Pacific News in Brief | American Samoa

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Selau Mailata’s first exposure to the food industry was through a work experience program in a baked bean factory.

More than 27 years later, he is still in the kitchen, now as a private chef and working in cafes.

“Who would have thought that 20 years ago I would be where I am today… and I still love baked beans!”

He grew up in a large family in Grey Lynn, Auckland, and food played an important part in his upbringing.

Sundays were a special occasion, with large family lunches featuring traditional Samoan dishes such as chop suey, taro, coconut buns and roast pork.

To this day, the chef makes sure to use the same brands of ingredients and sauces to imitate his mother’s cooking skills.

“I have to look for those specific brands because it’s just not the same, you know?” he said.

“I think making chop suey always brings up a nostalgic feeling for me; everything she made, she loved to bake.”

Mailata’s passion for cooking took him to MIT in South Auckland, where he trained as a chef.

“We continue to develop ourselves as a person and as a chef. That’s one of the things I love about cooking and working in this industry: you never stop learning.”

He loves creating dishes that come straight from the farm to the table and he likes to incorporate elements of Samoan culture into his cooking.

Reflecting on his journey, Mailata advises young Pacific Islanders to dream big and work hard.

“You have to sacrifice a lot for it, but in the end it’s all worth it.”

(ABC Pacific)

TONGA is cracking down on organized crime

Two deportees with links to the Australian Comanchero motorcycle gang have been arrested and charged with “participating in an organised crime group” in Tonga.

Tonga police said the two men, aged 35 and 44, were charged under the country’s anti-terrorism and organised crime laws. Police continue to arrest gang members in a bid to tackle transnational organised crime.

Both men are believed to have been sergeants-at-arms and treasurers of the Comanchero chapter in the kingdom, police said in a statement on Thursday.

“During the arrest, police also seized cash, Comanchero T-shirts, hoodies and vests,” the statement said.

Tongans have been told to stay away from gang activity.

“Not only are these groups illegal in Tonga, they also organise and carry out a wide range of illegal activities that have a detrimental effect on our communities and our culture.”

The arrest follows the arrest of 17 people and the seizure of several kilograms of methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition during raids on Tongatapu, Tonga’s main island, last month.

The raids, carried out in August by the police drug squad, saw the arrests of a customs officer, a prison guard and a prominent businessman.

“There is no place in the Kingdom of Tonga for gangs and those who associate with such gangs and their illegal activities,” police said at the time.

Tongans with information about illegal activities and gangs are encouraged to contact police.

(RNZ number)

MEDIA RESTRICTIONS AT COMMONWEALTH SUMMIT

Restrictions on journalists covering the upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa are “ridiculous” and inconsistent with a government that values ​​democracy, the Pacific island nation’s media association said on Thursday.

The Samoa Observer newspaper also condemned in an editorial the government’s attempt to restrict coverage of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), calling it a “slap in the face to press freedom, democracy and freedom of expression.”

The Commonwealth Association, whose 56 members range from the world’s most populous nation of India to Tuvalu in the South Pacific, comprises some 2.7 billion people. The summit in the Samoan capital of Apia in October will be one of the largest events ever held in a Polynesian country.

“I find the position of the commission ridiculous,” Lagi Keresoma, president of the Journalists Association of Samoa, or JAWS, told BenarNews. “We have written a letter to the prime minister who is the head of the CHOGM task force about these restrictions.

“We are also trying to get a copy of the Commonwealth guidelines on which the committee chair said the decision was based.”

The restrictions were very disappointing for a government that claimed to believe in democracy, transparency and accountability, Keresoma told online news portal Talamua.

On Wednesday, local journalists were shocked when they attended a press conference by Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua-Fonoti, co-chair of the CHOGM media committee and CEO of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, on the strict media regulations.

Under Cabinet-approved guidelines, photographers and videographers will not be allowed to take photos. Restrictions will also be placed on journalists covering side events unless they are accredited to a specific group. Reporters will also not be allowed to approach delegates for interviews, Samoan media reported.

(RNZ Pacific)

LEGACY OF THE WHALE

The inhabitants of the Vava’u archipelago of Tonga vow to heed the call of the late Māori king to give whales personality.

Vava’u is one of the few places in the world where tourists can swim with whales.

Earlier this year, Māori and Pacific leaders signed a declaration called He Whakaputanga Moana, which gave whales rights including freedom of movement, a healthy environment and the recovery of their populations.

“Her song is fading and her way of life is under threat, so we must act now,” the late Kiingi Tuheitia Te Pootatau Te Wherowhero tetua fitu said in April.

Just months before his death, Kiingi Tuheitia stood with indigenous leaders from the Pacific to explain why He Whakaputanga Moana (the Declaration for the Ocean) is so important.

“The sounds of the Tohorā are now threatened by pollution, ship strikes and the changing tides of our planet,” Kiingi said.

Siaki Siosifa Fauvao, a whale watching guide in Vava’u, told RNZ Pacific his community is committed to protecting the mammals.

“We will protect the whale, the whale is like a family to the Tongan people,” said Fauvao,

He said the operators will respond to the king’s call.

“As long as we live, this is what we will do. This is the king’s command and this is what we will do.”

(RNZ Pacific)

PNG COMPLETES RESEARCH AFTER 8 YEARS

The Papua New Guinea Ombudsman Commission has completed an investigation into the police killings of students at the University of Papua New Guinea eight years ago.

Police opened fire on students as they prepared to march to the parliament building, injuring dozens.

The students called, among other things, for the resignation of the then Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill.

The investigation was held up in part because police claimed they could not obtain witness statements.

The Ombudsman’s conclusions have been sent to the Speaker of Parliament, who was expected to present the full report to Parliament within eight sitting days.

(RNZ Pacific)

UNDERWATER FORESTS ENDANGERED

Seagrass, coral and kelp are vital to Australia’s marine ecosystems. But they are under threat. Using communities and traditional knowledge, scientists are working to restore these underwater forests to protect carbon stores and marine life.

Shark Bay, in Western Australia, draws tourists for its stunning scenery. Here, red rocks meet white sand and blue waves. But perhaps the region’s greatest asset lies hidden beneath the waves: one of the world’s largest seagrass meadows.

Covering over 180 km2 (69 miles2) of seabed, this underwater forest is home to sea cucumbers, snappers, the endangered dugong sea cow and much more.

Such marine forests are huge stores of ‘blue carbon’, but they are threatened by rising sea temperatures due to climate change, pollution, dredging and other human-caused damage.

Together with the Great Barrier Reef, these forests provide a natural defense against rising sea levels and erosion.

The new funding will enable computer-controlled systems to automatically adjust water depth, mimic tides and create the right conditions for flowering so she can collect seagrass seeds.

Volunteer organizations like OzFish, which aims to restore fish habitats across Australia, also collect seagrass seeds to reseed thinning seagrass beds. At OzFish’s ‘Seeds for Snapper’ project in Cockburn Sound, just off the southwest coast near Perth, volunteer divers help by picking the ripe, green, seed-bearing fruits straight from the plants.

The seeds are placed in water tanks and then dropped from a boat into the sea at a sowing location, where they sink to the seabed and hopefully germinate.

At the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Dr Annika Lamb aims to increase coral resilience to rising temperatures through culture.

(BBC channel)