11 Dec 2017

Samoa opposes American Samoa prisoner repatriation

8:51 am on 11 December 2017

Samoa's corrections minister does not want American Samoa to send Samoan prisoners back.

American Samoa has opened a new detention facility at the Territorial Correctional Facility.

American Samoa has expanded its Territorial Correctional Facility Photo: RNZI Monica Miller

Tialavea Tionisio Hunt told the Samoa Observer he would not entertain the notion of convicted Samoans being deported.

The idea of repatriation was flagged by American Samoa's police commissioner as a way to reduce numbers at the territory's overcrowded prison.

The commissioner Le'i Sonny Thompson said the majority of prisoners in American Samoa are Samoan nationals.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs