Ou te fa’atalofa atu i le fa’afofoga maimoa tapua’i mai a si o tatou atunu’u i lenei afiafi. O lea ua goga ifo
le malama i ulutila ma si’ufanua, sa pānoa ‘ese’ese ai faiva ma galuega na fitāituga ai le pa’ia o le atunu’u,
auā le ta’i ma le tapuā’iga mau. Tatou lalafo ia taula i malolo, ina ua tau mai lelei, la tatou folauga i le
fa’ai’uga o lenei vaiaso.
O pa’ia sausaugatā fa’alemālō, o pa’ia fa’aleatunu’u, ma pa’ia fa’aletalalelei, ua ta’oto lava, a’o se ta’otoga
i’a sā. Auā o Samoa, o le atunu’u tofi, e le’o se atunu’u tali ola. Ia ta’oto pea ia i atu luluga ma le fa’asouga
o ao ma le atu folasa, pa’ia sauo’o o le atunu’u.
Le Atua e, o lou alofa tunoa o lo’o ‘apepele ai le soifua laulelei o si matou atunu’u. Pe ana lē seanoa lou
‘ā’ao fa’aola, ma lou mana fai vavega, pe ua matagiā ma to i vanu le folauga a Samoa.
O ‘upu a le pese;

‘O lou mana, o lou mana’,
‘E saosaogālēmū ai’.
‘I le Mālō o Samoa’, fa’amamalu mai i ai’

A toe tepa i le aso lenei – Aso 29 o Setema 2009, o se aso e fa’agalogatā, ina ua pō’ia si o tatou atunu’u i le
tsunami na a’afia ai afio’aga ma alalafaga i le itu i saute o le atunu’u. Ua atoa i le asō le 14 tausaga talu ona
a’afia Samoa i le tsunami ma maumau ai soifua e 149 i Samoa nei, ma le 34 i Amerika Samoa. E fa’apea
fo’i i le ogaoga ma le mata’utia o le fa’aleagaina o meatotino, o maota ma laoa, o auala, ‘eletise, ma le
suāvai na a’afia ai.
O se aso fa’agalogatā, i le tofafā o le atunu’u i manū i le po, ae alafa’i mai i le pu’e o le nuti momoia. O
afio’aga uma na a’afia i le itu i saute o le atunu’u, e manatua pea o tatou tigā ma fa’anoanoaga, ona o le
motusia o mafutaga mamaē ma pēlē ma mātua, ‘āiga ma fanau ona o le tsunami.
O le aoauli nei sa o matou auai atu ai ma le Kapeneta i le fanua tanu o le Mālō i Tafa’igata, o lo’o i ai le
fanua ma le ma’a fa’amanatu o i latou uma sa māliliu i lenei fa’alavelave, e molimoli atu pale fugālā’au e
manatua ai i latou.
E ui ua sefulu fa tausaga talu ona lofia si o tatou atunu’u i lenei fa’alavelave matuiā fa’alenatura, ae manatua
e le tatou Mālō lona ogaoga, ma ‘āiga ma alalafaga na a’afia, aemaise lava nai o tatou tagata ma i latou fo’i
mai atunu’u i fafo na māliliu ai.
Ou te avea ai lenei laolao e fai ai ma sui o le afioga i le Ta’ita’i o le Mālō, le Tama’ita’i Palemia o lo’o
to’esea ma le atunu’u ona o fonotaga fa’avā-o-mālō, ma le Kapeneta e molimoli atu fa’amaisega ma
mo’omo’oga alofa i afio’aga, ma ‘āiga o i latou na māliliu i le tsunami. Matou te talitonu, ua utu le loifofoga
maligi ona o le tatou talitonuga i le Atua, ua na’o Ia tatou te maua ai le fa’amafanafanaga sili. O lona mana
e ala i le pa’i mai o lona Agaga Pa’ia, e liua ai le fa’anoanoa i le olioli, ma le pogisā i le malama o pupula.

