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PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA $1.00MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2018

� e leadership and command team of the Headquarters Company (HHC) of the 87th CSSB, of the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, Fort Stewart, Georgia (L-R): SSG POSER, J. SFC SORIANO, M. CPT NORTHRUP, R (Company Commander) SPC AUVA’A, A, SSG BAILEY J, SGT JONES M. SFC SOUTHWORTH T 1LT LOVING-GOOD J. 1LT PASCETTA N (COMPANY EXECUTIVE OFFICER) SPC MCGRAW B.  SPC MENDIOLA G. AND 1SG SMITH, as they congratulate SPC Auva’a on achieving her “gender marker” change. SPC Auva’a is the First Samoan Transgender to serve openly as a female soldier of the United States Army.

She joined the ranks in June of 2016 as the � rst transgender to swear an Oath as a Transgender and was dressed in female attire. (See inside for SPC Auva’a’s thoughts on her Gender marker change.) [Courtesy photo]

Abuse of two escapees reported — by otherinmates within TCF

by Ausage FausiaSamoa News Reporter

The beating and abuse of two inmates who escaped twice from prison this year is allegedly continuing inside the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF) in Tafuna.

Samoa News received numerous phone calls last week — straight from some of the inmates inside the TCF, alleging that DPS police offi cers who are assigned to guard the two inmates, are keeping them cuffed at all times inside their cell — even when they eat and sleep.

Efforts to obtain a comment from the Police Commissioner Le’i Sonny Thompson last week were unsuccessful. Samoa News queried him via email, but he never replied. Phone calls were also made but Le’i didn’t answer his phone.

This: Despite Le’I’s many promises to Samoa News that he would never hide any information nor ignore anything the com-munity wants to know about his department’s operations, and that he would be available at any time to give out information, it seems that is not the case right now.

The two inmates are Joe Togitogi and Joseph Iosefa Iakopo, according to inmates, who called Samoa News.

“Both their hands were handcuffed during the time they sleep and eat. They were also allegedly beaten badly by police offi -cers two weeks ago and are not allowed to see their families,” according to one of the inmates.

Another inmate told Samoa News that the two inmates were sleeping on wet cement without a sheet, pillow or mat for the whole week right after tropical storm Gita last month.

“Some of the cells inside the prison including the cell where the two inmates are kept were wet and there was water on the fl oor. I saw it with my own eyes how the two inmates were treated, they slept on the wet fl oor without a mat, sheet or pillow for fi ve days and I gave them two of my ie lavalava to cover the fl oor so that they could sleep well,” said the inmate.

According to a third inmate, the police offi cers from the Cen-tral substation and two fi remen from the Fire Division who were assigned by the Police Commissioner to guard the two inmates are the ones who allegedly mistreated the two.

The inmate said that TCF guards told some of the inmates,

(Continued on page 8)

by Ausage FausiaSamoa News Reporter

Chief Immigration Offi cer Peseta Dennis Fuimaono and his staff are ready to present to the Trial Division

of the American Samoa High Court the fi le that contains all the accurate information about an over-stayer who is now serving time at the Terri-torial Correctional Facility (TCF) in Tafuna, after he was convicted by the court for escape from confi nement, burglary and stealing.

Samoa News obtained a copy of Joeita Fa’aaliga’s Immigration fi le last week, which contains the date he entered American Samoa, his name on his Entry Permit (which is not ‘Joeita Fa’aaliga’) and the airline tickets, the date he entered the territory, and also his sponsor’s name.

According to his Immigration fi le, his name on his Document of Identity is “Joita Fa’aaliga”, the same name that also appeared on his 30-day

permit and on his Itinerary. He entered American Samoa on August 21, 2012, and his sponsor is Pine A. Lauoletolo.

In an interview with the Chief Immigration Offi cer (CIO) re the fi le, he explained to Samoa News that the reason why his staff did not pro-duce Fa’aaliga’s fi le on time when requested by the court, was because the name the court pro-vided to his staff did not match the name that was in their computer system.

He said that when his staff received the request from the court, the name the court provided was “Joeita Fa’aaliga”, but the name in their computer system is “Joita Fa’aaliga”. He further stated that Fa’aaliga’s sponsor is Pine A. Lauoletolo.

When asked about “confl icting reports and information” about Fa’aaliga the court claimed that the Immigration Offi ce has provided, the CIO stated that there were no confl icting reports

Chief Immigration Offi cer ready to give Court ‘missing’ fi le for over stayer

SAYS PROBLEM WAS THE INFO FROM THE COURT — WRONG FIRST NAME

Here is the copy of the Entry Permit that allowed Joita Fa’aaliga to enter the territory on August 2012. [photo by AF]

(Continued on page 9)

Page 2 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

Beginning March 12-13, 2018, the Village of Ottoville will begin regis-tering at the DRC located at Department of Youth and Women’s Affairs Building located at Route 1 Pago Pago, AS 96799.

March 12 will be for Ottoville num-bers 0001-0118, and March 13, Ottoville numbers 0119 – 0236.

Only heads of household need to attend.

The territory and FEMA will provide a schedule for future village dates and times to register at the DRC. For today and tomorrow — it’s the Village of Otto-ville only!

AMERICAN RED CROSSBeginning on Monday, March 12, the

Red Cross will move to the VA Center in Tafuna across from ANZ Bank and will continue to reach out to the households with major damage or destroyed homes to set up appointments throughout the week.

In addition to the disaster casework services, the American Red Cross started installing smoke alarms today as a part of

the Red Cross’ Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installation program.

Working with the local fi re authori-ties, the Red Cross is identifying the areas with the highest risk for home fi res, installing smoke alarms and creating emergency escape plans with family members — you may only have two minutes or less to get out of a burning home and practicing your escape plans makes that easier to do.REMINDER: ALWAYS HAVE VALID

PHOTO ID CARD ON YOUWhat to bring to pre-registration and

registration: A valid photo identifi cation card, which can be a Voters ID, Hospital Card, Driver’s License, Immigration Card, CI or Vital Statistics State ID.

PRE-REGISTRATION ONGOINGPre-Registration will be continued

at 7:30am-6:00pm, Monday, March 12, 2018 at the following villages and locations:

Upper Faleniu will convene at CCCAS Hall; Lower Faleniu will con-vene at Makeke LDS; Mesepa at LDS

Mapusaga Fou; Pavaia’i Central will convene at Toluao’s Guest House and Pavaia’i Eastern at Letele’s Guest House; Matu’u & Faganeanea will meet at Savea’s Guest House.

For more information, please call 699-0411.

Locations for the pre-registration in Nuuuli & Iliili villages are:

Nuuuli Eastern Side will meet at Fanene’s guest house; Nuuuli Central will meet at Soliai’s guest house; Nuuuli Western will meet at LDS Malaeimi, Upper Iliili will meet at the Catholic Hall and Lower Iliili will meet at CCCAS Hall Iliili.

Why are we conducting a pre-regis-tration? To help people to register in a much streamlined and effi cient manner with FEMA, going by villages and most impacted starting with Tafuna.

ASSESSMENT ONGOINGThe American Samoa Government

Assessment teams continue their assess-ments and record damages to your homes and these assessments are sched-

uled until completion. The following lists the teams and villages:

TEAM 1: Tafuna: Kokoland, Fagaima, Ottoville, Petesa

TEAM 2: Upper Iliili, Lower Iliili, Vaitogi, Fogagogo

TEAM 3: Pavaiai, Faleniu, Malaeimi, Mesepa

TEAM 4: Aasu, Aoloau, Tafeta, Mapusaga Fou

TEAM 5: Leone: Sogi, Puapua, Malaeloa, Taputimu, Vailoa, Futiga

TEAM 6: Amaluia, Afao, Asili, Nua&Seetaga, Amanave, Poloa, Fagalii, Fagamalo, Fagamutu

TEAM 7: Matuu, Nuuuli, Fagasa, Coconut Point (Nuuuli)

TEAM 8: Fatumafuti, Fagaalu, Utulei, Fagatogo, Pago Pago, Aua

TEAM 9: Laulii, Amaua, Auto, Utusia, Fagaitua, Pagai, Afono, Vatia, Masausi, Masefau, Sailele

TEAM 10: Utumea, Auasi, Amouli, Aoa, Alofau, Alao, Aunuu, & Onenoa.

(Source: ASDHS Special Bulletin #33)

American Samoa GovernmentOFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Ages 18-24 can register from 9am - 4pm

SCHOOLS DATE/TIMELeone HS March 19-20, 2018Fa’asao/Marist HS 3:00 pm - 6:00 pmNu’uuli Voc-Tech March 21-22, 2018Kanana Fou HS 3:00 pm - 6:00 pmManumalo Baptist March 23, 2018Pacific Horizon 3:00 pm - 6:00 pmSouth Pacific AcademyOpen/All Other Schools Saturday, March 24, 2018

9am - 4pmTafuna HS/ March 26-27, 2018Iakina HS 3:00 pm - 6:00 pmFagaitua HS March 28, 2018

3:00 pm - 6:00 pmSamoan HS March 29, 2018

3:00 pm - 6:00 pmOpen/All Other Schools Friday (Holiday) & Saturday

March 30-31, 2018 - 9:00am-4:00pm

2018 WIOA SUMMER YOUTHEMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

REGISTRATION(The Department of Human Resources, Employment & Training, Division have available and limited slots for the Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act (WIOA), Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The purpose of the SYEP is to provide academic, occupational skills and work experience for low-income individuals with barriers to employment.To be eligible for the Summer Youth Employment Program, the applicant must be between the ages of 14-24 years old, unemployed and economically disadvantaged. The WiOA Workforce Center staff will be available to take registration at the Department of Human Resources, Employment & Training Division, A.P. Lutali Executive Bldg., 2nd floor in Utulei, on the following dates.

REGISTRATION AT: Department of Human Resources Employment & Training Division, 2nd Floor, AP Lutali Executive Building.DEADLINE FOR TA’U-MANU’A REGISTRATION: MARCH 29, 2018DEADLINE FOR TUTUILA REGISTRATION: MARCH 31, 2018

Applicants must bring his/her birth certificate or passport, social security card and a copy of the 2017 Tax Refund of family members currently employed, receiving social security benefit, retirement check, etc, within their household. The required documents should on hand for registration.For more information regarding the Summer Youth Employment Program Registration, please contact Ms. Grace Uiagalelei or Ms. Michelle Peko-Agaimalo at the WIOA Resource Center, Department of Human Resources at 633-4485.

Sincerely,

Ms. Eseneiaso J. Liu, DirectorDepartment of Human Resources

SCHOOLS DATE/TIMEMANU’A March 19 - March 29, 2018

TA’U March 20-23, 2018 (Registration @ Manu’a High School,

Contact Person: Ms. Foga Gaoa; Tel: 677-5901)

OFU/OLOSEGA March 26-29, 2018 (Registration @ Olosega Elementary;

Contact Person: Ms. Foga Gara; Tel: 677-5901)

UPDATE GITA: TODAY REGISTRATION BEGINS FOR OTTOVILLE VILLAGE

Critics of peace deal dominate Colombia election

By MANUEL RUEDA, Associ-ated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s fragile peace deal looked increasingly under threat Sunday as right-wing parties critical of the accord per-formed well in congressional elections seen as a dry run for a hotly contested presidential ballot in May, while the current president’s party slumped.

The vote was the fi rst time former members of the Revo-lutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, were competing after disarming as part of the 2016 peace deal for ending a half century of guer-rilla war.

As expected, support for their radical agenda was soundly defeated, with FARC candidates getting less than 0.5 percent of the overall vote. That means their political party, also called FARC, will get only the 10 seats guaranteed them by the peace accord.

