice. The same advice is now offered regarding travel to American Samoa. The data on the following web page is extracted from the USGS earthquake tracking service and shows that there are still quakes taking place near the epicentre of yesterdays earthquake. 30th September 2009: Updated October 1st, 2nd 2009
KIONA SINA Kiona Sina are a London based performing arts group and travel all over europe to perform through polynesian dancing and singing of all islands including: Samoan, Tahitian, Cook Islands Hawaii and we are learning Tongan and Fijian. They are currently preparing to perform at the Samoan Festival at the end of June in Stuttgart - Germany. Their website can be found at www.kionasinauk.com 21st June 2007
Warren Fuavailili wins bronze in Melbourne Warren Fuavailili knocked out of the middleweight boxing competition in the semi-final stage by Canadian Adonis Stevenson. Warren lost the 1st round 5-8. The Canadian the forged a large lead in the second round which he won 14-3. Waren recovered slightly in the 3rd which he won 10-9. The referee stopped the fight after 51 seconds in the 4th round. 20th March 2006 Pasifika Styles 2006 Launching in April 2006, the PASIFIKA STYLES EXHIBITION showcasing the work of leading NZ-based artists alongside the Museum's unparalleled Oceanic collections, will be mounted at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (CUMAA) and open to the public until February 2008. The exhibition is co-curated by Dr Amiria Henare, a curator at the Museum, and Rosanna Raymond, a NZ-Samoan artist and scholar based in London. 20th March 2006 Commonwealth Games: Samoa beat Singapore 76-33 in womens netball In their first game of the qualifying rounds they scored an easy victory over the Singaporeans. On Sunday they will play Wales and 20:30. Tuesday will see them up against Australia at 15:00. On Wedsnesday they play Barbados at 13:00. They final qualifying game will be on Thursday at 21:00 against Jamaica. All times are Melbourne time (GMT +10:00). Their progress through the qualifying rounds can be followed here. Their group results can be found here. 18th March 2006 Samoa nudged out of the 7's by England. Samoa were leading up until the final 30 seconds when England scored the winning try. Samoa lost the match 14 - 17. 17th March 2006 Samoa starts well in Commonwealth Games Rugby 7's Samoa beat Uganda 31 - 10 with one try being scored by David Lemi, two by Simaika Mikaele, one by Mark Tanuvasa and one by Keneti Tofilau. Samoa then beat Tonga 25 - 0 with tries being scored by David Lemi (2), Ioane Stanley (1), Keneti Tofilau (1) and captain Uale Mai (1). In there third game of the day they were up against South Africa, a game they lost 10 - 12. Timoteo Iosua and Keneti Tofilau scored Samoa's two tries. Samoa will face England in the Friday's quarter-finals at 14:22 Melbourne time. 16th March 2006 Virgin Blue to fly to Samoa CNN is reporting that Virgin Blue has agreed to take over some of the services into Samoa currently being operated by Polynesian Airlines. The Virgin Blue press release can be found here. As yet no press release has appeared on the Polynesian Airlines website. 14th July 2005 Another Cyclone Update The following was forwarded to Pacific Internet Users Group Dear Colleagues, Thanks to all our friends who sent messages of comfort during the Olaf hurricane which is still ravaging the Samoan islands. The news is both good and bad. At the last moment, only a few miles from the northern shores of Savaii island, the western-most island of the Samoan group, Olaf cyclone, considered more potent than Ofa and Valerie of 1990 and 1991, changed course and veered to the east, passing along the northern coasts of Upolu, and Tutuila in American Samoa. What we got in Savaii, Upolu and Tutuila were probably the tail winds of the cyclone and damage has been minimal. But poor Manua, the site of Margaret Mead's 1926 field work, has received, and is still receiving as I write this, the full brunt of Olaf's fury. There are over 16,000 people in Manua (many of its young men are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan). Ta'u is a group three islands, comprising the easternmost islands of the Samoan archipelago (with Rose Island further to the east, an atoll inhabited only by sea birds). Traditionally, this group is considered the birthplace of Samoan culture, (and possibly of Polynesian culture in general). In Western Samoa, the warning for strong winds and heavy rains is still on, and people are slowly returning to work; schools will probably reopen tomorrow. Once again, thanks for the words of encouragement from our members. With best wishes, Unasa 17th February 2005 Media Coverage of Olaf Honolulu Star Bulletin ABC Honolulu Advertiser Google Aggregate 16th February 2005 Update from American Samoa. The following was posted by Sal at Blue Sky Communications to Pacific Internet Users Group Mailing List at 06:51 GMT on Feb 16th, [Pago Pago is still up that much I know] Indeed we are, at 7:40 PM, local time. If winds get up to 80mph, we plan to place our sat-dish into survival mode (facing straight up) as Steffen had recommended. This obviously will take down our comm to the rest of the world 'till Olaf passes. Currently, our situation sound the same as Samoa (from Ioritanas message) ..... little bit of rain, not much wind as we anticipated by this time (considering Olfa's current location). Olaf has us playing the hurry_up_and_wait game :-) thanks for your prayers .... 