By Michael Morrah
A village on the outskirts of Samoa's capital is planning to send a petition to the New Zealand Government claiming land was unfairly taken during its administration of the country.
The land at Satapuala, near Samoa's main airport, is now under the control of the Samoan Government. But the village wants it returned as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.
The festivities continued in Apia today, as Samoa marks 50 years of self-governance.
But away from the celebrations are the villages of Satapuala and Satuimalufilufi, land next to the airport which stretches kilometres up the coast that locals say has been forgotten.
They say it was taken during New Zealand's control of Samoa early last century, and that has never been acknowledged, nor have they been fairly compensated.
"The village is suffering because of that and we want it resolved so that the villages can move forward and not have to continue as our ancestors have been doing for the past 50 years," says opposition MP Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster.
Part of the land claim has already been thrown out by the Supreme Court.
But New Zealand Labour MP Su'a William Sio's family is from Satapuala, and he says he'll help the village in its campaign for recognition and table a petition in Parliament.
"When it comes to land issues, these elders are not going to give up,” says Mr Sio. “It's their heritage. It belongs to generations of people."
The Samoan Government is hoping the dispute will fade away. It wants to build a new hospital on part of the land.
The hospital is important because an increasing proportion of Samoa's population live below the poverty line – up to 30 percent in some areas, and the strain on health resources is immense.
Samoa's Prime Minister says the land claim is just political posturing.
"It sets a very dangerous precedent because once we make a decision making an exception for one village, then all the Government lands will be similarly affected," says Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Zealand has been made aware of the issue. The village people hope Prime Minister John Key will be briefed on the matter before he arrives in Samoa in August to mark the 50th Anniversary of the New Zealand-Samoa Treaty of Friendship.
3 News
source: newshub archive