“The FARC are in a tough spot,” said Leon Valencia, a former combatant who now runs the Peace and Reconcili-ation Foundation, a think tank. “A long war has generated lots of fear and rancor towards them.”

By contrast, many of the accord’s critics picked up seats, with the Democratic Center party led by former President

(Continued on page 6)

samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018 Page 3

tusia Ausage FausiaO le vaiaso na te’a nei na pu’e

fa’apagota ai e Leoleo se ali’i ave pasi, ona o tu’uaiga i lona fa’amalosia lea o se tama’ita’i e 17 tausaga le matua ma ia faia i ai uiga mataga.

O le fa’alavelave e pei ona tu’uaia ai le ali’i o Michael Sene na tula’i mai i le aso 31 Oke-topa, 2017 ae o le vaiaso na te’a nei na fa’atoa pu’e fa’apagota ai e Leoleo le ali’i ave pasi i le mae’a ai lea ona faila e le malo o moliaga fa’asaga ia te ia.

O moliaga mamafa e 4 ua tu’uaia ai e le malo ia Sene e aofi a ai le fa’amalosi teine, ave faamalosi o se tagata, faia o amioga faasotoma, atoa ai ma le tagofi a o itutinosa o se tama’ita’i e le fa’aipoipo i ai.

I le mae’a ai o le ulua’i iloiloga a Sene i luma o le Fa’amasinoga Fa’aitumalo i le vaiaso na te’a nei, na toe taofi a ai loa o ia i le falepuipui i Tafuna ina ua le mafai ona ia totogiina le tupe e $50,000 ua fa’atulaga e tatala ai o ia i tua.

Afai ae mafai ona tatala o ia i tua mai le toese, ua fa’asa ona ia toe taumafai i soo se auala e faafesootai le tamaitai na aafi a, pe na te toe soliina fo’i se tula-fono, a ia avea o ia ma se tasi e tausisi i tulafono uma a le malo.

O le mataupu lenei e pei ona taua i fa’amaumauga a le fa’amasinoga, na tofu atu i le Ofi sa o Leoleo i Tafuna, ina ua talosagaina e se uo a le tama’ita’i na a’afi a se fesoasoani a Leoleo i le aso 2 Novema o le tausaga na te’a nei, mo se avanoa latou te suesueina ai le mataupu e fa’atatau i le tama’ita’i na a’afi a sa fa’amalosi ona faia i ai se alii ave pasi ni uiga mataga.

Na maua le avanoa e fesil-igia ai e Leoleo le tama’ita’i na a’afi a, ma ia fa’amatalaina ai loa le fa’alavelave na tula’i mai.

Na taua e le tama’ita’i lea e fa’apea, i le aso 31 Oketopa, sa alu ai i le Kolisi Tuufaatasi e su’e lana uo teine, ae ina ua fi u e saili lana uo teine e le maua, na ia fa’atuina ai loa le pasi e alu i Leone ma ti’eti’e ai loa i luga ma le fa’amoemoe e alu ai i le fale. O le pasi sa fa’afoeina e le ali’i o Sene, le ua molia.

Na taua e le tama’ita’i na a’afi a i Leoleo e fa’apea, o le pasi a Sene e masani ona ti’eti’e ai lana uo teine o loo tau sailia, o le mafua’aga lea na ia fesiligia ai le ave pasi pe lei vaai i lana uo, ae na tali le ave pasi e leai.

Ina ua latalata i lona fale, sa fa’afuase’i ona fai atu le ali’i ave pasi ia te ia aua nei nofo, ae la tietie e momoli muamua isi

tagata o le pasese ona fa’atoa momoli ai loa lea o ia. Na musu le tama’ita’i na a’afi a ina ne’i saili o ia e ona matua, peita’i sa fai i ai le alii ave pasi o Sene, faitalia lava o ia ma toe momoli o ia i lona aiga.

Ina ua mae’a ona momoli uma isi tagata o le pasese i Leone, na toe aga’i mai ai loa le pasi a le ua molia ma pasia le fale a le tama’ita’i na a’afi a. Na faatonu e le ua molia le tama’ita’i e alu e nofo i le nofoa pito i tua o le pasi ina ua pasia lle nofoaga sa tatau ona nofo ai o ia.

Na taua e le tama’ita’i na a’afi a i Leoleo le aga’i sa’o o le pasi i Nuuuli i le fale a le ua molia, o iina na fa’amalosi ai loa e le ua molia o ia i totonu o se fale tuufua, e ui sa ia matua teena malosi gaioiga sa fa’atinoina e le ua molia ia te ia, ae sa mafai lava ona fa’atino e le ua molia e ala i lona fa’aaoga o lona malosi.

Ina ua maea ona faamalosi e le ua molia le tama’ita’i na a’afi a, sa nofo o ia i luga o le nofoa ma ata. Mulimuli ane, sa ia alu loa ma momoli le tama’ita’i na a’afi a i lona aiga i le afi afi o le aso lava lea.

Molia se ali’i ave pasi i lona fa’amalosia o se tama’ita’i 17 tausaga

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By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ELLEN KNICKMEYER, Associ-ated Press

YOUNTVILLE, Calif. (AP) — The Army veteran who killed three women after a siege in California had long dreamed of serving his country in the military, but his skill as a marksman led to dangerous missions in Afghanistan that left him anxious and wary when he came back home, according to people who knew him.

Authorities said 36-year-old Albert Wong, who served a year in Afghanistan and returned highly decorated, took the women hostage Friday at the Yountville veterans center where he had sought help.

Hours later, authorities found all four of their bodies in a room at the center that aids people with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injuries.

“We lost three beautiful people,” Yountville Mayor

John Dunbar said. “We also lost one of our heroes who clearly had demons that resulted in the terrible tragedy that we all expe-rienced here.”

As family and friends of the victims tried to make sense of the tragedy, authorities offered little information Saturday about why Wong attacked The Pathway Home and whether he targeted his victims.

Those who knew the women said they had dedicated their lives to helping those suffering like Wong, and they would’ve been in a good position to assist him if things had ended differently.

Authorities said Wong slipped into a going-away party for some employees of The Pathway Home. He let some people leave, but kept the three women.

Police said a Napa Valley sheriff’s deputy exchanged gunshots with Wong but nothing was heard from him after that. From a vet-center crafts building across the street from the PTSD center, Sandra Woodford said she saw lawmen with guns but the only shots she heard were inside Pathway.

“This rapid live-fi re of rounds going on, at least 12,” Woodford said.

The victims were identifi ed as The Pathway Home Execu-tive Director Christine Loeber, 48; Clinical Director Jennifer Golick, 42; and Jennifer Gon-

Afghanistan war impacted Army vet behind California attack

� is undated photo provided by Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services shows � e Pathway Home Clinical Director, Dr. Jennifer Golick, a victim of the veterans home shooting on Friday, March 9, 2018, in Yountville, Calif. Dr. Golick was killed by a former patient at � e Pathway Home, a treatment program for veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

(Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services via AP)

(Continued on page 10)

Dear Editor“Human progress is neither automatic nor

inevitable... Every step toward the goal of jus-tice requires sacrifi ce, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since the day I swore into the Army, There was only one thing that had ever crossed my mind, there was only one goal, and there was only one determination, there be a change, and to make a difference. The sacrifi ce for me was torture. I lived over 10 years of my life as a Transwoman, and then the fi rst day of reception in Fort Jackson South Carolina, in one swivel of the silver chair, and all that changed. I saw myself in the mirror for the fi rst time that night in the men’s latrine, full of male soldiers, and I was bald.

I felt tears welling in my eyes, but I fought them back as hard as I could. I knew the envi-ronment I was in and I knew I could not show any sign of weakness. I needed to show that I am unbreakable and I am STRONG.

That night, when all the lights were out, and the Bay that held about 40 plus males that were being processed into Basic Combat Training, to become American Soldiers, was completely quiet aside from the sound of light snores and breathing, all were sound asleep. I crept into the bathroom, and went into the farthest stall. I turned around one last time and looked into the mirror facing me and saw myself again, tears fell from my eyes hitting the cold tiles of the shower stall. One after another the tears came until I found myself weeping on the cold blue tiles of the bathroom fl oor.

Living my Life as Princess, A Pageant Queen,

a radio personality, a passionate writer, an actress in the Samoan motion pictures, a life of a party to the theatrical beauty of the stage and the voice representing the Trans community, to being a bald and I say it as I saw it, I was ugly!

In my eyes, I was ugly for the fi rst time ever in my life, I saw nothing beautiful in my refl ec-tion. With that I hardened and became another man in the bay of male Soldiers. The only differ-ence between those men and me was I was going to fi ght to let Princess see the light of day once more.

Today, on the International day for Women (March 08, 2018), I celebrate in gratitude, which my leadership and command team a day to remember in all the years that will come.

Today, on the 8th of March 2018, I OFFI-CIALLY SERVE in the United States ARMY as a FEMALE SOLDIER, Arrianna Princess Hase-rota Auva’a.

The struggle has been real and no doubt the toughest I have ever had to endure. However, I am grateful that I had to take on this journey. I have grown as a person. I have overcome so many fears I had. I have lived my life in a way that I can proudly say, “I did it”, not just for me, but for my Samoan and Polynesian Trans sis-ters everywhere. There is so much more to life than living the norm. We all, at some point in our lives must take a risk and just JUMP into the unknown with hope, faith, and the determination to COME THROUGH winning. I cannot thank God enough for all he has brought me through, for that I am Grateful because He is Faithful!

MY Special Thanks to these Amazing People who have helped me along the way:

1SG STANLEY ANTWAN, CPT ALLISON, SSG CARTER, AND MY 226TH CSC FAMILY. CPT NORTHRUP RODALIA FOR BEING THE FIGHTING FORCE WITH ALL OF MY NEEDS, 1LT PASCETTA NADIA, 1SG SMITH ANTOINE, 1LT LOVINGGOOD JOHN, SGT JONES MAYUNNA, SSG POSER JEREMY, SPC MAYFIELD DAHEILIZ, FOR THE ENDLESS SUPPORT AND FOR JUST BEING GREAT PEOPLE. SFC SORIANO MARIA, THANK YOU FOR BEING MY GO TO, YOU MADE THINGS A LITTLE EASIER BECAUSE YOU MADE YOURSELF AVAIL-ABLE TO ME FOR ANY HELP I NEEDED. MAJ SCHNITZLEIN, CPT MIMS, MS. HILL, CPT HULA, AND the care team here in Fort Stewart for all of their kindness and LOVE.

My Buddies, SPC Ifopo Soapy for being a great help, my cousin Simeamativa Thomsen, Mikey Thomsen, and Justin Auelua for your LOVE. My Good Friend and buMonday, March 12, 2018 PFC Rinehart Jackson, thank you for always being there when I needed you. My batman boys, Reyes and Soto — thanks guys; and to my Fort Stewart family and friends thanks for everything too.

TO all of you who have supported me in this journey with prayers thank you all! To my Par-ents, my siblings, my grandparents, family and friends, my SOFIAS and UTOPIA sisters and brothers, THANK YOU for your prayers.

With ALL my LOVEArrianna Princess Haserota Auva’aKindest regards,*Sese Auva’a*“Live your life, achieve your goals, make

your dreams your reality, and live your truth”

Page 4 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

Dear Editor,I have concern for the way Tafuna Elementary School was

evacuated based on information from the Samoa News dated Monday, March 5, 2018.

