Samoa

The Samoa Observer reported members of the Samoan Solidarity International Group will present the petition when parliament opens on the 23rd of this month.

Group member Unasa Iuni Sapolu says they want the 2008 Lands and Titles Act to be repealed.

Unasa says many of their concerns surround the Torrens system of registry of land titles which is enabled under the Act but which they say is contrary to traditional Samoan land rights.

Unasa says Torrens systems have "wrecked indigenous land ownership in other countries".

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was responding to a question from KHJ News if his government was concerned at the number of local businesses being sold to Chinese interests.

Major sales of Samoan businesses to Chinese interests include the two Sheraton Aggie Greys resorts and the Tree House Hotel at Malololelei.

And more recently the Catholic Church has sold a major beach property on the northern east coast of Upolu island to another Chinese organisation.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told media yesterday that the crack down on relatives working within the police force was only just the beginning.

He said there was a Public Service regulation that did not allow such work situations but somehow it had not been enforced.

Tuilaepa said these kind of situations had caused problems in the past and should not be allowed to continue.

He was commenting on the Criminal Libel Law, which was passed by Parliament in less than an hour just before Christmas.

Tuilaepa told TV1Samoa that it would be good if media organisations were forced to reveal their sources as it would force them to get their information from officials and not from what he called 'office boys'.

"The official information about government comes from this office, not from office boys," he said.

Police were not immediately available to comment on the fire but an officer at the headquarters of Fire and Rescue says fire trucks have been sent this afternoon from Apia as no fire station is located near the school on that side of Upolu island.

RNZI reports Palalaua College is situated more than eight miles from the main fire station in the capital.

The college is behind the multimillion dollar Siumu primary school built by Chinese aid.

Workers making up to $US5900 dollars or $15,000 tala will not be pay tax under reforms announced late last year by revenue minister Tialavea Tionisio Hunt.

The reforms include controversial measures to tax church ministers.

Workers earning between $15,000 and $25,000 tala will pay a tax rate of 20 percent of their earnings, while those above that bracket will pay 27 percent.

Tialavea told Samoa Observer the government had many projects that would benefit the public but the people had to help pay for these as they would reap the benefits.

The figure was confirmed by Samoa's Ministry of Health, which says the number of people affected by the mosquito-borne disease has increased from 1700 to 2446 since October.

The Ministry said people under 19 were the age group most affected by the outbreak.

About 700 cases have been confirmed among children between the ages of 5 and 9.

More than 500 children between 10 and 14 years of age have also been affected, as well as 400 children and infants between the ages of 1 and 4.

The most affected areas were in Faleata, Vaimauga and Leauvaa on Upolu Island.

The Newsline newspaper reported that Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told his ruling Human Rights Protection Party late last year that government is already looking at legislation that will allow this to happen.

Tuilaepa said that population shift to urban areas was continuing and had made it necessary to consider increasing seats in the House to ensure suitable and equitable representation.

Manuleleua was one of four prisoners who broke out of the prison a week before Christmas.

Three others have since been recaptured and are now back in prison.

Police have previously advised the public not to approach the escapee has he is considered dangerous.

Samoa Prison Services said the public's safety is their priority at this time of the year and the police are working around the clock to catch the criminal.

An investigation is also underway into how the prisoners broke out of the complex.

His comments at a press conference on Thursday follow a call for a law change from lawyer Unasa Iuni Sapolu.

Unasa said legalisation could help the country economically and reduce prison numbers.

Tuilaepa said his government would not be legalising marijuana because it breaks families up and affects people's health and safety.

He said most countries don't legalise the drug for safety reasons.

Tuilaepa said some countries allow marijuana cultivation and distribution for medicinal purposes only and under very strict conditions.