Adel Fruean

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Nick Sas |Agnes Tupou |Adel Fruean

Jane Kanas was a little nervous approaching the immigration desk. She had heard the rumours, but she wasn't sure if they were true. As she handed over her Vanuatu passport to the officer at the airport, it soon became apparent. "My name was on a handwritten piece of paper," she told the ABC. "I wasn't allowed to leave."Her alleged crime? "They didn't say … I'm just a judge."Ms Kanas was part of the Miss Pacific Islands beauty pageant held last weekend.

Dec 10, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Adel Fruean |Jotham Ulutoa |Vaelei Von Dincklage

For Lupesoliai Joseph Parker, Christmas will not be the same this year. He will leave his wife and children at home and travel to prepare for his world title match in a little over two months. He is in Samoa for a five-day trip with his family before he flies out. He said leaving his family has been the biggest challenge. "My wife and I have five children, so when I leave them my wife has all the children and looks after everything at home. The children, our home, cleaning, chores, and everything.

Dec 8, 2024 | bluwavetv.com | Adel Fruean

As climate change accelerates, rising sea levels and increasingly unpredictable high tides are forcing coastal families worldwide to seek refuge inland. In Samoa, this trend is particularly visible in the Aiga-I-Le-Tai District, where families are leaving low-lying coastal areas to ensure the safety of their loved ones. According to the 2021 census, this district, home to 5,880 people, represents 3% of Samoa's population.

Dec 5, 2024 | abc.net.au | Adel Fruean

Today marks two months since a Royal New Zealand Navy vessel Manawanui ran aground and sank off the coast of Samoa, spilling an estimated 200,000 litres of diesel into the ocean. Despite assurances from the New Zealand government that it has the environmental fallout under control, local villagers say they can still see and smell fuel in the waters around their village.  Now they're considering legal action.

Dec 4, 2024 | rnz.co.nz | Adel Fruean

By Adel Fruean, ABC Samoa reporter and Pacific Local Journalism Network's Nick SasTavita Pili can't see the ship, but he can smell it. Standing on rocks on the outskirts of his home village of Tafitoala, Samoa, Mr Pili points to the spot where the diesel comes in, at the back of the village, hidden by mangroves. It's about a kilometre or two from where it happened; what villagers are now calling "the incident".