Apparently, DPS police offi cers went to a residence on Thursday, March 1, 2018 as part of a raid looking for illegal weapons, ammunition, and drugs. Personally, this sounds like a great idea. However, the raid took place during the school day that afternoon, and what was not discussed in the March 5 article was if the Police Commissioner, Le’i Sonny Thompson, or someone in the department had contacted Tafuna Elementary School prior to the raid.

My question is, “How long in advance did Tafuna E.S. know about the raid, and, was every parent contacted concerning the raid?” The way Ausage Fausia, the Samoa News Reporter, wrote the article implied the parents knew nothing about the raid nor did the school for that matter.

Even though the Police Commissioner commented on the raid via email that no gunshots were fi red, it is deeply disturbing that precautions weren’t in place before the raid. I would imagine that for public safety the police would have contact the ASDOE to make the necessary arrangements for the safety of all involved.

As a former elementary and middle school teacher who taught over 15 years in the United States, a variety of safety measures were mandatory in addition to, say, a fi re drill. Codes were in place. Codes include Code Yellow, Code Red, and Code Blue.

Briefl y, Code Yellow is a lock down and carry-on procedure. A Code Red Emergency was signaled by an announcement saying “Code Red.” Since there are no or limited Public Address, or PA systems in place in the schools in American Samoa, not alerting students and staff about a Code Red could prove deadly. (Public Address systems may be something schools should invest in the very near future.)

The last is Code Blue and it is for medical emergencies. Code Blue could also mean a way to leave the school premises in an emergency such as a bomb threat or tsunami to have time to reach higher ground. It is a way to save lives by allowing time to evac-uate to a preplanned secure location.

In addition, I also concur with both sides from those who commented that the raid should have been done after school and, conversely, the raid needed to take place while students were in school, as the DPS cannot wait for the school day to end because of the need to execute the warrant quickly. This is a good argument as to why Codes should to be in place for the safety of everyone.

In conclusion, perhaps the DPS can work cooperatively to ensure safety is met for all involved with any future warrants thus avoiding the possibility of a disaster.

As for the ASDOE, now is the time to begin developing safety avenues for the stakeholders of every school on the island.

Lance J. Glodowski

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EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the 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EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the EditorLetter to the Editor“TAFUNA RAID AND SAFETY AVENUES ”“TAFUNA RAID AND SAFETY AVENUES ”“TAFUNA RAID AND SAFETY AVENUES ” “JOURNEY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE”

SPC ARRIANNA PRINCESS HASEROTA AUVA’A [Courtesy photo]

By JENNIFER PELTZ, Associ-ated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A helicopter crashed into New York City’s East River Sunday night and fl ipped upside down in the water, killing two of the six people aboard and leaving three others in critical condi-tion, offi cials said.

Video taken by a bystander and posted on Twitter shows the red helicopter land hard in the water and then capsize, its rotors slapping at the water.

The helicopter, a private charter hired for a photo shoot, went down near Gracie Man-sion, the mayoral residence. One person, the pilot, freed himself and was rescued by a tugboat, offi cials said.

The passengers were recov-ered by police and fi re depart-ment divers, who had to remove them from tight harnesses while they were upside down, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

“It took awhile for the drivers to get these people out. They worked very quickly as

fast as they could,” Nigro said. “It was a great tragedy that we had here.”

Witnesses on a waterfront esplanade near where the air-craft went down said the heli-copter was fl ying noisily, then suddenly dropped into the water and quickly submerged. But the pilot appeared on the surface, holding onto a fl otation device as a tugboat and then police boats approached.

“It’s cold water. It was sinking really fast,” Mary Lee, 66, told the New York Post. “By the time we got out here, we couldn’t see it. It was underwater.”

Celia Skyvaril, 23, told the Daily News that she could see a person on what looked like a yellow raft or fl oat screaming and yelling for help.

News footage showed one victim being loaded into an ambulance while emer-gency workers gave him chest compressions.

A bystander, Susan Larkin, told The Associated Press that she went down to see rescue

2 killed, 3 critically injured in NYC helicopter crash

(Continued on page 12)

In this image made from video provided by WNYW, New York City Police Com-missioner James O’Neill speaks during a press con-ference a deadly helicopter crash in New York on Sunday, March 11, 2018. A helicopter crashed into New York City’s East River Sunday night and � ipped upside down in the water, killing at least a few people aboard and leaving some others in critical condi-tion, o� cials said. New York City Fire Department Com-missioner Daniel Nigro stands at center le� . (WNYW via AP)

samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018 Page 5

compiled by Samoa News staffHAWAIIAN AIRLINES

ORDERS BOEING, DROPS AIRBUS

Hawaiian Airlines has ordered 10 next-generation Boeing 787 aircraft, and can-celled an order for a new ver-sion of their Airbus A330.

Hawaiian joins Pacifi c car-riers Air Niugini, Air Tahiti-Nui and Air New Zealand in selecting the long-range wide-body.

The 787-9 will be used to replace Hawaiian’s existing A330 aircraft on fl ights to American Samoa, Tahiti, Aus-tralia, New Zealand, Asia and mainland USA.

The increased range of the new plane will give Hawaiian the opportunity to introduce new non-stop fl ights to Europe from its Honolulu base, as well as new destinations in Asia.

Hawaiian has options for a further 10 787’s, the fi rst is due in 2021.

The deal is said to be worth US$1.5 billion after standard discounts.

In other HAL news, the air-line announced last week that it has rewarded its more than 6,700 employees with $23.8 million in profi t sharing – the company’s largest annual pay-ment in its history – in celebra-tion of a record-setting opera-tional and fi nancial year.

The employees also received bonuses based on the achieve-ment of a range of business, consumer and community objectives. Combined, the profi t sharing and bonus payments amounted to more than 5 per-cent of employees’ 2017 wages.

(Source: RNZI & Hawaiian Airlines)

TWO WINS NOT ENOUGH FOR SAMOA IN

VANCOUVEROn any other given day, two

wins from three games would have guaranteed the Manu Samoa Sevens a Cup quarter-fi nal berth.

But in Vancouver yesterday, victories over England, 21-5, and Wales, 28-10, were not enough.

It was a heartbreaking result for the men in blue who showed a great deal of improvement after losing their fi rst game to Argentina.

They needed to bounce back and that they did with style against a much more experienced England team. It was gutsy performance from a young team with some magic from veteran Alatasi Tupou.

Samoa needed a leader and Tupou stood up again against Wales, parading his troops all over the park.

But it wasn’t to be. Samoa Argentina and Eng-

land all fi nished on 6 points. Argentina took second spot

and moved through to the Cup quarter-fi nals having beaten

Samoa 22-7 and Wales 35-12. Samoa was expected to play

yesterday in the Challenge Cup Final. Results as they become available.

(Source: Samoa Observer)HAWAII HONORS MELVEEN LEED

President Mary Tori Keegan, and the Pan Pacifi c Southeast Asian Women’s Association of Hawaii Inc (PPSEAWAH), announces its 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony honoring Melveen Leed, to be held on March 24, 2018.

Leed, a multi-Na Hoku and Hawaiian Music Award winner is being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, only the second recipient from Hawaii in PPSEAWAH’s 90 years of service in the Pacifi c.

PPSEAWA-Hawaii’s Life-time Award honoree is selected

Pacifi c Island Pacifi c Island News in BriefNews in Brief

Manu Samoa is now playing as one, a� er a nightmare � rst game collapse versus Argentina, Samoa decimated England 21-5 at the Canada 7s, Day 1, Saturday, March 10. Pictured, Murphy “Love You Mom” Paulo, scored Manu Samoa’s last try in their second victory of the day over Wales, 28-10 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.   [Photo: Barry Markowitz for Samoa News]

(Continued on page 13)

Page 6 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

tusia Ausage FausiaE tasi le moliaga mamafa o

le faia o taupulepulega poo faa-maumauga tau fa’asese fa’asaga i le malo, ua molia ai se tagata faigaluega a le malo.

O le masina na te’a nei na pu’e fa’apagota ai e Leoleo ia Angelo Langkilde, ae ua toe tatalaina nei o ia i tua i le mae’a ai lea ona ia totogi o le tupe e $10,000 na faatulaga e le fa’amasinoga e tatala ai o ia i tua ao fa’agasolo ai taualumaga o lana mataupu.

O le moliaga mamafa e tasi lea ua tu’uaia ai Langkilde, o le vaega C lea o solitulafono mamafa, e mafai ona fa’asala ai se tasi i le toese mo le umi e le silia i le 7 tausaga, poo le fa’asala i le salatupe e le silia i le $5,000, poo le fa’asala fo’i i fa’asalaga uma ia e lua.

O Langkilde, o se tagata fai-galuega a le ofisa o le Sports Complex a le malo o Amerika Samoa, o loo tuuaia o ia i le sese o le ripoti sa ia faila i le Ofisa o Taui o Tagata e Manunu’a i galuega, ma ia taua ai le manu’a o lona aao ao fa’atinoina ai ona tiute i totonu o le malae ta’alo a le Veterans Stadium i Tafuna.

O le fa’aiuga o lenei talosaga e pei ona taua e le malo i le latou tagi, na mafua ai ona maua e Langkilde se vaega tupe e silia i le $100,000.

Ae tusa ai o suesuega a le malo e uiga i lenei mataupu, o

lo o taua ai ni fa’amatalaga mai ni isi o tagata faigaluega e gal-ulue fa’atasi ma le ua molia i le Sports Complex, lea o loo latou taua ai le pepelo o le ripoti a le ua molia sa tuuina atu i le Ofisa o Taui mo i latou ua manunu’a.

O tagata faigaluega e to’atolu sa mafai ona fesiligia e Leoleo i le taimi na suesueina ai lenei mataupu, e aofia ai Lotoleaga Lepa, Tuli Fa’aola ma Satia Grey.

O le ulua’i iloiloga o le mataupu a Langkilde i lumao le fa’amasinoga faaitumalo i le vaiaso na te’a nei, na mafai ai ona faailoa e le molimau autu a le malo, le alii leoleo ia Det. John Seumanutafa sa suesueina lenei mataupu, fa’amatalaga e tusa ai lana suesuega sa fa’atinoina.

Na taua e Seumanutafa i lana molimau i le taimi o le ulua’i iloiloga sa faia i luma o le afioga i le ali’i Fa’amasino ia Fiti Sunia e fa’apea, e tusa ai o fa’amatalaga sa ia maua mai i tagata faigaluega e to’atolu sa ia fesiligia, sa latou taua ai le le moni o le ripoti sa tuuina atu e le ua molia i luma o le Ofisa o Taui mo Fa’alavelave.

Na taua e Lepa i Leoleo e fa’apea, o ia sa fesoasoani i le ua molia i le saunia o lana ripoti, ae ina ua mae’a ona ia fesoa-soani ia Langkilde, sa ia tuuina atu ia te ia le $200 ma fa’afetai atu e tusa ai o lana fesoasoani i

lana ripoti.Na taua e Lepa i Leoleo, na te

iloa lelei lava e le moni faama-talaga o loo i totonu o le ripoti, na te mautinoa fo’i e le i lavea le aao o Langkilde i totonu o le galuega, ae na lavea i tua i lona aiga.

Na taua e Fa’aola ina ua fesi-ligia e Leoleo e fa’apea, a o i ai Langkilde i atunuu i fafo, sa vili atu i lana telefoni ma fai atu ia te ia, afai e fesili ane se tagata o le malo ia te ia e uiga i lona vae, ona fai lea i ai o lona vae sa lavea i le galuega.

Na oo lava foi i le fa’amatalaga a le alii o Grey na tuuina atu i Leoleo, sa ia taua ai le fa’atonu o ia e le ua molia ina ia pepelo i lana molimau, o lona vae na lavea i le galuega.

