December 2001 News Archives

Samoalive 25th December
Dry Tuesdays
Its Xmas day in Samoa. Its a dry Tuesday!. Well the Liquor Board has declared today and next Tuesday as days during which Bars and Nightclubs are prohibited from selling any liquor. Today has started with the Xmas carol singing in the early morning and there is a lot of smoke from the "umus" for the lunch today. For most, it will be a day at the beach and/or playing volley ball or  "kirikiti".
 The liqour board has made its annual concession. The nightclubs and bars will be allowed to sell liqour from 10am Monday 31 December to 6am Tuesday on New Year which should be enough for those who want to really celebrate the New Year's eve at the bars and nightclubs

Samoalive 24th December

A Salute To His Highness The Head of State
As one of the most senior Head of State in the world, His Highness, the Head of State, Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II will celebrate his 89th birthday on 4th January 2002.As one of the founding fathers of Samoan Independence, Malietoa has guided the country from a predominantly subsistence society to one of the most modern island nations in the Pacific. The relatively stable political environment in Samoa since gaining Independence has been attributed mainly to the astute stewardship by the Head of State. The tenure of Malietoa as Head of State is for life, after which the position will be elected by Parliament for a term of 5 years.

.Holiday Season In Samoa
. With the holiday season starting tomorrow, a Xmas treat has been announced which declares 4th January a public holiday to celebrate the 89th birthday of His Highness The Head of State, Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II. Therefore the official public holidays in Samoa in the next two weeks will be 25th,26th December 2001 and 1st,2nd and 4th January 2002. For the Public Servants they also get 27th, 28th December and 3rd January 2002 as Public Service Holidays.

Samoalive 23rd December

.Where Are The O'YABA?
After heavy promotions of the tour and  selling of the tickets for the 3 shows planned in Samoa, the O'YABA have pulled out of their tour minutes before they were to go on stage on Friday evening. The O'YABA group was in Apia but are now reported to have flown over to Pago for a show there. The disappointed fans in Apia have had their tickets refunded by the tour promoters. The confusion appears to been caused by a dispute in the sound system quality and maybe money also.

Samoalive 22nd December

.Dengue Tops Off A Year of Success
After collecting gold medals at the recent Norfolk South Pacific Mini Games, "Dengue" Tagaifano Soonalole walked away with last night with the 2001 Sports Person Award at a packed evening at the Kitano Tusitala hotel. The presenters at the awards, Jesse Sapolu, the former San Francisco 49ers and Bernice Mene, the NZ Silver Ferns captain attracted alot of crowd to the function.It is how hoped that event will become a regular one to celebrate the achievements of the Samoan sports persons around the globe.

David Tua
David Tua's latest win over Garing Lane by tko has had very little publicity. However, the win is seen as critical step in David Tua regaining his popularity with Samoan fans.

Samoalive 21st December
Brian Lima Takes Top Honours

The Samoalive poll on the Samoan Sports Person of the Decade resulted in Brian Lima receiving the highest number of votes followed closely by David Tua. The poll proved to be a very competitive one and would be one of the most popular polls this year. Brian Lima's popularity would appear to be linked to the way in which he touches the inner pride of Samoan when he plays and shows courage in the games he plays for Manu Samoa. The decade covered by the poll coincides with the Brian Lima's rise to fame after the World Cup in the early 1990s.David Tua who used to win the past polls seems to have lost some of his popularity since his recent losses in the ring. This Samoalive poll is timely as the Samoan sporting bodies prepare for the Samoan Sports Awards tomorrow night.

Samoalive 20th December
Samoa Starts Planning For 2007

After wining the bid in Norfolk to host the 2007 South Pacific Games, Samoa has started this week to plan for the investment programme to have the best facilites ready for the South Pacific Games in 2007. Te biggest item needed will be an aquatic centre for the water sports which have to date disadvantaged Samoa's prospects in hosting the South Pacific Games. The Faleata sports complex is expected to be the centre for all the sporting facilities.