Tau ina ia fa’amaise pea le Agaga o le Atua i ‘ā’ai o finagalo o le atunu’u, aemaise afio’aga ma ‘āiga uma
na a’afia.
Samoa e, o le a se feau tāua i lenei aso mo i tatou;
Ua lē utuvā fa’alavelave fa’alenatura e tutupu pea i le lalolagi. O mafui’e ma afā fulifaō, o mauga mu ma
afi mata’utia, o tsunami ma lologa. E fa’apea fo’i i fa’ama’i pepesi ma lā mala. O foliga va’aia ia o suiga
ogaoga o le tau ma ona a’afiaga ua o tatou i ai nei. O fuafuaga uma a le tatou Mālō mo le unā’ia o auala ma
polokalame uma e si’itia ai lo tatou puipuiga mai fa’alavelave ogaoga e mafua mai i suiga o le tau, o se tasi
lea o polokalame tāua, o lo’o ‘ave ai le fa’amuamua a le Mālō mo le saogālēmū o le atunu’u atoa. Ina ia
lalago fa’atasi ma si’itia le tulaga tau i le silafia ma le matimatiina o tomai ma agava’a o itutino o le Mālō,
ma Fa’alapototoga tumā’oti o lo’o fitoitonu ma nei vaega, ae fa’apea fo’i i le pulega mamalu a ali’i ma
faipule, ma a tatou faigānu’u ma le sao o ekalesia. O le tatou galuega e soa fa’atasi. Ae o lona taunu’uga,
o le malu puipuia, sa’oloto ma soifua fiafia si o tatou atunu’u.
O lo’o fa’aauau galuega e fa’aleleia ai a tatou fa’ailoilo po’o early warning systems, ina ia mautinoa e lē toe
i ai ni a’afiaga ogaoga fa’apenei e tula’i mai i le lumana’i. E tāpā ai pea ma le fa’aaloalo le pulega mamalu
a ali’i ma faipule, o Itumālō ma Ekalesia, aemaise le sao o komiti a tinā ma tama’ita’i ina ia tatou galulue
fa’atasi. E tāua lo tatou puipui fa’atasi i meatotino ma meafaigaluega ua tapenaina, e aofia ai ma fa’ailo, e
vave ai ona logo o tatou tagata, e gasolo i nofoaga ua atofaina i aso faigatā fa’apenei.
Samoa e, ia tumau pea le agalelei o le Atua i si o tatou atunu’u, ma ia tau mamao ni fa’alavelave ogaoga o
fou mai, ma ia o tatou folau fa’atasi pea ma lo tatou Atua, ua na’o ia tatou te malu ai.

Good afternoon Samoa,
On this day, fourteen years ago two massive earthquakes reaching the magnitude of 8.1 near the Tongan
trench struck the centre of Samoa’s archipelago, and generated unprecedented tsunami waves of more than
20 metres high. These tsunami waves furiously engulfed the shores of the southern part of the Samoan
islands, causing massive destruction to properties and infrastructure, and claimed 149 lives in Samoa, 34 in
American Samoa. Nine deaths were recorded in Tonga.
The daunting sound and splashes of tsunami waves, fear, and disarray of that day, may never be forgotten
– especially for the families of the causalities. Amongst the casualties were parents, children and visitors
from overseas who were visiting our shores at the time. Among these children was a child who was five
months old. The horrendous impacts of the Tsunami 2009 on our country and people were devastating, but
through the support of government agencies, civil society organisations, village and communities and our
development partners, we were able to rebuild from this devastation. Above all it was the grace of God that
saved us, and helped our country to rebuild.
Today, at a wreath laying ceremony at the Tuana’imato cemetery where the tsunami 2009 commemorative
headstone was erected in 2010, we remembered and acknowledged the people of over twenty villages in
Samoa and those from overseas who lost their lives in the tsunami.
Today also serves to remind us that climate crisis is real and its effects are detrimental to the environment
and our lives especially for small island countries like Samoa. The current global trends in weather and
climatic patterns attest to the urgent need for greater and stronger concerted efforts to respond to climate
crisis and to strategize ways to strengthen countries resilience and recovery abilities. This has been done
through Samoa’s regular engagement in national, regional and international fora, and through genuine
partnerships.
On behalf of the Honourable Prime Minister and Cabinet, I convey our prayers and well wishes to all
families and relatives of those who lost their lives in the 2009 tsunami.

Soifua ma ia manuia.