Mulimuli ane ina ua fesi-ligia e le loia a Langkilde ia deSaulles ia Grey e tusa ai o lana fa’amatalaga sa tuuina atu i le Ofisa o Taui o Fa’alavelave, na taua ai e Grey e fa’apea, e moni sa lavea le aao o Langkilde i totonu o le tausaga i se taimi o le masina o Aperila 2016.

Sa ia taua atili fo’i lona manatuaina o le taimi na lavea ai le aao o le ua molia, e le gata sa ia fesoasoani e aveese le laupapa sa pipi’i ai le fao lea na lavea ai lona aao, ae sa ia fa’aaoga fo’i le faga’au e fufulu ese ai le toto sa tafe mai i lona aao.

NUNU Inc./Manaia RestaurantIs looking for a CHEF with the following qualifications:1. Able to communicate in Chinese and English2. Must have 10 years of experience as a Chef

specializing in Chinese cuisine3. Have successfully run and manage a kitchen with

at least 6 employees4. Able to manage both kitchen and front of the houseAll applicants will have to provide both Police Clearance and Medical Clearance from their respective country of citizenship. Absolutely NO phone calls will be accepted. All interested applicants must send their resume to:

Nunu Inc.PO Box 982836Pago Pago, AS 96799

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

FOR SALEEXECUTIVE HOUSE AND 0.229 ACRES OF LAND

OPEN HOUSESaturday, March 3 from 9:00am to 10:30am.Wednesday, March 7 from 5:00pm to 6:30pmSaturday, March 10 from 9:00am to 10:30am

Approximately ¼ of a mile up the road towards Aoloau and then follow the signs to the house.

This house is offered for sale “as is”. For questions or an appointment to view the house and property email: contact@mwsrose.com or call 699-2100.

·  6 split unit air-conditioners ·  Refrigerator/ freezer ·  Washing machine ·  Dryer ·  Stove / Oven ·  dishwasher

·  3-piece lounge suite ·  1 dining room table and chairs ·  Master bedroom dresser ·  Display cabinet / living room ·  Microwave

Molia se tagata faigaluega malo faia o taupulepulega

faasolitulafono

FA’ASALALAUGA Talanoaina o le Suafa Matai TAGO i Nu’uuli

Fata ia i mauga o ao sā ma faigā o le atunu’u pele, tainane le paia o le Talalelei, auā e le gafataulimaina i sa matou faamatalaga. A’o lenei fa’asalalauga e faapito-augafa lea i le paia o le aiga Sa TAGŌ i le nu’u o Nu’uuli. O le a�oaga e a��o ai Ma’opu, susu ai Usoali’i ma Taumafaalo�, alaalata’i ai le To’afā. O le a faia le talanoaga a le tatou aiga i le maota i Saua�a� i Nu’uuli, se’i sasa’a le tofā auā se tausia le aiga.O lea fa’amoemoe o le a faia ia Mati 17, 2018 i le 9:00 i le taeao.Talosia i le alofa o le tatou Matai i le lagi, ia molio’o i ai lo outou soifua ma si o matou ola ma tatou feiloa’i ai i Saua�a� i le lagi e mama.

Ma le fa’aaloalo,Fotuotamatane Ativalu Tago

Alvaro Uribe headed to being the biggest bloc in the Senate.

Uribe’s hand-picked presi-dential candidate, Sen. Ivan Duque, easily swept an open primary among three conserva-tive candidates in which more than 5.8 million people voted — a bigger haul than either of the top two finishers got in the first round of the 2014 presiden-tial election.

President Juan Manuel Santos’ coalition, which sup-ported the peace deal, struggled. His Party of National Unity, which was the biggest political movement in the outgoing con-gress, finishes fifth overall.

The results are likely to lead to a last-minute scramble among candidates to form coalitions to better position themselves ahead of what is seen as a wide-open presidential race.

Two candidates under pres-sure to join forces are Hum-berto de la Calle, who was the government’s chief peace nego-tiator, and former Gov. Sergio Fajardo. Both candidates have vowed to implement the peace deal. The Green Alliance, one of the parties supporting Fajardo, doubled its voting tally from

the last congressional elections, though it only came in sixth overall this year.

Another candidate who has backed the peace deal is Gus-tavo Petro, a leftist former mayor of Bogota who has promised to raise taxes on the rich and unseat the country’s political establishment. Petro won a leftist primary Sunday in which he got 2.8 million votes. It was 1.2 million votes less than Duque’s total but still made him a top presidential contender.

“Our results were very posi-tive,” Petro told his followers. “The presidential campaign starts today.”

Duque has said that while he

would not “thrash” the peace accord with the FARC rebels, he would attempt to modify cer-tain aspects, like a provision that allows the former rebels with drug-trafficking convictions to participate in politics. He has also called for tougher controls on the FARC’s finances.

“A true peace is built through the triumph of the rule of law not through the relativization of justice,” he told his followers after election results came in.

Sergio Guzman, a political analyst at Control Risks, said that while Duque’s vote tally was impressive, it is still too early to tell if he will win the May 27 presidential election.

➧ Critics…Continued from page 2

Ivan Marquez, who is running for Senator with the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force political party (FARC), leaves a voting station during legislative elections in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, March 11, 2018. Colombia‚Äôs former le�ist guerrillas face their �rst electoral test as a political party Sunday in con-gressional voting also seen as a measure of the strength of the country‚Äôs factions two months before presidential elections.

(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

tusia: Leua Aiono Frost

TIMOTHY DUNSTAN O LE KOLUSE MUMU

O se tasi o atali’i talavou sa a’oa’oina, fa’au’u i a’oga maua-luluga, ma ola a’e i Amerika Samoa nei, ua talosaga ma talia e le Koluse Mumu San Diego e malaga mai e fesoasoani ia Amerika Samoa i lenei galuega alofa o lo’o latou foa’i mai ai mo tatou tagatanu’u.

O lea ali’i talavou o Timothy Dunstan, ma o lo’o a’oga o ia i Chaminade University, peita’i o lo’i ia te ia le avanoa fa’apitoa a le Koluse Mumu e mafai ai ona ia malaga e volunitia i galuega alofa fa’apenei e pagatia ai soo se setete po’o malo o le lalolagi.

O lana tala mai, aso Lulu, lua vaiaso talu ai, na ia va’aia ai le emeli i lana komipiuta ua fa’asalalau fa’ala’ua’itele atu ai ni avanoa e mafai ona talosaga atu ai i latou o lo’o volenitia pe afai e fia sau ai i Amerika Samoa. Na muamua vala’au o ia i le Ofisa Ulu i San Diego a le Koluse Mumu pe mafai ona agava’a ai o ia, aua e le o auai Hawaii i le itumalo lea e i lalo o San Diego. Na talia mai lana vala’au, ona toe vala’au loa lea i ona matua, e fa’ailoa i ai e tauau e maua sona avanoa e toe fo’i mai ai i lona atunu’u.

“Ia te a’u e iloga lo’u avea ma tagata Samoa aua sa amata mai ai a’u a’oga i le vasega 2 i le South Pacific Academy, ona si’itia lea fa’auma a’u a’oga i le St Theresa i Leone, ma soso’o ai lava ina a’oga i le Fa’asao Marist High i Lepuapua. O lo’u nu’u lenei, na’o na ola a’e lava i Christchurc i NZ, ae amata le olaga talavou atoa iinei.” O le tala ata lea a le ali’i o Timothy.

E le’i toe faia sana vala’au i ona matua, sa manatu e o’o mai iinei ae fa’ato’a vala’au atu ai i ona matua o ia lea ua iinei, peita’i, e o’o ane i le Malae Va’alele, ua tutu mai ai si ona tama e fa’atofa ia te ia, fa’atasi ai ma le sim card o lana telefonu Blue Sky iinei a’o a’oga, sa teu mau lava e si ona tina, e toe sau toe fa’aola iinei e fa’aaoga, 258-1213.

O lo’o to’atele uo mamae a Timothy iinei, aua na’o na savali atu lava o le tusitala ia te ia, ae fai mai, “O lea ou te iloa lelei lava oe, na e pu’ea matou Samoan Day, matou ta’aloga i le Baseball, ma le tele o isi matou fiafia sa faia i le matou a’oga i le Career Day. E lelei ia o lau pu’eata.”

E fa’aoso fiafia aua o lea na fesiligia mo le tausaga na fa’au’u ai mai le Fa’asap Malisi ae fa’ailoa mai, “Vasega fa’au’u 2017, ae ete le’i alu atu la i le matou fa’au’uga.”

E le o misi fa’amaumauga a le la’ititi, peita’i o le galuega a si ona tama na mafua ai ona o’o mai Timothy i Amerika Samoa ma ua avea ai o se tasi o lupe fa’alele a le tatou malo i Iuni-

vesite i fafo mo a latou a’oa’oga.“Na talosaga mai lo’u tama i

le “Talofa Systems” lea e gaosia le atigi apa a le Star Kist i Satala, ma o iina na mafua ai ona si’itia uma mai ai ma si o’u tina ma lo’u tuafafine matou te nonofo fa’atasi ai iinei, ma fa’aa’o’oga ai ma ma’ua iinei.” O se tala lea a Timothy.

I ana a’oa’oga o lo’o tausaili lona fa’ailoga i le Psychology lea e manatu o ia e avea sona taimi i le Militeri ina ia mafai ona malamalama lelei i o’otiaga fa’afitafita e afua ai ona faigata gasegase tau le mafaufau ma le fa’ali’i e o’o i ai pe a toe taliu mai i latou ua mae’a le tautua. O lea mataupu e fa’aautu i le foma’i o le mafaufau.

SUIGA TOFI LAULAUA-TOFI KOMITI FA’AFOE A LE TOBACCO/DIABETES

COALITION:O le aso Tofi talu ai sa faia ai

le fonotaga mo le fa’amoemoe e suia ai tofiga o le laulaua-tofi a le Komiti Fa’afoe o le Tobacco/Diabetes Coalition i Amerika Samoa, fa’atasi ai ma isi mataupu ogaoga o suiga o tulafono tamau o le Fa’asa ona toe ulaula i nofoaga faitele le mamalu o le atunu’u o lo’o tagofia le sikaleti.

O i latou ua pasia lelei ma o le a tutula’i mai lenei tausaga, ua toe tofia ai nei le tofiga Pere-setene ma o le Ta’ita’ifono fo’i o le laulauatofi o le susuga le Patele Vaiula Iulio, o le Sui Peresetene ma o le Sui Ta’ita’ifono fo’i o le susuga le Faipule Meauta Mageo ma le Failautusi o le Teutupe fo’i lea ua tula’i mai ai nei le susuga Clemence Crichton.

Ina ua mae’a ona fa’amautu a latou tofiga mo lenei tausaga e galulue ai, ona fa’aauau lea e le laulau tuai ona fa’atautaia o le fonotaga i le latou lisi o minute sa fa’avasega e talanoaina i lea aso.

O le toe tepa i suiga ua mae’a tamau e tatau ona fa’aofi i le tulafono ua mae’a pasia e taofia ai le ulaula tapa’a i nofoaga faitele.

O lea itu o le lipoti sa tapena mai e le ali’i Loia o lo’o avea ma sui mamalu o le Komiti Fa’afoe mo le Tobacco/Diabetes Coali-tion, Jedidiah A Bigelow, o ia fo’i o le Loia mo le vaega a le Consumer i totonu o le tatou malo, lea e gafa ma le va’aiga o ituaiga oloa eseese o fa’atauina mai i le atunu’u pe talafeagai pe le tatau ona fa’aofi mai i le atunu’u.