Samoalive 19th December
O'YABA mania hits Samoa
O'YABA has returned to Samoa after their last popular tour of the Pacific. O'YABA present tour has billed "Africanise Samoa Tour" will have three concerts.The first concert will at the EFKS Youth Hall, Mulinuu on Friday night, followed by their after noon concert on Saturday at the Apia Park. The last concert will at Prince Edward Park in Savaii on 5 January 2002. O'YABA with their unique sound has taken Samoa by storm.The concerts are expected to be packed,

Samoalive 18th December
Samoa comes a light for Xmas
What started out as a small Christmas trees outside family homes has turned out to be a national light show as families compete for the biggest and brightest Christmas lights. Even the recent increase in electricity rates to 72sene a unit has not dampened the spirit.  The LDS
at Pesega which was the pioneer of combining carol singing and light shows has put on the biggest show yet. Christmas Lights span the whole of the grounds where the temple is and also the opposite side yard,  previous location of the Chan Boon Building Complex.
Click here to view more photos of the LDS Xmas Light Show

SamoaLive 17th Dec)

Is David Tua Going To Make It?
This is the biggest question in every fan's mind, including David Tua. Back to his crew cut and in a lavalava plus his original coaching/management team, David Tua knows his next fight later this week (2 days time) with Garing Lane will be crucial in his bid to try and get back into contention for the world heavy tittles which have so far proven elusive. David Tua's fight against Chris Byrd was a very costly one. David Tua not only lost the fight but also lost a number of fans when he wore only a thong to the weigh in. David Tua has since apologized to his fans for incident.

Cisco Academy Starts Enrollment
Enrollment for the  classes of the Academy at the National University of Samoa is now taking place. The classes are planned to start on 7 January 2002 for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), The fees are ST$1,000 per semester. The academy will give the local IT people an opportunity to upgrade their skills.

SamoaLive 16th Dec)

Xmas Is the Most Popular Time To Visit Samoa
The recent Samoalive poll has shown that Xmas is still the most preferred time to visit Samoa, with the Teuila week as the next choice. The Independence week was the least preferred time. Click here for details  Given that 90 percent of the visitors to the Samoalive site are overseas-based Samoans, it has been interesting to note that the weather is not a main factor in the consideration the timing of the visits. For the overall tourist market, the peak time for the hotels is in June-August when the weather is relatively mild and dry.

SamoaLive 15th Dec)

Elan Trading Finally Settles Bid
Elan Trading who won the bidding for purchasing the Samoa coconut oil mill facilities has finally settled its bid price of ST$1.3 million after a series of negotiations. This latest step marks an important milestone in the efforts of the Government to reopen the coconut oil mill. Elan Trading is planning to start processing oil in March 2002.

New Public Trustee Appointed
Alo Vaemoa Vaai has been appointed as the new Public Trustee to fill the vacancy created when Papalii Niko Li Hang was voted in Parliament in a recent by-elections for the Individual Voters Roll. Alo Vaemoa was recently Manager Investments with the National Provident Fund. With commerce and law degrees and experience in investments, Alo Vaemoa will be an asset for the upgrading of the office of Public Trustee. To see who is the head of each government statutory bodies and their contact addresses click here

SamoaLive 14th Dec)
Samoa At Forefront Of Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights
The formal announcement has been made this week whereby the US-based AIDS Research Alliance has agreed (that in the commercial manufacturing of an AIDS fighting tablet from the "Mamala" plant) 5 percent of revenues will go to the US National Institute of Cancer whilst 20 percent will go the Samoa Government, Falelupo village and families of two Samoan women who helped the researchers in identifying the medicinal properties of the "mamala" plant . This agreement has been hailed as a major breakthrough for the indigenous medicinal healers world wide, whose intellectual property rights  will get to be recognized as having commercial valu

SamoaLive 13th Dec)
13 Days of Xmas Carols
The Xmas carol singing event " 13 Days Before Xmas" started by the Rev Faitala Talapusi in the 1990s has become a traditional event in the Samoan calendar. The event started this week and the crowds have been building up at Vaitele venue.

