March

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa confirmed these repatriation flights during her official press conference last week.

Cabinet has also approved a repatriation flight from Fiji on 18 March to bring home scholarship students who have completed their studies as well as returning Samoan citizens working in Fiji Tala Fou reports.

The Samoa Observer reports the march was organised by So'o'au Va'a and Maylynn Brown and included some members of the Returned Servicemen's Association (RSA) carrying flags of New Zealand, Australia and the United States to represent the Samoan diaspora in those countries. The Samoan flag was prominent on the rally. An Israeli flag was also spotted.

Placards read "No one is above the law" and "We stand for the Judiciary of Samoa".

One RSA member Peter Jensen said the current situation seems like a ball game between two teams trying to score points against each other.

The first flight on 5 February had five deportees from the United States.

At a press conference this week, Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri said the deportees completed their 21 days mandatory quarantine period on 26 February.

Savali Newspaper reports they had their Covid-19 tests on the day of their arrival and on their last day of quarantine period.

Most of the deportees received their Covid-19 vaccinations in the United States prior to travelling to Samoa.

Another flight on 13 February brought 60 people from Fiji.

The Samoa Observer newspaper reports this has been confirmed by the CEO of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Frances Reupena.

The ban, which was to have been implemented last year but was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will cover the importation, sale, distribution or manufacture of styrofoam plates, containers and cups.

Reupena said the ban would come into effect from 28 February.

The Director-General of Health, Leausa Dr Take Naseri, said in times of a pandemic everyone needed to support and take part in a mass vaccination.

Leausa said front-line workers such as health personnel would be priorities to receive the vaccine.

The UN resident co-ordinator in Samoa, Dr Simona Marinescu, said the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or COVAX, approved up to 50,000 vaccine doses for Samoa, enough for 20 percent of the population and officials. She said the vaccine should be in Samoa before the end of March.

The movement was an independence and indigenous rights group which became prominent in the early part of the 20th century.

The Samoa Solidarity International Group has been granted a permit to hold the march to commemorate the movement and the death of Lauaki Namulau'ulu Mamoe on Saturday.

The group's Faleauto Taua said Lauaki's sacrifice and death should be marked.

The Samoa Solidarity International Group will present a notice of opposition to Parliament on Tuesday, claiming that local law strips people of their customary land rights.

A march to mark the day one of the leaders of the Mau movement died will also take place on Saturday.

The Mau movement was an independence group which became prominent in the early 20th century.
 
The SSIG's Faleauto Taua told RNZI the death of Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe needs to be marked.

Pala Molisa from the School of Accounting and Commercial Law at Victoria Business School was one of the speakers at a major march in the New Zealand capital yesterday demanding climate change justice.