ULUA’I KOLISI E FA’ATAUTAIA FA’A-ELETO-

RONISI I LE ATUVASA:Ina ua mae’a ona pulea nei

e le SCOPA, Asosi a Tama ma Teine Tuai o le Kolisi o Samoa, le Kolisi o Samoa i Vaivase, ua ese le suiga lea ua la’asia e i latou ina ia fa’atautaia ai a’oa’oga uma i totonu o Samoa. “O lo ua

mae’a tapena mo le fa’amoemoe e amatalia a’oa’oga ia Iuni 2018, ua faia fa’aeletoronisi uma mea uma. Ma o se fua-fuaga ua leva ona faupo fauao, ina ia matua’i avatu i le fanau aoga, tapenaga fa’aonaponei e “Saili ai le Atamai e Tautua Samoa.” O le latou manulauti lea e tau’ave a’o e a’otau ai i le Kolisi o Samoa. “ O se tala lea a Lealailepule Rimoni Afiafi.

Ina ua toina le a’oga e tau’avea lona pulega e le Samoa College OLd Pupil Association [SCOPA] o le latou mana’oga tupito lea na afuafua e tatau ona si’itia iai a’oaoga a le fanau i lea kolisi pito i maualuga i Samoa. Na amata atu i latou ua i ai mea ua tau amatalia o lea mana’oga, ae toe taga’i toto’a atu i ai, e mo’omia le $150,000. e mafai ai ona fa’amae’a lelei lea manaoga ma amata ai loa a’oa’oga i ala

fa’aeletoronisi fa’aonaponei.“Ina ia ave’ese le tulaga o le

sioki pea o meaa’oga e fa’aaoga e le fanau, ua tatau loa ona matua tu’u uma i ai mea tau feso’ota’iga tau initeneti ma ona sosia ina ia mafai e le fanau ona fa’aaoga mo a latou sailiga ma suesuega uma.”

“E o’o lava fo’i i le to’agaogao o faia’oga, o le a gafatia fo’i ona faia a’oa’oga i lea faiga ma fa’aitiitia ai le faitau aofai o faia’oga e mo’omia i potu a’oga ta’itasi.”

“O lenei faiga o le a matua tatala le avanoa i le fanau i so’o se ituaiga o suesuega, ua maua uma lava e i latou i luga o feso’ota’iga fa’ainiteneti.” O se tala lea a Lealailepule.

O le fa’amatalaga a le ali’i pule a’oga, sa ia fa’ailoa ai, o lo’o galulue vavalalata i latou ma le Emepasa o Saina ma lona

ofisa i lenei poloketi.Ina ua asia e le ali’i Emepasa

o Saina le Kolisi o Samoa, le susuga Wang Xuefeng, sa ia fa’ailoa ane i le pulega, “O le a’oga sa’o lava lea o lo ua ia mana’o e fa’aulufale tonu i ai lenei ituaiga o a’oa’oga, ua matutua ma o le a soloa’i atu i fafo ae ua mae’a masani i le fa’aaogaina o nei ituaiga o mea faigaluega e sailia ai le atamai lautele. Ua a’oa’oina lelei fo’i i latou i le fa’aaogaina o nei mea faigaluega.”

O le Emepasa lenei ma lona Ofisa, e tele na’ua ana fesoa-soani e fa’ao’o ane i le Kolisi o Samoa e ala i a latou mea faiga-luega i tulaga o fa’amaumauga ma masini e fa’aaogaina ai, ina ia fa’aaogaina e le fanau a’oga i suesuega.

samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018 Page 7

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Related Technical In-Classroom InstructionsMar 26 – May 31, 2018 (10 Week Spring Session)

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ADT 800

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5:00PM-7:30PM

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5:00PM-7:30PM

5:00PM-7:30PM

A. Esera

D. Faumui

E.Seiuli

F. Suisala

T. Leiato

T.Solia

Introduction to AutoCAD (Architectural Drafting/Construction)

Plumbing (Construction)

Electrical Installation, Commercial (Electrician/Construction)

Intermediate and Advanced Excel (Computer Applications)

Welding Fundamentals & Metallurgy (Welder/Fabricator/Construction)

Automotive Engine Computer Controls & Driveability (Auto Technician/Mechanic)

that Le’i assigned police offi -cers from the Fagatogo substa-tion and a few fi remen from the Fire Division to guard Togitogi and Iakopo — and TCF guards should not interfere.

The inmate said that despite the fact that the two inmates escaped from prison a number of times or even have been dis-respectful to police offi cers, that doesn’t mean they deserve to be

treated like this.“They are human beings like

these police offi cers and they do not deserve to be mistreated like this,” the inmate said.

“Inmates have rights under

the Constitution and police offi cers do not have the power to ignore these inmates’ rights. Every time I see these police offi cers mistreating these two inmates, it breaks my heart because I have children at home and they are like my children.”

“I have footage of some of the alleged illegal events that were going on here at TCF, including the time when the two inmates were eating and sleeping while both of their hands were cuffed.

“I want someone out there to report these things to the FBI so that these police offi cers, who are responsible for the alleged abuse of these inmates, face the consequences for their action. We’ve been trying to seek help through lawyers from the Public Defender’s offi ce when they came here to talk to us pertaining our cases, but it’s looking like nothing is happening.”

The inmate said that all inmates inside TCF are human beings just like the Police Com-missioner and these police offi -cers who are mistreating these poor inmates.

“Yes, we are criminals just like these two inmates and we are serving our time as a conse-quence of our actions, but that

doesn’t mean police offi cers can treat these inmates like what they are allegedly doing right now. We’re seeking assistance from the government leaders or even the FBI to please do some-thing to stop the mistreating of inmates, it’s a criminal act and it’s against the law.”

Le’i confi rmed to Samoa News last month after Togitogi and Iakopo were found that the two inmates were no longer being housed in the same area from where they escaped.

He said that the two inmates are now being held in a secure area at TCF. They are no longer at the new prison facility, but locked up in a safe area to stop them from escaping again. Unfortunately, DPS has to put guards to work on day and night shifts to make sure they do not escape again.

Le’i also told Samoa News that he will not use guards at the TCF anymore to look after these inmates, but he will fi nd ways to appoint police offi cers to fulfi ll this special task.

Samoa News reported on Mar. 2, 2018, that during his sentencing hearing before the High Court, Togitogi spent nearly 10 minutes sharing with the court, his story about the way prison guards treat inmates — including himself — everyday. According to Togitogi, the TCF guards beat the inmates and when the prisoners get injured, the guards don’t take them to the hospital for treatment.

He said, “We don’t have any human rights, they just treat us like slaves. That’s the reason why I left the prison so many times, because I wanted to get some food for us.

“I was a very handsome young man before I was taken to prison a few years ago, but look at me right now, I’m ugly because I’ve been beaten up badly so many times by the prison guards. I lost a few teeth during the last beating, last month,” Togitogi said.

He also alleged the guards deny the inmates a chance to see their families during weekend visitations, to avoid the family members from knowing what’s going on at TCF, as well as denying them access to their lawyers.

Presiding judge was Asso-ciate Justice Elvis P. Patea, who heard Togitogi’s plea, said at the time, “the conditions mentioned by the prisoner this morning is a concern to the court. The Judiciary is not in the business of looking into and imposing any kind of conditions relating to the operations of the correc-tional facility; that is up to the Executive Branch,” adding that if the matter is presented in the form of a lawsuit to the court, then the Judiciary will step in.

“… but for now, Togitogi’s statement has not fallen on deaf ears. The court is going to order that the transcript of the defen-dant’s proceedings be prepared by the court, certifi ed, and for-warded to the AG and the legal counsel of American Samoa.

“It is our hope that the Exec-utive Branch of the Government will act on this complaint and do something about it,” Patea concluded.

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Page 8 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

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➧ Abuse…Continued from page 1

A look inside a cell at the new prison facility at the Territorial Correction Facility (TCF) in Tafuna. [photo by AF]

or information his offi ce ever provided to the court, in fact — they only provided facts and an accurate report.

The CIO wanted to clear the air, saying that it was not during his time as a Chief Immigration Offi cer that Fa’aaliga entered American Samoa.

He pointed out that their records show that Fa’aaliga arrived in the territory in 2012, prior to the time that he was appointed by Gov. Lolo M. Moliga to lead the Immigration Offi ce. He further stated that he was not the one who signed Fa’aaliga’s entry permit, and doesn’t want the court to blame this Administration (Lolo and Lemanu’s Administration) for something that they didn’t do.

When asked about the “on the fl y policies” by his offi ce that the court is also concerned about, the CIO stated that there are no such “on the fl y policies” inside his offi ce, but his staff is trying their best to make sure all people entering the territory on visitors’ permits return to their home country when their per-mits expire.

One of the reasons why the court has mentioned the issue about “on the fl y poli-cies” during one of Fa’aaliga’s hearing last month, was because travelers from other foreign countries who entered the terri-tory are instructed to pay money to the Immigration Offi ce when they arrive at the Tafuna Airport.

Chief Justice Michael Kruse during Fa’aaliga’s Deposition Hearing on Feb. 02, 2017, tells a story of what he observed to happen when he arrived at the airport with some Australian passport holders one day. Kruse stated that at the Immigration window, the Australian pass-port holders were told that they had to post some money.

Kruse further stated that what caught his attention was that when the Australian pass-port holders asked for a receipt, they were told to come back the following day to pick it up.

When asked if this is true, Peseta said that he his staff told him that it was not Kruse that was traveling with the Austra-lian passport holders on that day — it was his wife.

The court has not yet to scheduled a date to deal with the collateral aspects involving implementation of executive policies, which caused the Peseta to appear in court twice this year when Fa’aaliga’s case was called.

Fa’aaliga’s Deposition Hearing on Feb. 02, 2018 was re-scheduled for Feb. 15,after the court was unsatisfi ed with the answers the government attorney Robert Morris and Peseta provided.

Kruse stated during the Feb. 02 hearing that the court was receiving confl icting informa-tion about who is Fa’aaliga’s real sponsor. According to the two reports the court received from the Immigration Offi ce, Fa’aaliga had two different sponsors list on the reports —

Pine A. Lauoletolo on one and Misipele Liaina on the other.

Morris asked Peseta while he was on the witness stand, if the two sponsors named in the two separate reports are two different sponsors, and Peseta responded, “No, it’s the same person.”

According to Kruse, the two separate reports the court received from the Immigra-tion Offi ce — back in 2013 and 2014 — each contained a different sponsor for Fa’aaliga and both reports were signed by Peseta. The two documents were marked as court exhibit 1 & 2.When Kruse asked Peseta about the two separate reports he signed, he stated to the court that he only signed the fi rst report.Fa’aaliga is still in cus-tody serving his straight sen-tence of 12 years. As a condi-tion of his sentence by the court, upon release from detention, the defendant shall depart the terri-tory immediately and remain outside of its borders for the period of his probation.

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samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018 Page 9

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➧ Chief…Continued from page 1

O le va’aiga i faia’oga o Manulele Elementary i le aso ua patino i le la’ei ai le Lanu Samasama i le Laumua i Manulele Elementary e fa’ataua lava le vaiaso atoa mo le Fanau a’oga fa’apitoa o lo’o latou a’o’oga fa’atasi ai. [ata: Leua Aiono Frost]

Page 10 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

zales Shushereba, 32, a clinical psychologist with the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

A family friend told The Associated Press that Gonzales was seven months pregnant.