SamoaLive 12th Dec)
Apia Property Prices on The Rise
The present economic boom in Samoa has led to the property prices skyrocketing particularly in the Apia area where the quarter section along Beach Road is at least S$1 million. There are no signs of the property prices coming down.

Final Gold Count
"Dengue" Tagifano Soonalole with haul of 3 gold has now lifted Samoa's gold count to 10, Attention will now focus on the Sports Awards 2001 will award "Dengue" who has been in devastating form  the top award. The Samoan team to Norfolk Mini Games are returning this weekend with their medals and also the right for Samoa to host the 2007 South Pacific Games

SamoaLive 11th Dec)

Top Positions Up For Grabs
The advertisements for CEOs of the Small Business Enterprise Centre, Samoa Shipping Corp and the Ministry of Post and Telecom have been out this month. The final appointments are likely to be made in early 2002.

Where Have All The People Gone?
The latest national census in Samoa has shown that the population of Samoa has increased from 161,000 in 1991 to 174,000 in 2001, an increase of 13,000 over the last decade. The population increase works out to less than 1 percent per annum, showing a strong outflow of the population to the main centres overseas in American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and USA. The latest census results are expected to be made final in early 2002.

SamoaLive 10th Dec)

Chan Mow and Vaeau Take Top Honours at UPY
Zhenna Chan Mow and Tagiilima Vaeau have shared the top dux of the UPY course at the National University for 2001.Zhenna Chan Mow is now planning to take up pharmacy studies in New Zealand. The dominance of girls in taking the top prizes at the secondary and tertiary schools around Samoa has become a main feature of the prize giving ceremonies in the last few years. The successful returning students with University degrees have also been increasingly being dominated by the girls.

Floating Pacific Peace Sign
The Japanese-sponsored Peace Ship visited Apia during the weekend with 600 passengers  from across the Asian-Pacific region. The passengers who are mainly students participate in the educational  programmes on peace, human rights and sustainability of the environment during the 106 day voyage of the ship.In Apia, the passengers took part in the church services at Moamoa and Siusega. They also had a tour of the South Pacific Environmental Programme Head Quarters at Vailima. During the Apia/Japan sector of the voyage, the passengers will be undertaking a series of workshops onboard the ship focusing on the Cliamte Change and the South Pacific.

SamoaLive 9th Dec)

Samoa Grabs More Medals in the Weekend
The Samoan team at the Norfolk Mini Games was able to grab more medals in the weekend, with the biggest haul from the bodybuilding contests where Samoa picked up three gold, one silver and two bronze. Other successes included the two silver from lawn bowling and a bronze from golf. More medal prospects are expected in the new week from tennis and athletics. Click here for link to the official games site

See You in Samoa for the 2007 South Pacific Games
Seen as an important event in the history of sports, Samoa was able to out vote  New Caledonia, a more developed Pacific Island country in the bids for hosting the 2007 South Pacific Games held yesterday at Norfolk Island where South Pacific Games Organising Committee met. Each bidder was given 30 minutes to make presentations before the matter was put to a vote. Whilst New Caledonia made a impressive presentation of its facilities and general financial package, Samoa was able to present a developmental theme for regional sports and then also presented its range of facilities which could support the hosting of the Games. In the final voting, Samoa received 25 votes and New Caledonia 16.Samoa will now have to immediately focus on planning an investment programme over the next 5 years to match its promises made in the bid.

Puava and Steve Brown Walk Away with Exporter of the Year 2001 Award
Promoted under the theme "You Can Do It" the Exporter of the Year Award 2001 turned out to be a successful event in encouraging the business sector to become more innovative this year. The top award was