Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi

The matter was raised again following the deportation of USP Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia and his partner Sandra Price from Fiji last week.

“We are 100% willing to make that happen. Samoa is revered in the region as a leading player when it comes to national issues benefiting not just our country but the Pacific Forum family as a whole,” said Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi in an interview with TV3.

As for the USP internal issues, the Prime Minister said that it came as no major surprise to him.

The book was launched during the recent virtual 2020 Pacific Ocean, Pacific Climate Change conference. 

It is a compilation of the contributions of some of the keynote speakers at the Second Pacific Climate Change Conference held in Wellington in 2018, which includes the Prime Minister himself, who delivered the keynote address.

One chief executive has revealed they have been offered a reduced tariff to use the new digital broadcasting platform, the Samoa Observer reports.

Galumalemana Faiesea Matafeo of the Samoa Broadcasting Corporation said the monthly tariff had been cut from $US8537 to $US6547.

She indicated that rate would apply for six months from next month, after which it would be be reviewed.

In his weekly radio show, Tuila'epa quoted several biblical verses to describe the people who planned to commit such unlawful actions, and their fate.

He referred to the verse in the book of Matthew that says "live by the sword, die by the sword".

Last week the police arrested and charged three suspects over an alleged plot to assassinate the Prime Minister.

A Samoan man living in Australia is also a suspect but police have yet to make a fourth arrest.

Two of the accused have been remanded in custody until 26 August 2019 for mention.

Police said they would not release further details due to the seriousness of the allegation and the investigation is ongoing.

The matter was reported to Samoa Police Service on 13 August following a tip-off by the Lauli’i Village Council.

Police said their evidence includes the use of social media both inside and outside of Samoa.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi confirmed last week the government is leasing five acres of land at Tafaigata to the owner of Magic Circus of Samoa for a zoo and family park.

The society's Joan MacFarlane told the Samoa Observer that the animals would suffer because adequate care was not available.

Samoa only has one veterinarian with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries while the society uses a volunteer.

Dr McFarlane said neither of the vets have the time or the specialised skills to work with zoo animals.

In his weekly radio programme, Tuilaepa denied owning eight homes in the United States.

He also denied having off-shore accounts in the Cayman Islands, saying he has never been there.

Tuilaepa has also denied any of his children have government jobs in the US.

He said although his daughter-in-law works at the ambassador's office in New York his son is only there to look after their children.

He again called on the Attorney General's Office to look at extraditing the supposed blog writers to face criminal charges.

Tuilaepa said that USP has contributed towards the shaping of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism (FPR) through intellectual dialogue and interface with people who are actively engaged in redefining the way the Framework should work.

“We see USP as having a multi-faceted role in the Pacific Region, besides its core function as the provider of quality higher education and research in the region,” he said.

Tuila'epa was flown to New Zealand by air ambulance two weeks ago.

There's been little detail about the state of health of the long serving leader.

According to RNZI, people have been kept in the dark since Tuila'epa was admitted to intensive care at Samoa's national hospital in Apia at the beginning of this month.

The only statement from the government through the first secretary said there is nothing to worry about, the prime minister is doing well in New Zealand and he is sending his love and his best wishes to everyone in Samoa.

Tuilaepa made these remarks when delivering the keynote address for the official opening of the ITU-ABU Pacific Media Partnership Conference 2015 at the Tooa Salamasina Hall.

The conference is funded by the International Telecommunication Union and Asia Broadcasting Union in partnership with the Governments of Samoa and the Australian Government.