16th February 2005 Samoa battens down the hatches. The BBC is reporting the threat posed to Samoa by two approaching cyclones. Yesterday the New Zealand High Commission announced that it was closing its offices due to the threat posed by the cyclones and would not reopen until further notice. U.S. Navy storm bulletins for the Western PAcific can be found here. 16th February 2005 Profiles of Women of the Pacific. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is looking for nominations for a publication to be released in March next year. Nominees should be women that have been tireless volunteers to end violence against women. Source: Pacific Womens' Information Network 13th December 2004 Rugby - Rodney So'oialo's successful season. Rugby Heaven looks back at Rodney's year, in which he reclaimed his position as the All Blacks No. 8. 13th December 2004 USP honours Masiofo Fetauimalemau Mataafa with doctorate of law. Masiofo Laulu Fetauimalemau Mataafa - the first Pro Chancellor of the USP - received an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree yesterday at the USP graduation ceremony for Samoa held at the EFKS Youth Hall. The Doctror of Laws was presented by Pro Chancellor and the chair of the university council Dr S Langi Kavaliku of Tonga. This is the first time an Honourary Doctor of Laws has been presented. Before she served the university, Masiofo Laulu Fetaui was a teacher at Samoa College. Her husband, the late Mataafa Faumuina, was Samoa's first Prime Minister. Masiofo Laulu Fetaui is all well known locally, regionally and internationally for her work to enhance the status of women, particularly as the President of the National Council of Samoa. She has also been a member of the National Council of Churches, a member of parliament, served in Samoa's consular service, and was Samoa's Ambassador to NZ. Masiofo Laulu Fetaui's daughter, the Honourable Fiame Naomi (Minister of Education) was unable to be at the ceremony due to commitments overseas. Source: Pacific Womens' Information Network 13th December 2004 More on GIS in the Pacific Islands South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) is running "Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States" a project funded by European Union and this press release covers some of the projects being rolled out, including one in Samoa. 13th December 2004 islandyouth.org Jody, has written to us saying: "... I write requesting your assistance in highlighting a very interesting website for youth to get involved in. This is a website set up for Island Youths around the World, to discuss relevant issues. The link to the website is: http://www.islandyouth.org/index.html There are hardly any Samoan youth in these discussions. I feel this is an excellent platform for our young people to take advantage of, and to share ideas and network with other youths in turning their island 'vision' into reality. 27th July 2004 Samoa announces permanent residency visas The Samoa government has published details of it plan to make 10 permanent residency visas available for the 2004-2005 fiscal year. Samoan - English. 7th July 2004 ASCC Delegation attends 2004 Fale'ula o Fatua'i'upu Conference Fale'ula o Fatua'i'upu is an international organization dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the Samoan language. Attendees come from Samoa, American Samoa, New Zealand, Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. 7th July 2004 Samoa focused websites not affected by IIS5.0 vulnerability The latest Microsoft security scare for which there is in part no fix as yet, does not appear to be affecting the main Samoa focused web sites. The two pronged attack relies on compromised unpatched IIS5.0 servers to distribute web pages that contain a malware script exploiting an Internet Explorer vulnerability for which Microsoft has not yet released a patch. Web Site OS Server Samoan Sensation FreeBSD Apache/1.3.26 Polycafe Linux Apache/2.0.44 SamoaLive Windows Server 2003 Microsoft-IIS/6.0 Amerika Samoa Linux Apache/1.3.29 Samoa Chat Linux Apache Samoa Observer BSD/OS Apache/1.1.3 Samoa News Linux Apache/2.0.44 Other browsers such as Opera, Mozilla and Firefox and users of Linux and Apple computers are not affected by this latest IE problem. Users of Windows computers should visit the Micrsoft Windows Update website on a regular basis. 26th June 2004 ASCC Teacher Of The Year Shares Her Insights Elisapeta Fa'alafi-Jones, head of the ASCC English Language Institute for the last 14 years was the recipient of the 2003-2004 Teacher of the Year Award. This press release explains her approach to teaching and how it was shaped, 22nd June 2004 South Sea Foam - Chapter 3 We are told how the first Idols came to be worshipped. 