Village gives up suspects

SAMOA – The Salelavalu village council on Samoa’s Savai‘i Island has handed two men to police over a brawl last Saturday with youths from Salelologa village.

Police say the Salelologa council is expected to do the same.

Talamua Online reports about 40 police from Apia were dispatched to Savai‘i on Monday in response to the brawl, roadblocks and vandalism at the Salelologa market.

A family home at Saletagaloa, between the two villages, was also burned down in the unrest.

Talamua reported people believed the violence might have been related to an earlier incident involving drugs.

The Minister of Finance and MP for the electorate that includes Salelologa, Sili Epa Tuioti, said he was concerned for the safety of businesses and feared the promotion of tourism on Savaii had been affected by the violence.

He told reporters that he was in the dark about what happened but was confident the two village councils would provide assistance to the police.

- RNZI