Pacific Islands Report

Samoa woman in forgery scandal deported

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa—A Samoa woman who pleaded guilty to forgery in a birth certificate scandal was ordered by the high court to be immediately deported from the territory.

Mahana Litia Tautu admitted to using a friend’s birth certificate to obtain travel documents to enter Hawaii.

Immigration officials arrested her as she boarded a flight to Honolulu at the Pago Pago International Airport last year.

Tautu was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to do 100 hours of community service if she returns to the territory during this period.

New teachers to meet goal

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa—The Department of Education said its recent hire of 88 new teachers will give the territory’s education system the same teacher-student ratio as schools in the United States.

This new group of teachers and others to be recruited before the start of the 2000-2001 school year in September is part of DOE’s efforts to eliminate overcrowding in classrooms.

The department is also constructing new classrooms at six elementary schools that have high enrollments of more than 1,000 students.

Problems for Fiji mahogany

SUVA, Fiji Islands—The Native Land Trust Board has warned the government not to sell shares in Fiji Hardwood Corporation to foreign investors.

The Board has written to Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, advising him that the landowners are interested in taking over the development of mahogany in Fiji.

NLTB General Manager Maika Qarikau said the board believes that mahogany landowners should be given first preference in developing this resource. Mahogany landowners in Suva were told that the NLTB is in the process of preparing a submission to its board on its proposal.

Fake designer labels investigated

APIA, Samoa—Customs officials in the Pacific region have been advised to step up their checks on the entry of fake brand name goods.

Officials said there has been an increase in the number of attempts to smuggle fake items into the region, particularly in Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Tuvalu.

Customs officers are being urged to be more aggressive in enforcing and intercepting counterfeit goods.

Rotuma hospital gets facelift

ROTUMA, Fiji Islands—The government plans to begin upgrading the hospital in Rotuma by next year, according to the Ministry of Health.
Improving the poor condition of Rotuma’s healthcare services has been one of the Fiji government’s leading priorities for 2001 as it works to upgrade the island’s infrastructure.

There are also plans for the ministry to replace ambulance service on the island that the Red Cross took back to Suva.