Students from Pacific Horizons School were Buckle up! among the over 100 people who were at the Tauese P.F. Sunia Ocean Center in Utulei on FATALITIES CRASHES Friday for the screening of Jean Michel Cous- teau’s film: “Swains Island: One of the Last 2 517 Jewels on the Planet”. LOCAL HIGHWAYS LOCAL HIGHWAYS Cousteau said, “I remember my father 01-01-14 TO DATE 01-01-14 TO DATE telling me that people protect what they love; and I kept saying, ‘How can you protect some- thing you don’t understand?’” He said the National Monument of Amer- OFFICE OF highway SAFETY ican Samoa can be a destination for learning more about our life support system (the ocean),” and this understanding, he says will open minds DOE Director fields up to make much better decisions “than I ever questions over the did make growing up…” [photo: B. Chen] start of school… 3 ONLINE @ SAMOANEWS.COM E ono sii to- C M togi o laisene Y K i le OMV… DAILY CIRCULATION 7,000 10 PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 $1.00 Samuelu: ASVB Fishery Council to Obama — budget a “joke” Abandon Marine Monument POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES FOR U.S FISHING INDUSTRY by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu, Samoa News Reporter While the American Samoa Visitors Bureau Director, by Fili Sagapolutele, Samoa News Correspondent (PICs), providing $21 million annually in funds David Vaeafe announced before the lawmakers last week Top leaders of the Western Pacific Regional shared by all the independent Pacific Islands that Virginia Samuelu was among the board member for the Fishery Management Council board of direc- Forum countries, which is in addition to the ASVB, Samuelu told Samoa News that’s not true, calling the tors say continuity of American Samoa as a payments made for fishing days. ASVB’s $900,000 budget a “joke”. major fishery port and fishing hub continues “However, the US role and influence in the Samuelu in an email to Samoa News over the weekend to be uncertain while China’s domination of region will be vastly undermined if we volun- stated that she resigned as a member of ASVB last year and Papua New Guinea’s canning industry is in tarily surrender our rights to fish within our she has not attended any board meetings since her resignation. direct competition with American Samoa. own EEZ waters. Moreover, the US is being During the budget hearing last week for ASVB, Senate This according to a five-page Aug.15th surpassed by China in the provision of for- President Gaoteote Palaie pointed out that Vaeafe travels 17 letter addressed to President Barack Obama and eign aid to the region,” the letter states. “China weeks annually for meetings and asked what does American signed by Council chairman Arnold Palacio, as now dominates Papua New Guinea’s canning Samoa get out of these trips. well as vice chairman William Sword of Amer- industry, an industry that directly competes Samuelu told Samoa News that she was not happy with ican Samoa, Edwin Ebisui of Hawai’i, Michael with the American Samoa canneries.” how things were done within the ASVB board, hence her res- Duenas of Guam and Richard Seman of the Com- The board members point out that the US ignation, and she wonders how the ASVB CEO contract was monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. fisheries are already the world’s most stringently extended with just Roy Hall Jr and Aleki Sene as board mem- The letter officially requests the Obama managed and have served globally as icons for bers, whose terms have expired. Administration “to abandon its plan to expand” management excellence. “This [expansion] pro- During the budget hearing, Ituau faipule Taotasi Archie the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National posal will instead turn our fisheries into exam- Soliai pointed out to Vaefae that according to local statute, Monuments (PRIMNM) “or, if expansion is ples of how to actively discourage development the board should have three board members and a chairman to inevitable, that commercial fishing be allowed and renewal,” they say. constitute an official board. to continue within the PRIMNM beyond the “Further, the continuity of American Samoa Former ASVB board member, Samuelu did not mince existing 50 nautical miles boundary.” as a major fishery port and fishing hub con- words saying “the budget is a joke” and the CEO travels a According to the letter, US presence in the tinues to be uncertain. The canneries in Amer- lot “yet there is no data that substantiates any improvement or region has primarily been through its purse ican Samoa depend for a large part on the US economic benefits derived from these off island trips.” seine fishery via the South Pacific Tuna Treaty, purse seine fishery for their