“These brave women were accomplished pro-fessionals who dedicated their careers to serving our nation’s veterans, working closely with those in the greatest need of attention after deploy-ments in Iraq and Afghanistan,” The Pathway Home said in a statement.

Wong always wanted to join the Army and serve his country and was “soft-spoken and calm,” said Cissy Sherr, his legal guardian when he was a child.

Sherr and her husband became Wong’s guard-ians after his father died and his mother devel-oped health problems, she said. He moved back in with them for a little while in 2013 after he returned from his deployment in Afghanistan and kept in touch online.

Wong thought the Pathway program would help him readjust after the Army, she said.

“I can’t imagine what happened. It doesn’t make any sense to me,” she said.

Dunbar, a member of The Pathway Home’s board of directors, said the program has served over 450 veterans in more than a decade.

The program is housed at the Veterans Home of California-Yountville in Napa Valley wine country. The largest veterans home in the nation

cares for about 1,000 elderly and disabled vets.Golick’s father-in-law, Mike Golick, said in

an interview she had recently expelled Wong from the program.

After Wong entered the building, Golick called her husband to say she had been taken hos-tage by the former soldier, her father-in-law said.

He didn’t hear from his wife again.Dunbar said veterans of the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan come home with “a lot of need for special care.” But he did not answer questions about why Wong was removed from the program.

At the veterans home, people who served in earlier wars passed the building that houses The Pathway Home, which was surrounded by crime tape.Muriel Zimmer, an 84-year-old Air Force veteran of the Korean War, said she feels badly for Wong, saying she “cannot blame him. It’s because of the war.”

Wong served in the Army Reserve from 1998 until 2002 and then enlisted for active duty in May 2010 and was deployed to Afghanistan in April 2011, according to military records.

He was a decorated soldier and was awarded the Expert Marksmanship Badge. But that meant that he was tasked with dangerous assignments, where he saw “really horrible things” that affected his mental well-being, Sherr said.

When Wong found the veterans program in Yountville, he told Sherr, “I think I’m going to get a lot of help from this program,” she said.

(Photos: Leua)

➧ Afghanistan…Continued from page 3

HONOLULU — Renowned scientists from throughout the Pacifi c this past week concluded a three-day meeting in Honolulu to develop recommendations on managing fi sheries in Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the US Pacifi c Remote Islands Areas. Recommendations from the Scientifi c and Sta-tistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacifi c Regional Fishery Management Council will be considered by the Council this week Wednesday through Friday at the Laniakea YWCA, Fuller Hall, 1040 Rich-ards St., Honolulu. Fishermen and other members of the public are invited to attend the meeting and provide their comments and testimonies. Among the recom-mendations made by the SSC are the following:

AMERICAN SAMOA LARGE VESSEL PROHIB-

ITED AREA (LVPA): Currently, vessels larger

than 50 feet in length are pro-hibited from fi shing within 50 nautical miles (nm) around the islands of Tutuila, Manu’a and Swains. In 2015, the Council’s preference was to modify the LVPA exemption area to 12 nm around these islands for the local US longline fl eet so as to improve their economic effi -ciency while taking into consid-eration the need to prevent over-fi shing and impacts on small vessels. Subsequently, a federal court determined that consid-eration must also be given to protecting American Samoa cultural fi shing practices. The SSC found that the large vessel economic situation could be addressed while also preventing gear confl icts and supporting preservation of cultural fi shing opportunities.

AMERICAN SAMOA SWORDFISH TRIP LIMIT:

A measure implemented in 2011 limits the amount of swordfi sh that American Samoa longline vessels can land to 10 per fi shing trip. The measure mirrored regulations applicable to the Hawaii deep-set longline fi shery at the time, which have subsequently changed. While 97 percent of the American Samoa longline trips involve catches of less than 10 swordfi sh, there are instances when more than 10 swordfi sh are caught per trip. Swordfi sh discards as a result of the trip limit regulations result in unnecessary discards and loss of revenue for an economi-cally distressed fi shery. Unnec-essary swordfi sh discards also reduce local swordfi sh supply including swordfi sh that may be given away to the commu-nity and for cultural reasons. The SSC recommended that the Council consider removing the swordfi sh trip limit. The SSC said such action would not have adverse impacts to the sword-fi sh stock and would eliminate unnecessary regulatory discards that currently reduce revenue for the longline fl eet as well as the local swordfi sh supply. The SSC noted that removal of swordfi sh trip limit would not lead to increased sea turtle inter-actions because gear confi gura-tions and fi shing effort would remain the same.2018 LONGLINE-CAUGHT

BIGEYE TUNA LIMITS FOR THE US TERRITO-RIES IN THE PACIFIC: The SSC said the projected

impacts of a 2,000 metric ton (mt) catch limit each for American Samoa, Guam and the CNMI should not lead to bigeye overfi shing and the pro-jected impacts of allowing each territory to transfer 1,000 mt or

2,000 mt of its limit are essen-tially the same. The territories are authorized to allocate their catch to federally permitted, US longline vessels through Speci-fi ed Fishing Agreements.

SEA TURTLE INTERAC-TIONS IN THE HAWAI’I

SHALLOW-SET LONGLINE FISHERY:

Loggerhead turtle interac-tions in the Hawaii longline fi shery that sets shallow to target swordfi sh are associated with a temperature band between 17.5° C to 18.5° C, which provides the basis for the NOAA Turtle-Watch map. Available online at https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/eod/turtlewatch.php, the map provides up-to-date informa-tion about the thermal habitat of loggerhead turtles north of the Hawaiian Islands. The SSC rec-ommended improvements to the map to provide additional infor-mation that would be useful for fi shermen in making decisions for avoiding loggerhead turtles while fi shing for swordfi sh. It also recommended that the Council consider how more timely information on sea turtle interactions could be provided to the fl eet through improved communication. The scientists also recommended that sea turtle interactions be managed through an industry-imple-mented, non-regulatory, trans-ferable interaction quota system or a fl eet-wide hard cap with other innovative and effi cient methods.For the complete SSC and Council meeting agendas and associated documents, go to www.wpcouncil.org/category/upcoming-council-and-advi-sory-body-meetings/ or email info@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220.

(Source: Western Pacifi c Regional Fishery Management Council)

Fisheries scientists fi nd large vessels can exist alongside cultural fi shing practices

samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018 Page 11

By LINDSEY BAHR, AP Film Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — T’Challa still rules the box offi ce four weeks in, even with the fresh rivalry of another Walt Disney Studios release in “A Wrinkle in Time.”

“Black Panther” took the No. 1 spot at the North American box offi ce with $41.1 million according to studio estimates Sunday, leaving another new-comer in its wake. The Marvel and Disney phenomenon crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide this weekend and became the 7th highest grossing domestic release with $562 million. Not accounting for infl ation, it’s now passed “The Dark Knight.”With a market-place still dominated by “Black Panther,” Disney faced some stiff competition from its own studio in launching Ava DuVer-nay’s adaption of “A Wrinkle in Time,” which opened in second place with $33.3 million from 3,980 locations. The PG-rated fi lm, which cost around $103 million to produce and stars Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon, received mixed reviews from critics (it’s cur-rently at a “rotten” 44 percent on RottenTomatoes) and audiences who gave it a B CinemaScore.

In gauging “A Wrinkle in Time’s” long-term prospects, a somewhat similar comparison could be Disney’s “Tomorrow-land,” a PG-rated sci-fi pic with middling reviews and a B Cin-emaScore which opened to $33 million in the early summer of 2015 and went on to gross $93 million domestically. “Tomor-rowland,” however, notably cost nearly twice as much to make as “A Wrinkle in Time.”

But the “Black Panther” effect is the x-factor here. For Disney, it’s a “win all around.”

“When you think about having two fi lms at the top of the box offi ce, it’s defi nitely a win all around,” says Disney’s worldwide theatrical distribu-tion president Dave Hollis. “We’re feeling good about this start ... We’re feeling good about what, for us, is a little family competition between now and (the Easter holiday).”

Hollis says he doesn’t think the studio would have done anything differently regarding “Wrinkle’s” release had they known the scope and longevity of “Black Panther’s” prospects.

“There’s always going to be competition in the market-place,” he says. “With a tentpole strategy like ours, four weeks of separation is about what we can expect.”

Still, “Black Panther” has devoured the marketplace for a month straight now, leaving all other newcomers in the dust.

The new horror fi lm “The Strangers: Prey At Night,” with Christina Hendricks, took third place with $10.5 million. The Jennifer Lawrence thriller “Red

Sparrow” landed in fourth in its second weekend with $8.2 million and the comedy “Game Night” placed fi fth with $7.9 million in weekend three.

Hardly any of the new releases, which also included the thriller “The Hurricane Heist” (8th place, $3.2 million) and the dark action comedy “Gringo,” (11th place, $2.6 mil-lion) were well-reviewed going into the weekend, save for the limited release independents like “Thoroughbreds,” which made $1.2 million from 549 locations, and Armando Ian-nucci’s “The Death of Stalin,” which opened in four theaters to $181,000.

It also left room for the Academy Award best picture winner “The Shape of Water,” which is also available on home video, to capitalize on its post-Oscars stature. The Fox Search-light fi lm added 720 theaters

and took in in $2.4 million from 1,552 locations, bringing its domestic total to $61 million.

But even though “Black Pan-ther” has helped boost the year to date box offi ce signifi cantly, it’s also proving to be a con-tinued challenge for any other wide release hoping for a piece of the market.

“Every movie that has opened in the wake of ‘Black Panther’ has had its work cut out for it,” says comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabe-dian. “We keep underestimating this fi lm and it just shows no sign of slowing down.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic fi gures will be released Monday.light fi lm added 720 theaters released Monday.

‘Black Panther,’ 4 weeks in, tops ‘A Wrinkle in Time

� is image released by Disney and Marvel Studios’ shows Chadwick Boseman in a scene from “Black Panther.”

(Marvel Studios/Disney via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — They bowed their heads, hands clasped or palms fi rmly pressed together. They stood in grassy areas or roadsides overlooking the choppy sea. In Japan’s cap-

ital, they lit candles and offered fl owers. Some dabbed at tears.

Japanese marked the seventh anniversary Sunday of a tsu-nami that took more than 18,000 lives on the northeast coast and triggered a nuclear disaster that turned nearby communities into ghost towns.

Residents along the coast gathered outdoors to remember the tragedy as sirens wailed at 2:46 p.m., the moment the mag-nitude 9.0 offshore earthquake struck on March 11, 2011, set-ting off a massive tsunami.

The tsunami overwhelmed sea walls and washed away buildings, cars and entire neigh-borhoods as it swept inland. It knocked out power at the seaside Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, causing partial meltdowns in three reactors.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday at an offi cial cere-

mony in Tokyo that reconstruc-tion is making steady progress, but more than 70,000 people are still displaced and many have no prospect of returning to their homes.Prince Akishino, the second son of Japanese Emperor Akihito, expressed hope that the tsunami would raise awareness and help pre-vent or mitigate damage from future natural disasters.

“It is my earnest hope ... that we hand down the knowledge to future generations in order to protect many people from the dangers of disasters,” he said.

Separately, several hundred people observed a moment of silence and made offerings at an altar set up in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo.

Cleaning up the still-radio-active Fukushima nuclear plant site remains a daunting chal-lenge that is expected to take 30 to 40 years.

Japan marks 7th anniversary of tsunami that killed 18,000

Page 12 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

boats in the river and a police helicopter circling overhead, hovering low over the water.

“You could clearly see they were searching,” she said.

A Federal Aviation Admin-istration spokeswoman said the Eurocopter AS350 went down just after 7 p.m. The aircraft was owned by Liberty Helicop-ters, a company that offers both private charters and sightseeing tours popular with tourists. A phone message left with the company was not immediately returned.

