Samoan fury over dinghy drift tragedy

By PATRICK GOWER

The Samoan Government has been criticised for not searching for fishermen who drifted more than 4000km across the Pacific for nearly five months until two survivors were rescued off Papua New Guinea.

But the Government's search and rescue arm has in turn blamed an irresponsible fishing industry.

A Papua New Guinean villager found Lafaele Tofi, aged 36, and Telea Pa'a, 27, this month after they had spent 132 days at sea in a 7m twin-hulled aluminium dinghy.

They and two others were fishing off Samoa on June 20 when a huge load of fish dragged their boat underwater.

During the weeks adrift, the others died from thirst and starvation and Mr Tofi and Mr Pa'a were forced to throw the bodies overboard.

Both men are making a steady recovery in hospital in PNG and are sitting up in bed, although Mr Pa'a is unable to walk. They will probably return to Samoa next month.

In Mr Pa'a's village of Faalesiu, the Rev Eti Tamata says joy has turned to anger among the 3000 villagers.

"They don't like the Government attitude. They [the Government] never looked for these men; they took it for granted they were dead, that they had gone already."

It was Police Commissioner Asi Blakelock who decided not to deploy a search and rescue boat. His adviser, Lieutenant-Commander Wayne Richards, told the Herald police records showed that the owner did not report the men as missing until two weeks after they were due back.

"The owner did not know where they were fishing. What are we supposed to do, search the whole Pacific?"

Commander Richards said fishermen going missing was a disturbing trend in Samoa. In September, two men died and two survived a similar drift to Vanuatu.

Samoa police records show 34 fishermen have lost their lives at sea in the past five years - including 17 in 1997 - and other information provided by accident compensation information shows more have gone unreported.

Commander Richards said "commercial imperatives" meant boat owners forced fishermen to go further out to sea than the traditional "alia" boats were designed for.

"It is basic disrespect for human life by these owners.

"All they care about is what day the poor fishermen get back so they can sell their haul."