12 Aug 2010

Samoa Prime Minister wants harsher penalties for students involved in violence

4:06 pm on 12 August 2010

Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, has called on school principals to expel students who become involved in brawls.

Last Friday, two 19-year-old students were charged with disorderly conduct after becoming drunk and starting a brawl in the Savalalo market, following an inter-school athletics meet in Apia.

Violence between students of different schools is becoming a regular occurrence after sporting events, with the annual Inter-college sports competition cancelled in 2008 after a series of violent incidents.

Our correspondent, Alan Ah Mu, says the Prime Minister wants a permanent solution to the problem.

"It threatens to be an annual occurrence and the Government has had enough, really. The Prime Minister says students who can't control themselves in these situations should be expelled. He's called on the principals to do exactly that, ah, meaning the police have had enough and by extension the Government's had enough."

Alan Ah Mu says there's also increasing concern among parents and the business community, with innocent bystanders becoming hurt and property being damaged.