Senate President Tuaolo talks about Kite Runner to Samoa media

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean who was recently in Samoa for the Atoa o Samoa Talks told the media in Apia that the Kite Runner vessel should have been locked up and investigated when it illegally entered Samoa in late April.

“I do not interfere with how Samoa conduct their matters, but if I was the Prime Minister, I would have locked up the boat and all the crew members when no documentation was provided,” Tuaolo declared. “What if the boat was carrying illegal stuff?

“What if it was carrying someone infected with a deadly disease or terrorist?

“These are things we must consider and must be very cautious about.”

In response to media queries for an update on the Senate Select Investigative Committee (SSIC) investigation into the incident, Tuaolo stated that “the investigation is not over yet and we will hear the Kite Runner captain’s testimony when we return home.”

Loleni Faiai, the Water Transportation Supervisor of the Department of Port Administration has been identified as the captain of the Kite Runner in its cross border return trip to Samoa and had been subpoenaed by the SSIC to appear in a hearing held on Thursday, October 05, 2023.

However, the committee received a letter from Faiai apologizing for not being able to attend the hearing as he was captaining the government vessel MV Manu’atele on a trip to Manu’a.

The committee was again notified by Faiai that due to unforeseen circumstances, they have had to continue on to Swains Island.

The other government officials subpoenaed by the SSIC because of their involvement in the incident include Acting Director for the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office (ASHPO) Letitia Tish Peau, Port Security Chief of Port Administration, Chester Manaea and Customs Agent Sheehan Samuela Seigafo.

However, Samoa News could not report on the hearing as the media was asked to leave the Senate chamber by SSIC Chairman Senator Togiola T.A. Tulafono, who said is was a ‘closed’ hearing, not open to the media or public.

The hearing had gotten underway that morning and Togiola had begun questioning the first witness of the day, Manaea, when Legislature attorney Deanna Fuimaono approached Togiola and spoke to him.

Togiola then asked members of the media present that morning to leave the chamber saying that he will have a discussion with the media at a later time.

The Governor’s Liaison Officer with the Senate Laolagi Vaeao was also asked to leave.

A disgruntled Laolagi told Samoa News the next day that he could have insisted that he had a right to be present as he was the governor’s official representative at the Senate and the witnesses were all government officials, but he did not want to cause a scene, so he left the chamber.

The week before, the media had not been barred when Director of Homeland Security Samana Semo Ve’ave’a had testified on the Kite Runner saga, where he confirmed in a 45-page investigation report that the Kite Runner went to Samoa with proper clearances.

However, Samana also established the clearances were only issued after the boat arrived in Samoa and that someone forged the signature of the Acting Chief of Customs at the time on the Certificate of Clearance (CoC).

The DHS investigation report puts the blame on Customs Agent Seigafo and recommends criminal charges against him for forgery.

However, Senate President Tuaolo told SSIC members that Seigafo was a relative of his and that he had interrogated him on the matter when his involvement was first mentioned in the news.

Seigafo had told Tuaolo that the person who signed it was another Customs Agent Likitoa Sopoaga, on the orders of Deputy Chief of Customs, Juliano Falaniko. Sopoaga had been off-island during the SSIC hearings.

Tuaolo told the Samoa media that the Deputy Chief of Customs had apologized but was told not to, because they should have followed the law.

To date, SSIC Chairman Senator Togiola has yet to have a discussion with any member of the media about the ‘closed’ hearing. Efforts by Samoa News to contact Togiola to confirm a specific date for his “discussion with the media at a later time” as he publicly stated, have been unsuccessful.