20th June 2004 "The Chiropractor" out of Australian Tour Rugby Heaven is reporting that Brian Lima will not be taking part in the Pacific Islander's inaugural tour of Australia. 16th June 2004 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 There are 46 places set aside for women from the Pacific Region for this collective nomination for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, however so far only one woman from the South Pacific has been nominated. If there is someone you can think of as being suitable for inclusion, go to the nominations page. The closing date is June 30th 2004. 16th June 2004 Relief in sight for Manu'a and Tutuila travellers Talks between the government of American Samoa and Polynesian airlines should see an additional aircraft serving the route within days. 15th June 2004 Students head to 2nd Annual Kava Bowl All Star game The University of Utah hosts the Urban Meyer Football camp and more than 50 students from American Samoa will be attending 14th June 2004 Pacific Islander Network Computer Associate The Secretariet for the Pacific Community is looking for a network support engineer from a Pacific Island or Territory interested in gaining experience administering computer networks configured for Pacific island environments. An application form is available on the SPC web site. 12th June 2004 On origin of the Pacfic rat (and Polynesians?) The BBC is reporting the results of research carried out at the University of Auckland investigating the distribution of mitochondrial genetic material amongst rat populations of the Pacific. Since rats and humans were fellow travellers it is hoped this will give an insight into the way in which the Pacific was peopled. 8th June 2004 South Sea Foam - Chapter I South Sea Foam: The Romantic Adventures of a Modern Don Quixote in the Southern Sea, by Albert Safroni-Middleton. We are unable to tell whether this is a work of fact or fiction, most likely it is a combination of the two. Albert Safroni-Middleton seems to have published several books about the Pacific but is probably better known now for his musical compositions. We will be adding each chapter once it has been scanned and proof-read. 6th June 2004 12 scholarships awarded for trainee teachers ASCC's Teacher Education Program has funded 12 new scholarships through a Teacher Quality Education grant from the Federal government to help defray the costs of the extra classes the 12 students will take as part of their Teacher Education training. 5th June 2004 New Te Vaka CD Released Te Vaka's 4th CD "Tutuki" is now available to purchase from their online store. Also available for purchase on the website is the DVD of their sell-out Apia Park concert. 3rd June 2004 The Internet helps Pacific Island Statisticians This press release from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) reviews the benefits of a recent course run by Pacific Regional Information System (PRISM), as seen by the participants. The PRISM website has a very useful collection of statistical information about Samoa. 29th May 2004 Programme for 42nd Samoan Independence Aniversarry Celebrations The Official Programme of events for this years celebrations has been released. Slight changes may however occur on the days of the event. 26th May 2004 ASCC performing arts roundup We have two fairly lengthy press releases. The first concerns the performance of the Matai Ambassadors at the "We Are Samoa" festival in Hawaii, and how it earned them 2nd place. The second, discusses the efforts of Dr. Pouesi and the members of the choir to raise money for new equipment for the orchestra, starting with the brass section. 26th May 2004 Commissioner of Police's weekly report The weekly report from the Commisioner of Police is now available. It contains information about selected crimes, the Commissioners response to press reports of a rise in crime and news of a photographic exhibition focusing on the Solomon Islands and East Timor. 25th May 2004 Prime Minister opens Samoa International Game Fishing Tournament Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi opened the 8th Samoa International Game Fishing Tournament on May 17th. 21st May 2004 ASCC student selected for subtance abuse prevention internship in Washington D.C. Faitolo Ueligitone Jr., a member of the Spring 2004 graduating class at the American Samoa Community College, who has spent the past two years working part-time at the LBJ hospital as a physical therapy technician, will spend ten weeks this summer working as an intern in a substance abuse prevention program in the Washington, DC area. 19th May 2004 News Miscellany Will Trevor Leota switch codes? John Crook, former Norwich City midfielder, has the uneviable task of coaching the American Samoa football team. Samoa and American Samoa get off to poor starts in the World Cup qualifiers. Pacific and Maori bands unite for NZ Music Month. Samoan pastor loses appeal against dismissal. Now Hawaiian Airlines adds a third weekly flight between Hawaii and American Samoa. Samoan fireknife dancing at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Need petrol in the Pacific? Then visit Samoa, it's the cheapest place for it. Rugby World Cup 2007 draw announced. It's too early to say what it means for Samoa. 