supply of tuna,” “We should be asking ourselves, where is the statistical which has been the main conduit of financial according to the letter. data? How much does a tourist spend in American Samoa; aid to the independent Pacific Islands Countries (Continued on page 16) what is the tourist average length of stay in American Samoa; how much are the hotels earning from tourist revenue; and rental cars?” Samuelu did note that cruise ship visitors are not catego- rized as tourist in figures, because they are considered “transit C M visitors”, so has anyone determined how much a cruise ship Y K passenger spends in American Samoa and does the ASVB have verifiable data to substantiate the cruise ship spending here in American Samoa?” She further raised concerns if the ASVB provides “local product” development for the local tourism industry, through vil- lage participation? She notes that while ASVB is concentrating on marketing American Samoa, there is no serious effort by ASVB or funding that has been earmarked, to develop a ‘local product’ to promote overseas, when tourists do come here. Samuelu pointed out that Samoa’s Teuila Festival is spon- sored and implemented by the Samoa Tourism Authority and that’s something the ASVB should be concentrating on. The former board member agreed with Senator Magalei’s comment that the ASVB was created so that it is a private sector driven entity, able to sustain itself through legislative approval of taxes for hotels/lodging and rental vehicles and requesting grants, technical assistance, and non profit funding, but that’s not happening. She also notes that Vaeafe’s $80,000 contract “with bene- Renowned World Oceanographer, explorer, author, Marine Biologist, ‘Her Deepness’ Dr. Sylvia fits at $40,000 provided to Vaeafe’s contract is not appropriate Earle raising up an ‘ula’ of seaweed that was cut as the ribbon for the unveiling of the new exhibit (no offense to David)”. “Scuba Diver” at the Tauese Sunia Ocean Center. Behind Dr. Earle is Senior World Diver Jean Michel (Continued on page 16) Cousteau, renowned ocean explorer and author who helped cut the seaweed-ribbon. [photo: TG] Page 2 samoa news, Monday, August 25, 2014 by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu police that everything started the evening before Samoa News Reporter when a police officer came and argued with PLEA DEAL IN BURGLARY CASE Ilalio, who came up with the idea to break into SIGNED BY BOTH DEFENDANTS the building and ransack it because of his “hatred Semurana Leaumoana and Amosa Ilalio, towards the police officer.” accused of breaking into the Ulalei sewing shop MT said he watched Ilalio and Leaumoana and Western Union office in Puapua, Leone last both trying to carry the safe that was inside the year, have signed a plea agreement with the gov- Western Union Office. Court filings say that ernment. The pair are each charged with first- MT admitted to taking $3 that was on top of the degree burglary, stealing, underage consumption radio. It’s unclear at this time if the government of alcohol and property damage third degree. A has filed criminal charges against “MT”, the third young man, a minor is also involved. juvenile in this case. According to the government’s case, on Oct. The pair will appear in High Court this week 25, 2013 police were called to the site of a bur- for the court to determine whether they will glary at the Western Union and Ulalei Fashions accept or deny the plea deal offered by the gov- in Puapua. Upon arrival, police observed that the ernment in this case. The plea deal being offered side door had been forcibly opened and there by ASG is unclear at this time. were footprints near the entry point. MAN CHARGED IN CONNECTION Court filings say the sewing shop and the WITH ASSAULT CASE Western Union Office were ransacked with The Attorney General’s office has charged drawers left open, items scattered all over the Talamoa Ationo with second degree assault and floor, and clothes in the sewing shop all over the public peace disturbance in connection with an floor. It appeared that the burglars had tried to assault case that occurred last year November. The open the vault that was inside the shop. court set $5,000 bail for the defendant, who made Police spoke to an employee of the sewing his initial appearance in District Court on Friday. shop who said the sewing shop is right next to According to the government’s case, on Nov. the Western Union office, and when she entered, 9, 2013, a man filed a complaint with the police she saw both places had been vandalized. at the Leone Substation alledging assault by Court filings say the burglars also managed to Ationo. Court filings say the victim told police Earthquake’s timing turn off the video surveillance camera.