The skies over New York constantly buzz with helicop-ters carrying tourists, business-people, traffi c reporters, med-ical teams and others. Crashes are not unheard of.

In 2009, a sightseeing heli-copter of the same model and operated by the same company as the one in Sunday’s wreck collided with a small, private plane over the Hudson River, killing nine people, including a group of Italian tourists.

A crash in October 2011 in the East River killed a British woman visiting the city for her

40th birthday. Three other pas-sengers were injured.

A helicopter on a sightseeing tour of Manhattan crashed into the Hudson River in July 2007, shaking up the eight people aboard but injuring no one. In June 2005, two helicopters crashed into the East River in the same week. One injured eight people including some banking executives. The other hit the water shortly after takeoff on a sightseeing fl ight, injuring six tourists and the pilot.

Nigro and Police Commis-sioner James O’Neill said the rescue operation Sunday took place in a 4 mph current in water about 50 feet (15 meters) deep, under challenging conditions.

The cause of the crash is unknown. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Offi cials did not immedi-ately release the names of the pilot or passengers or say how the two passengers died.

The helicopter was recov-ered in the rescue operation and towed to a pier.

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Office: 699-4484 • Fax: 699-2307Email: Rentals@ooeinc.com

2013 FORD F150 Automatic (Green Truck)

2016 Toyota Corolla Automatic (White Car)

TAL Contact Information: Jiin Jang

Automatic (Green Truck)Automatic (Green Truck)$130

Daily Rate

$80Daily Rate

SPECIAL for weekly rate1 day FREE for every 7 days rental!

‘’WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING ORDERS FOR ANY CAR PARTS’’

WITH AFFORDABLE PRICE

2013 Toyota Sienna Automatic (White Mini Van)Automatic (White Mini Van)Automatic (White Mini Van)Automatic (White Mini Van)

$120Daily Rate

VACANCYRESTAURANT ASSISTANT MANAGERJob Desciption: 1. Assist the Food and Beverage Manager with various duties. 2. Available to work evenings and the weekends 3. Excellent customer service, friendly and courteous 4. Good leadership qualities and a team player 5. Be able to supervise and oversee employees performing various tasks 6. Duties will include but not limited to: a. Greet and seat customers b. Assist in taking food orders and serving when necessary c. Stock supplies and reorder d. Assist employees with cleaning and resetting tables e. Resolve customer food complaints and ensure customer satisfaction f. Verify cashier shift takings are balanced against receipts.Application forms are to be picked up from the Front Desk at Tradewinds Hotel.

TEL: 633-4266 OR 699-1267 • FAX: 633-2964 OR 699-1263TEL: 633-4266 OR 699-1267 • FAX: 633-2964 OR 699-1263

McConnell Dowell is an Equal opportunity employer.

Employment Opportunity

Only those who can demonstrate all of the below will be considered:ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Performtechnicalengineering,inspections,scheduling,planning,survey,procurement&qualitycontrol

• Implementinspectionandtestrequirements• Interpretengineeringdocumentsanddrawings• Providetechnicalassistancetosupervisorystaff• Promotetotaljobsafetyandenvironmentalawareness

Here’s What you will needFormalengineeringtertiaryqualificationMinimumofeightyearsexperienceonmajorcivilengineeringprojects

• Competenceinunderstandingandpromotinghealthandsafety• Abilitytodelegate&managetasks• Provenabilityintraining&motivatingstaff• CurrentImmigrationandworkclearance• SocialSecurityCard

Ifyouareinterestedinapplying,pleasedeliveryourCV(Resume)toMcConnellDowellofficeby4:00pm Thursday 15 March

We have a vacancy for an experienced SITE ENGINEER.

➧ 2 killed…Continued from page 4

People mourn the victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami during a special memo-rial event in Tokyo Sunday, March 11, 2018. Japan on Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of the 2011 tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and le� a devastated coastline along the coun-try’s northeast that has still not been fully rebuilt. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018 Page 13

DEVELOPMENT BANK OF AMERICAN SAMOAP. O. BOX 9, Pago Pago A. S. 96799Office: (684) 633-4031 Fax: (684) 633-1163. Website: www.dbas.as

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYPosition: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT RESPONSIBILTIES:1. Performexecutiveleveladministrativetasksofaconfidentialnatureincludingbutnotlimitedto

composinglettersamust,reports,memorandums,makephotocopies,files,distributemail,etc.2. MaintainPresident’sappointmentschedulebyplanningandschedulingappointments,

meetingsandconferences.3. Receiveandinteractwithvisitorsandclientswithdiplomacy.4. Answerstelephones,takesmessagesandanswerinquirieswithinassignedscopeof

responsibilities.5. Compiledepartmentreportsformonthlyboardmeetingsandprovidetranscriptionanddictation

of minutes. 6. Prepareconferenceroomforboardmeetingsandotherconferences.7. Maintainlibraryofbankarchivaldocuments,policiesandprocedures.8. PerformanyotherdutiesasassignedbythePresident.

QUALIFICATIONS:• Integrity,loyalanddiscretepersonality• Strongorganizationalskillsthatreflectabilitytoperformandprioritizemultipletaskswith

excellentattentiontodetailandbeadaptabletovariouscompetingdemands.• Provenabilitytohandleconfidentialinformation.• Expertlevelwrittenandverbalcommunicationskills.• Highlyresourcefulteam-playerwiththeabilitytoalsobeextremelyeffectiveindependently

withstronginterpersonalskillsandhaveagoodunderstandingofculturalprotocol.• Proficientcomputerskillsandin-depthknowledgeofMicrosoftapplications.• Demonstrateproactiveapproachestoproblemsolvingandexhibitabilitytoconstructively

dealwithconflictandaffordeffectiveresolutions.• Timemanagementskills.• ProficientinEnglishandSamoan.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: • Associatedegreeinbusinessmanagementorpublicadministrationorequivalentwithfiveto

eight(3to5)yearsofexperience.

ApplicationsavailableonthesecondfloorofDevelopmentBankBuildinglocatedinPagoPago.PleasesubmitResumeandApplicationattheDevelopmentBankOffice;Deadlinetoapply: March 16, 2018. No phone calls please.

Development Bank of American Samoa is an Equal Opportunity Lender, Provider and Employer

from a list of distinguished Pacifi c iconic fi gures. Melveen has made her marks in myriad ways in education, television, entertainment, indigenous issues, her philanthropic charity work in the past 50 years, as well as a positive role model for young people in the Pacifi c and the USA.

Born in Honolulu in 1943, raised in Moloka’i, she is a multi-talented and versatile vocalist and musician who plays the ukulele, guitar, piano, congas, mandolin, accordion, marimba, and many other ethnic instruments. Her music genres cross from Hawaiian, Polynesian to Jazz, country, gospel, Latin, Pop, Reggae, Folk, Blues, remarkably, she also sings in 18 languages.

“I’m very humbled to receive such honor” said Melveen when she was notifi ed of the award. According to PPSEAWAH president Keegan, “Melveen epitomizes the spirit of Aloha and the ultimate ambassador of Hawaii to the world.”

(Source: PPSEAWAH media release)

TONGA OPENS LEGAL AID CENTER FOR SUR-VIVORS OF DOMESTIC

VIOLENCETonga is the fi rst Pacifi c

nation to have a legal aid center providing free services for sur-vivors of domestic violence.

The Family Protection Legal Aid Centre opens today in Nuku’alofa and was established by the local Ministry of Justice and will operate within the Min-istry’s compound.

The Ministry’s assistant sec-retary, ‘Aunofo Aholelei, said the center was a response to gaps found by key stakeholders of the Family Protection Act 2013.

Ms Aholelei said there had been no free legal services on offer to assist victims of domestic violence and there was a lack of services avail-able for those living in the outer islands.

She said the center was a way forward in addressing those gaps.

“The objective of the project is that survivors of domestic violence have increased access to justice for domestic violence and other family protection mat-ters and the Ministry noted that this objective was direct aligned with the Ministry’s mandate,” Ms Aholelei said.

The Tongatapu-based center will also provide an after-hours telephone service to those living in the outer islands.

The center’s legal offi cer, Fitilagi Fa’anunu, said as well as providing the legal advice and representation, her team would also be able to make referrals for clients who may need urgent medical assistance.

“The center is a major step forward by the government to respond to address the issue of domestic violence and this will no doubt will empower those who are most vulnerable, to have increase access to the jus-tice system,” Ms Fa’anunu said.

She said in order to be eli-gible for the free legal service, someone must be a survivor or victim of domestic violence as defi ned under the Family Pro-tection Act 2013.(Source: RNZI)

“I FEEL ROBBED,” SAMOA DESIGNER HITS

OUT AT ‘COPYCATS’Fashion Designer, Cecilia

Keil, has called out the practice of mass production and cultural appropriation of Samoa’s cul-tural art prints and designs by overseas commercial interests.

Recently the designer came across a duplicate design by a company in the U.S. of an orig-inal piece of active wear she designed in 2015.

“I feel robbed,” said Ms. Keil during an interview with the Sunday Samoan.

“Last week I posted some-thing up on Facebook because I feel I’ve been robbed with leg-gings I designed in 2007.

“They were recreated again in 2015 for the Pacifi c Interna-tional Runway and then I saw it two weeks ago, someone shared a page, it’s selling in the U.S. and it’s been mass produced and selling at US$50 (T$128) and it’s a duplicate of the same design, they tweaked a few things but it’s the same thing. I contacted that company and I said to them ‘do you even know the signifi cance and the meaning of the print?’ Because that’s our art and it belongs to our people and you are mass producing it.”

The overseas company responded to Ms. Keil saying that their designers came up with the concept of designs by their own merit.

Ms. Keil is a partner for the Pacifi c International Runway representing Samoa and last year at the event held in Aus-tralia, she raised the ethical complications around bigger clothing apparel companies profi ting off the intellectual and cultural property of Samoa without crediting the source.

(Source: Samoa Observer)THE LATEST SAMOA

TARO WAR COMES AS A SURPRISE TO PM

The long, drawn-out taro ban battle between the two Samoas has clearly angered Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

He told KHJ yesterday after-noon that he was not aware of the counter ban by his country’s Ministry of Agriculture.

American Samoa had sus-pended the importation of Samoan taro last year over con-cerns of a leaf virus.

Before resuming the trade American Samoa then announced that it would want its inspectors to fi rst visit the plan-tations of the Samoa exporters.

That then prompted Samoa to issue a ban on the exports to American Samoa.

Our correspondent in American Samoa said that in the meantime taro supplies are clearly depleting in the terri-tory, while there is taro aplenty in Samoa.

(Source: RNZI)

➧ Pacifi c…Continued from page 5

O le tatalaga o le polokalama fa’ataoto mo le a’oga Manulele Tausala i le taeao ua laeia ai le Samasama e le fanau a’oga fa’atasi ma latou faia’oga, o le a tusia se tala i lenei polokalama mo le lomiga aso Lua. [ata: Leua Aiono Frost]

Page 14 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday he believes North Korea will abide by its pledge to suspend missile tests while he prepares for a summit by May with the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

Trump noted in a tweet that North Korea has refrained from such tests since November and said Kim “has promised not to do so through our meetings.”

“I believe they will honor that commitment,” the presi-dent wrote.

The president continued the optimistic tone Saturday night when he led a rally for the Republican candidate in a special House race in western Pennsylvania. When he men-tioned Kim’s name, the crowd booed but Trump responded: “No, it’s very positive ... no, after the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice because let’s see what hap-pens, let’s see what happens.”

