Samoa's Prime Minister says compensation has already started being paid for people who died in the tsunami last month.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi says the compensation, through the Accident Compensation Corporation or ACC, will cover contributors to the scheme as well as non contributors such as the elderly and children.
He says families of elderly victims will be getting three thousand US dollars or seven and a half thousand Samoan tala, while the payment for each child will be about one and a half thousand dollars or just over three thousand tala.
Tuilaepa says payment to families with very clear cases has begun.
"There are other cases with some problems for instance of tracing the near kin or the relatives that should be entitled to collect the compensation."
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
The tsunami death toll in Samoa stands at 143 with five people missing.
