Transcript
Samoa embassy in the US alerted authorities that a chartered flight had been arranged and scheduled to bring returnees back in Upolu this week.
The Prime Minister of Samoa Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said that his government is still not clear on the details except that there are nine criminals.
He believes that the issue of non-Samoan citizens is all part of the usual bullying tactics by major nations like the United States.
At a press conference, he said that there is 'no way his country will accept deportees from the United States who are not Samoan citizens.'
"Those sorts of people should not be sent back here to Samoa. If they are not citizens of Samoa they should be sent to the country of citizenship. It is just too hard for us, as they have very different ways. You try to tell them but they often have other ideas."
Faafetai Koria is the director of the Samoa Returnees Charitable Trust.
He says before Samoa accepts any deportees, each one must meet certain criteria, including good health, and prove their Samoan family connections.
He says they help all deportees who have been incarcerated abroad, to re-integrate into society on their return but its not easy.
"The roles of looking for money and being breadwinners is transferred to mothers or children or other members of the family. The second challenge is the barriers created by stigma, and social isolation. A lot of these returnees find that they were not brought up in the social networks that Samoa provides and so they have no cultural bearings, they find it difficult to communicate because the language isn't strong, and so they become isolated and separated."
Since the not for profit trust was set up in 2011, a total of 144 deportees have been helped, mostly from New Zealand and the US.
While most have been convicted of sexual offending and assaults, he says many on return want to turn their life around.
"The large majority of returnees were incarcerated overseas and all they are looking to do is to come back home to continue life without having to worry about their past errors. They are just very eager to just move on with their lives as anyone else would and our role at the trust is to accommodate them and provide opportunities."
One such returnee who was deported back from the states a decade ago is testament to that.
Vaaimalu Omar Benjamin Toilolo found there was no help when he first arrived in Samoa and pushed for the Trust to be formed.
He says it plays a crucial role running various programs tailored to their needs and he has managed to find work and get his life back on track.
He says meeting this next group of U.S. deportees on arrival is a key step.
"It is always I guess a blessing to see other returnees on arrival come to the airport, and after being locked up and having waited so long you have your guards up and you are paranoid about what is going to happen and either you are handed off to officials or people in uniform and to me that is not a good start. So we like to do the meet and greet where we actually go to the airport and meet the individuals that are arriving and that way they can see that hey these guys have been in the same shoes as us and to let them know we are here for them and we can make things happen in the sense of support."
While the donor funded trust is doing its best for these deportees, it is in urgent need of more financial support.