Trump shocked many inside and outside his administra-tion Thursday when he told South Korean officials who had just returned from talks in North Korea that he would be willing to accept Kim’s meeting invitation.

Earlier Saturday, Trump tweeted that China was pleased

that he was pursuing a dip-lomatic solution rather than “going with the ominous alter-native” and that Japan is “very enthusiastic” about the agreed-to talks.

Trump has spoken with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe since Thursday’s announcement, and said Xi “appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative.”

Trump had previously threatened North Korea with “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”

Trump also said China, North Korea’s most important ally and trading partner, “con-tinues to be helpful!” Trump has repeatedly urged China to do more to pressure North Korea into abandoning its nuclear program.

Trump said in another tweet Saturday that Abe is “is very enthusiastic about talks with North Korea” and that the two discussed how to narrow the U.S.-Japan trade deficit. Trump wrote, “It will all work out!”

Trump misspelled Xi’s first name as “Xinping” in the first version of his tweet about China but later corrected it.

American Samoa GovernmentOFFICE OF PROCUREMENT

Equal Opportunity Employer / Affirmative Action

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)RFP No: RFP 036-2018 Date & Time Due: March 16, 2018Issuance Date: February 28, 2018 No later than 2:00 p.m. local timeThe American Samoa Government (ASG) Issues.& Request For Proposals (RFP) from qualified firms to provide:

“E-Rate Year 21-ISP 50 Mb Services for the Department of Education”SUBMISSIONOriginal and five copies of the Proposal must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked: “RFP: E-Rate Year 21 - ISP 50 Mb Services for the Department of Education.” Submissions are to be sent to the following address and will be received until 2:00 p.m. (local time), March 16, 2018: Office of Procurement American Samoa Government Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 attn: Dr. Oreta Mapu Crichton, CPOAny proposal received after the aforementioned date and time will not be accepted under any circumstances. Late submissions will not be opened or considered and will be determined as being non-responsive.DOCUMENTThe RFP Scope of Work outlining the proposal requirements is available at the Office of Procurement, Tafuna, American Samoa during normal working hours.REVIEWRequest for Proposal data will be thoroughly reviewed by an appointed Source Evaluation Board under the auspices of the Chief Procurement Officer, Office of Procurement, ASG. RIGHT OF REJECTIONThe merican Samoa Government reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals and to waive any irregularities and/or informalities in the submitted proposals that are not in the best interests of the American Samoa Government or the public.

DR. ORETA MAPU CRICHTONChief Procurement Officer

Trump believes North Korea will keep word

on missile tests

A woman walks by a huge screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump, le�, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, in Tokyo, Friday, March 9, 2018. A�er a year of threats and diatribes, U.S. President Donald Trump and third-generation North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un have agreed to meet face-to-face for talks about the North‚Äôs nuclear program. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

By JILL COLVIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — He urged his audience not to jeer North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while goading the crowd to boo the press.

He called an African-Amer-ican congresswoman a “very low-IQ individual” and bashed the moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press” as a “sleeping son of a bitch.”

If it wasn’t crystal clear already, President Donald Trump’s roaring rally in Penn-sylvania on Saturday night underscored the fact that, more than a year into the job, Trump has no interest in leaving behind the vulgar insults or biting attacks on the free press that defined his 2016 Republican campaign.

“You’d be so bored,” Trump said as he brushed off criticism that he should change his ways.

“Don’t forget, this got us elected,” he told the crowd out-side Pittsburgh. “If I came like a stiff, you guys wouldn’t be here tonight.”

Instead, Trump repeatedly lashed out at the “fake, fake media” and insulted reporters, prompting the crowd to break into a round of a favorite 2016

chant, “CNN sucks.”But when it came to the

North Korean leader, Trump was more restrained.

“No, it’s very positive,” Trump said after his mention of Kim’s name prompted boos and jeers. Trump, who last week agreed to a historic one-on-one meeting with Kim, motioned with his arms for the crowd to calm. “After the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice.”

Later, he held up China and Singapore as examples of countries that had successfully tackled their drug problems and suggested mandating the death penalty for drug dealers in the United States.

Trump critic Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said the president’s comments were setting a dan-gerous precedent.

“Words matter,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” whose host, Chuck Todd, had been the subject of some of Trump’s most virulent tongue-lashing, including being called a “sleeping son of a bitch.”

Flake, who has hinted he might challenge Trump in 2020, said: “We had a record number of journalists being jailed overseas, some on false news

charges, echoing the phrases that he uses. So I don’t think it’s a responsible thing to do.”

But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, also appearing on Todd’s show, brushed off Trump’s vulgar language, including his description of Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, the ranking member of the House Committee on Finan-cial Services, as a “low IQ” person.

“These are campaign rally issues,” Mnuchin said. “That is at a campaign rally. And the president likes making funny names.”

Mnuchin also argued the press should pay less attention to Trump’s rally speeches and more attention to his policies, such as his announcement on tariffs last week.

“He’s using these vulgari-ties in the context of a campaign rally, and obviously there were a lot of funny moments on that rally,” he said.

Todd, whom Trump derided throughout the campaign as “sleepy eyes Chuck Todd,” responded to Mnuchin with a deadpan tone. “Yeah, they were hilarious,” he said.

Rally shows free-wheeling, media-bashing Trump here to stay

© OSINI FALEATASI INC. RESERVES ALL RIGHTS.dba Samoa News is published Monday through Friday,

except for some local and federal holidays.Please send correspondences to: OF, dba Samoa News, Box

909, Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799.Telephone at (684) 633-5599 • Fax at (684) 633-4864Email advertisements to ads@samoanews.comEmail the newsroom at news@samoanews.comNormal business hours are Mon. thru Fri. 8am to 5pm.Permission to reproduce editorial and/or advertisements, in

whole or in part, is required. Please address such requests to the Publisher at the address provided above.

Please visit samoanews.com for weekend updates.

samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018 Page 15

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

The main events in a polit-ical campaign used to happen in the open: a debate, the release of a major TV ad or a public event where candidates tried to earn a spot on the evening news or the next day’s front page.That was before the explosion of Facebook, Twitter and You-Tube as political platforms. Now some of a campaign’s most pivotal efforts happen in the often-murky world of social media, where ads can be tar-geted to ever-narrower slices of the electorate and run continu-ously with no disclosure of who is paying for them. Reporters cannot easily discern what voters are seeing, and hoaxes and forgeries spread instan-taneously.Journalists trying to hold candidates account-able have a hard time keeping up.“There’s a whole dark area of campaigns out there when, if you’re not part of the target group, you don’t know anything about them,” said Larry Noble of the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, which seeks greater transparency in political spending. “And if reporters don’t know about it, they can’t ask questions about it.”

The problem came to wide-spread attention during the 2016 presidential race, when Donald Trump’s campaign invested heavily in digital advertising, and the term “fake news” emerged to describe pro-Trump propaganda masquerading as online news. Russian interfer-ence in the campaign included covert ads on social media and phony Facebook groups pumping out falsehoods.

The misinformation shows no sign of abating. The U.S. Senate election in Alabama in December was rife with fake online reports in support of Republican Roy Moore, who eventually lost to Democrat Doug Jones amid allegations that Moore had sexual contact with teenagers when he was a prosecutor in his 30s. Moore denied the accusations.

Politicians also try to create their own news operations. U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes’ campaign funded a purported news site called The California Repub-lican, and the executive director of Maine’s Republican party last month acknowledged that he runs an anonymous website that is critical of Democrats.

Phony allegations are nothing new in politics. But they used to circulate in auto-mated phone calls, mailers that were often tossed in the trash or, as far back as the 1800s, in par-tisan newspapers that published just once a day, noted Garlin Gilchrist, executive director of the Center for Social Media Responsibility at the Univer-sity of Michigan.The difference now is how quickly false infor-mation spreads.“The problem is something that’s always existed ... but social media is a different

animal than news distribution in the past,” Gilchrist said.

A study released this past week found that false informa-tion spreads faster and wider on Twitter than real news stories. Researchers at the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology traced the path of more than 126,000 stories on Twitter and found that the average false story takes about 10 hours to reach 1,500 users compared with about 60 hours for real ones. On average, false infor-mation reaches 35 percent more people than true news.A data analysis by Buzzfeed’s news site after the 2016 elec-tion found that the most popular fake stories generated greater engagement on Facebook than the top real stories in the three months before Election Day.Because it’s increasingly easy to fabricate videos, which are viewed as the most reliable evi-dence available online, reporters “need stronger tools” to weed out frauds, Gilchrist said.Social media also upends campaign advertising practices. Federal regulations require a record of every political advertisement that is broadcast on television and radio. But online ads have no comparable requirements.Earlier this month, Twitter Chief Executive Offi cer Jack Dorsey announced that the platform would take new steps to try to stop harassment and false information. Facebook has partnered with media organiza-tions, including The Associated Press, to fl ag false informa-tion on its platform. It recently announced plans to reform its political advertising, including making all ads on a page vis-ible to all viewers, regardless of whether they were intended to see the spots. It also will require a line identifying the buyer on every political ad and create a four-year archive.Still, because there are so many candidates for offi ce in the U.S., Facebook is limiting itself to federal races at fi rst.“Facebook is moving faster than regulators are around the world toward some better stuff,” said Sam Jeffers of the UK-based group Who Targets You, which pushes for better online campaign disclosure.

He cited three recent elec-tions in which underdog cam-paigns invested heavily in online ads and beat the polling expectations to win: the 2015 parliamentary races and the Brexit vote and the U.S. presi-dential race the following year.

Who Targets You designed an online tool that will col-lect Facebook political ads and deposit them in a database.

In the U.S., the nonprofi t investigative outlet ProPublica has a similar project underway with a widget called Polit-ical Ad Tracker, which can be downloaded by readers to build a database of online ads. Other organizations, including the AP, have begun publishing stories specifi cally intended to

knock down false information circulating on social media.Some efforts are more local. In Seattle’s municipal election last year, online ad spending increased 5,000 percent over the previous cycle in 2013. Eli Sanders, a reporter for the alter-native weekly The Stranger, unearthed a city ordinance that requires any outlet that distrib-utes a political ad to make copies available for public inspection. His reporting inspired the city’s ethics and elections commission to demand the data from online outlets.

Digital ads, social media hide political campaign messaging

COOK NEEDEDExperience Required in cooking

CHINESE CUISINE.Sweetie’s Restaurant @ 254-5835

PUBLIC NOTICE The American Samoa Department of Health Early Intervention Program “Helping Hands” would like to inform the public that the Annual State Application under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as amended in 2004 for Federal Fiscal Year 2018 is available for public comment for a period of 60 days.

A copy of the document is available to review at the DOH Helping Hands Office located in the Lumana’i building in Fagatogo. Please call the DOH Helping Hands office at 633-8553 if you have any questions regarding this public notice.

Signed,

Ruth Te’o, DOH Part C Coordinator

American Samoa GovernmentDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

COOK NEEDEDExperience Required in cooking

CHINESE CUISINE.Suamalie Restaurant @ 254-5835

C M

Y K

C M

Y K

Page 16 samoa news, Monday, March 12, 2018

TA’IMUAIAO DAYNE LOKENITA’IMUAIAO DAYNE LOKENITA’IMUAIAO DAYNE LOKENI

“Sh� me the sunshine & then set me �ee, to be the brilliant b� y raised me to be.”

�e Celebration of our “Super Ta’i” will be held at �e Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Ottoville Chapel

Wednesday, March 14, 2018Service will start at 9:00 a.m.

�e Poumele & Lokeni Family