19th May 2004 ASCC Graduation Ceremony The American Samoa Community College will hold its Spring 2004 graduation this Friday, May 21st, at 10 a.m. in the College auditorium. US Army Lieutenant Colonel Evelyn Vaitautolu-Langford, former student at ASCC and first Samoan women to attain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel will give the commencement address 18th May 2004 2005 Polynesian Dancing Groups Youth Exchange - Finland The Finnish Pacific Islands Friendship Society sent us an e-mail with details of the timetable for a 2005 Youth Exchange for European Polynesian Dancing Groups. 14th May 2004 IT in the Islands The following three events have been mentioned in a thread in the Pacific Internet Users Group Mailing List 23-27 August: PICISOC-PacINET2004 in Port Villa, Vanuatu (open and free to all interested parties) http://www.picisoc.org/tiki-index.php? page=PacInet+2004 26-30 August: ISP/IXP Networking workshop in Nadi (targeted at pacific islands ISP tech staff-collaborated by APNIC, Cisco, PITA and ITU AP office) 31 August - 3 September: APNIC 18 at Sheraton Fiji Resort, Nadi. (open to anyone interested in the Internet from AP community) http://www.apnic.net/meetings/18/index.html 12th May 2004 Sam Estall's visitors report Sam Estall has sent us his thoughts on his trip to Samoa in 2001 and a link to his photographs from the visit. The link has been added to the Visitors reports page. Feel free to e-mail us if you have something you wuld like to contribute to this section. 8th May 2004 We are changing the appearance of this site We apologise for any inconvenience over the course of the day as we change the design of the site. It is intended to be both somewhat cleaner and place less of load on the web server. webmaster@samoa.co.uk 4th May 2004	HRPP wins General Election It appears that the HRPP has won the General Election. Preliminary results suggest they have taken 32 seats, with the DUP taking 10 seats, independent canditates accounting for 6, and a tie between the DUP and HRPP in Faasaleleaga #3. The BBC has this article about the issues and processes behind the Samoan elections. 2nd April 2006 Samoa: A visitor's observations. David Williams e-mailed us to tell us of a travel guide for Samoa he has written based upon the experiences he and his friend Chris Spragg has in Samoa. 18th March 2006 Have you heard (of) The Katinas? 16th March 2006 Te Vaka updated tour schedule Te Vaka's 2006 tour schedule is available online, including a number of performances in Melbourne during the Commonwealth Games. This coming weekend they are performing in Brisbane, and tickets can be obtained from the Brisbane Powerhouse box-office. 16th March 2006 More from Samoa Jacob Philips posted the following to the Pacific Internet Users Group Mailing List at 21:26 GMT on Feb 16th. Talofa lava from Samoa Thanks to one and all for your prayers. It certainly worked. Olaf miraculously bypassed Samoa but i believe Manua Island in American Samoa was not so fortunate and has received the full force. Streets of Apia are deserted but slowly coming to life as companies announce over the radio asking staff to report to work. 16th February 2005 Cyclone update from Samoa Mark Birtwhistle sent the following e-mail at 19:14 GMT, February 16th. Well I don't know which of you were doing the praying but it seems to have worked. Olaf passed 100 miles north of us and we had torrential rain and 60-70 mph winds but avoided the real bad weather. We're still praying though as we have relatives on American Samoa and they're getting the full force with gusts up to 150 mph. 16th February 2005 Cyclone update from Samoa The following appeared on the Pacific Internet Users Group Mailing List at 05:27 GMT on Feb 16th, post by Ioritana Leauga 6pm samoa time. Latest report is that power is off on the western end of Savaii. Whether its a shutdown or a normal outage has not been confirmed. Winds and the swells on western Savaii reportedly have picked up but the lack of the highwinds which are normal with a cyclone this near have been puzzling the weatrhermen. Hope they stay puzzled until Olaf has passed :) Thru out the whole country generally, its just medium to heavy rains but intermittent. (no bad flooding) Took the camera out but nothing out of the ordinary to shoot. Thanks for the thoughts/prayers guys., much appreciated. (when the eye of a storm is about to pass over your meagre life possessions - theres a bit of anxiety here.) Dusk approaching fast. Hope nothing untoward happens under the vail of darkness. Certainly not Olaf & nancy joining up. 16th February 2005 Tuanaimato Breeze in $US 1 million competition. Having triumphed in the recent Champ of Champs Competition, Tuanaimato Breeze, will compete in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship (CWC). Oceania's eventual representative to the final will pocket a cool $US 1 million. 15th December 2004 National University of Samoa visits ASCC. Last week, the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) hosted a visit from five faculty and administrators from the National University of Samoa (NUS). The delegates spent the day familiarizing themselves with the College and its programs, and also meeting with ASCC students to inform them about educational opportunities available at NUS. 13th December 2004 ASCC student assists with marine biology survey Senifa Annandale has spent the last month assisting Brian Bowen, a researcher from the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, with a genetic survey on 25 reef fish species found throughout the archipelago. 13th December 2004 Soccer - Department of Agriculture beat Apia Bottling in penalty shoot-out. Former Manu Samoa "Happy Valley" Veli Vatu saves the day for the Dept of Agriculture in the final of the Business House Cup Knockout. More about this match can be found here. 13th December 2004 Samoan Government Press Releases We have just added the most recent Samoan Government Press releases The four items covered are the forthcoming Pacific Islands Forum Leaders'Meeting, the award of a civil engineering contract, the appointment of the CEO of the airport authority and some details of an AIDS/HIV conference in Thailand. The press releases are available in Samoan and English. 30th June 2004 Samoan Government Assistance for Tuna Fisheries The Government has listen to requests for assistance from the tuna fishing industry and agreed to waive a portion of the interest payments on loans. The press releases are available in Samoan and English. 30th June 2004 Government Statement Concerning Father Francis (Frank) Klep The Samoan Government has issued the following statement regarding the deportation order issued for Father Francis Klep. 23rd June 2004 Disaster planning and a new passenger ship for American Samoa The American Samoa Government has announced that the MV Sili is on its way to American Samoa to provide passenger transport between Tutuila and Manu'a Lt. Governor Sunia has concluded that American Samoa's disaster planning is less than perfect, but is being addressed.. 19th June 2004 ASCC recognises academic achievement This week ASCC published the names of 81 students whose grades earned them a place on the Dean's List. In addition 6 students received their certification in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, a program which is intended to improve the chances of survival of the 1% of new born infants who require major resuscitation to survive. 19th June 2004 Samoa and the World Summit on the Information Society UNESCO, as part of its program to implement the World Summit on the Information Society is proposing to fund a project to transfer Samoan television programs to the Internet.. REMEMBER: Click on the "Rate It" button on the web page to vote for this project. In a simliar, but as far as we are aware, unrelated vein The Polycafe is now hosting programing from O Samoa TV. 17th June 2004 Three press releases from the Prime Minster's Office Details have been released of the Samoan Government's dividend earnings from its shareholding in Pacific Forum Line. English - Samoan The government announces that it joins a body to help protect its indigenious plant life and protect its agricultural crops. English - Samoan A list of Officers of the Ministry of Police, Prisons and Fire Services who have received promotions has been published. English - Samoan 16th June 2004 Two press releases from the Prime Minsters Office Last week the Prime Ministers office released some details of pertaining to the newly announced Renal Dialysis Program. English - Samoan The office also provided some information about the costs associated with funding this years Pacific Island Forum in August this year. English - Samoan 14th June 2004 South Sea Foam - Chapter 2 The tales seem to get somewhat taller as Albert Safroni-Middleton works his way from Samoa to Tahiti and runs out on his princess bride. 12th June 2004 Partners in Pacific Peace Exhibition On May 27th the Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, opened the Partners in Pacific Peace exhibition at the Samoa Police, Prison Service & Fire Station. His speech provides a clear explanation of Samoa's involvement in Peace keeping efforts. It is available in Samoan and English. 8th June 2004 Samoa badly mauled by Scotland Last weekends 24-14 victory over Tonga did nothing to prepare Samoa for what they faced in Wellington. Scotland ran home 5 tries and Samoa could only manage an early penalty. 6th June 2004 PICISOC 2004 The Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society is arranging its 2004 Conference to take place in Vanuatu in August this year. The event is free and open to all interrested parties. 