is all blaze but no glory

American Samoa office fire is all blaze but no glory

From a Pago Pago correspondent

The reaction of the chiefs and political leaders of American Samoa to the looting and wilful destruction which took place during the recent Administration Building fire has been varied.

The fire completely destroyed the entire west wing of the government building during the night of Novem ber 29.

Commissioner of Public Safety Tufele Liu, who heads the Police Department and is a Samoan chief, went on island-wide television and requested that stolen property be re turned to the Government of American Samoa by Friday, December 7. He promised a village by village search for government equipment after that date, to be conducted by the police and the Office of Samoan Affairs.

Commissioner Liu promised that per sons found with government property would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The loss due to looting has been reckoned at around $lOO,OOO. Accord ing to government sources very little has been returned, and most of that is damaged beyond repair.

The fire, which started shortly after 8 pm in the Attorney-General’s Office, quickly spread to nearby offices, destroying the offices hous ing Immigration, the Attorney-Gen eral, Economic Development and Planning, Samoan Information, Sam oan Affairs, the Department of Agri culture, and Material Management.

In an attempt to cut off the fire and isolate it in the west wing, a bull dozer cut through and destroyed the Accounting office, the Budget office, and several surrounding offices. The cause of the blaze has not been de termined. There were no reports of serious injury.

The Administration building was first built in 1942, as a government hospital, and has been extended in recent years.

While the fire raged, gangs of Samoan youths ransacked the other wings of the building, tearing out telephones, carting off typewriters and other office equipment, bursting open desks, files, kicking in doors, and even attempting to destroy the IBM computers in the government operated Computer Centre.

Some Samoan leaders have turned upon the local American Samoa press for reporting the looting and de

struction. In a letter to the American Samoan News Bulletin, Senator Fofo I. F. Sunia, a chief and a member of the Legislature of American Sam oa. branded the reporting of the

looting as “disgusting.”

“I fail to see,” he wrote, “why you make such a big case out of the fact that government property was re moved, taken, and stolen by people the night of the fire.” He went on to say that such looting was “ . . a daily occurrence in all parts of the world.”

Many people have expressed dis may at Senator Sunia’s position and have pointed out that a $lOO,OOO loss is, indeed, a “big case.” Others have hastened to point out that such looting is not a “daily occurrence in all parts of the world.”

A number of the chiefs have ex pressed their opinion that the looting should not have been reported by the local newspapers or by local tele vision, as it embarrassed the people of American Samoa. The territory was divided on the issue, some call ing for censorship of any wrong doing that American Samoans might commit and others calling for a free press.

Governor John M. Haydon said

that he felt some of the equipmei was taken by well-meaning persoi who were attempting to save it fron the flames. He requested that it b returned to the government. Speakin in a KVZK television interview, 1 Governor Frank Mockler estimate the loss at around $500,000, for tH actual fire loss.

Many people were critical of tb way in which the Fire Departmei fought the fire, as well as the mannt in which local police controlled tb crowds and of their failure to coi trol looting. The Fire Departmer they alleged, displayed little orga: isation in attempting to control tB fire, which lasted for over five houi and finally burned itself out at tB concrete fire wall.

Senator Sunia.