5th June 2004 Independence Day speeches. Being based in the U.K. means it's not easy to just pop over for these events. However we can provide transcipts of some of the speeches. The first speech is that of His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II given at Mulinu'u. It is available in Samoan and English. 5th June 2004 APNIC Open policy meeting fellowships available. APNIC is offering a limited number of fellowships to allow members of the Internet community in the developing economies of the Asia Pacific region to attend APNIC 18 in Nadi Fiji during August and September 2004. In conjunction with the APNIC event is an ISP/IXP networking workshop designed to provide an empowering learning environment. It will provide a combination of lecture, whitepapers, books, and hands-on laboratory exercises all focused on teaching participants how to design, scale, and maintain a production Internet Service Provider backbone. 27th May 2004 Samoa names members of its 4th East Timor Police Contingent A government press release provides the namesand ranks of the three members of the police contingent assisting the United Nations. The press release is available in Samoan and English. 26th May 2004 The Dedication of the new Asau Primary School. Masoe Filisi Kruse, M.P., gave the following speech at the dedication of the new Asau Primary School, which was funded by the Asian Development Bank, on May 20th 2004. It is in both English and Samoan The Minster for Education, Sports and Culture and Afioga Fiame Naomi Mataafa gave this speech at the same ceremony. It is in Samoan only Added and Modified: 25th May 2004 Samoan Government Press Releases This week's Samoan Government press releases are available in English and Samoan. The health ministry has announced initiatives for renal dialysis, budgetary funding for overseas treatment and provision of medical support at major religious conferences. [ English ] - [ Samoan] The Samoa Airport Authority has received an award for its ability to satisfy international requirements.[ English ] - [ Samoan] The prime minster is visiting an exhibition of colonial photographs of Samoa in Germany on his way to London for the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group[ English ] - [ Samoan] 20th May 2004 O le Siosiomaga Have you heard of O le Siosiomaga Society Inc and do you know what they do? Read more about this community oriented environmentally focused non-governmental organisation. 18th May 2004 The Mau: an excellent overview. If you are not familiar with Wikipedia then the article on The Mau will give a good idea of the aims for the project, and yes it does derive its name from a polynesian language. There are few (shown in red) entries missing for Samoa and of course you can add more if you want to. 17th May 2004 Free downloadable Samoa Travel Guide Whilst going through old 'junk' e-mails, we found one from Green Turtle Samoa Holidays which had been incorrectly filtered. Browsing through their web-site we came across the Samoa Travel Guide they have released in association with Go Samoa Holidays. We'll carry on looking through that ocean of offers for free viagra, cheap loans and make money quick schemes to see if anything else has been miscategorised. Apologies in advance if your e-mails to us have ended up in that seldom viewed folder. 15th May 2004 Galeaí named Fale'ula O Fatua'i'upu President for 2004-2005 PC Galea'i M. Tuufuli, Manu'a District Governor, has been selected as the next President of the Fale'ula o Fatua‘i‘upu, an international organization dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the Samoan language. 13th May 2004 ASCC Matai Ambassadors visit Hawaii The Matai Ambassadors, the premier student dance troupe of the American Samoa Community College, will travel to Hawaii this week to compete in the Samoan Cultural Arts Festival at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, which takes place on Saturday, May 15, and coincides with the final day of the 12th Annual World Fireknife Competition, which begins on May 13th at the PCC. 13th May 2004 A miscellany of news stories New total immersion Samoan pre-school opened in Hawke's Bay. Australian aid Pacific Islands is set to increase. Samoan Advisory Council to improve the lot of Samoans living in New Zealand Pacific Islands Countries Urged to Sign and Ratify WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco-Control Treaty Aloha increases flights to American Samoa. Polynesian Cultural Center hosts World Fireknife Dance competition. Things have obviusly changed when Samoa's leaders receive World Press Freedom Day 2004 Awards. A hat-trick of Pacific Island PhDs at the University of Auckland. Samoan fishermen missing 5 days, found. Have you heard of the "Samoan Three Peaks Challenge"? One for the Tourist Board to pick up on perhaps. Polynesian Airlines to benefit from Royal Tongan Airlines collapse. International Kava market predicted to reopen. Reporters sans frontieres release the Samoa 2004 Report. Compare and contrast with the previous press related story. Pacific Islanders seek climate justice, and point the finger at Australia. Maselino Masoe new WBA middleweight champion. 11th May 2004