2019 in Samoa
{{short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Year in Samoa|2019}}
Events in the year 2019 in Samoa.
Incumbents
Events
- 11 June – Samoa bans the film Rocketman for its depictions of gay sex.{{Cite news |date=2019-06-11 |title=Elton John film Rocketman banned in Samoa over gay scenes |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48593691 |access-date=2025-06-12 |language=en-GB}}
- 4 September – 2019 Samoa assassination plot
- After an assassination plot to kill Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa A. S. Malielegaoi is foiled, police are working to extradite a Samoan man who lives in Brisbane, Australia.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-04 |title=Samoa assassination plot thickens with extradition application |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/398081/samoa-assassination-plot-thickens-with-extradition-application |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 9 September – Three suspects appear in court in Apia, where two of them enter not-guilty pleas and the other a guilty plea on charges of conspiracy to assassinate the Prime Minister of Samoa.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-09 |title=Man pleads guilty to conspiring to assassinate Samoa PM |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/398399/man-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-assassinate-samoa-pm |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 18 September – Prosecutiors in the case of the latest attempt to kill Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi announce that Eletise Leafa Vitale, convicted of the assassination of one of Malielegoai's cabinet members in another failed attempt at killing him in 1999, will testify in the trial against the conspirators of this year's plot.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-18 |title=Convicted murderer to be witness in Samoan assassination case |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/398999/convicted-murderer-to-be-witness-in-samoan-assassination-case |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 30 October – After months of delay, the Supreme Court of Samoa accepts a closed court bail hearing for two defendants accused of attempting to assassinate Prime Minister of Samoa Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-30 |title=Samoa's highest court approves closed bail hearing |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/402127/samoa-s-highest-court-approves-closed-bail-hearing |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 1 November – A man who had pled guilty to conspiracy to assassinate the Prime Minister of Samoa, and was due to be sentenced on this date, has changed his plea from guilty to not-guilty.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-01 |title=Man who admitted conspiracy to kill Samoan PM to change plea |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/402296/man-who-admitted-conspiracy-to-kill-samoan-pm-to-change-plea |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 17 November – 2019 Samoa measles outbreak
- In response to a measles outbreak, Samoa declares a state of emergency, closes all schools and urges all persons under 17 to avoid public gatherings.{{Cite news |date=2019-11-16 |title=Samoa declares state of emergency over deadly measles outbreak |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-17/samoa-declares-state-of-emergency-over-measles-outbreak/11711576 |access-date=2025-06-12 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}
- 19 November – Fifteen children are confirmed (and three more suspected) dead from measles in Samoa as the illness epidemic continues within the country.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-19 |title=Samoa measles outbreak claims lives of 15 children - sources |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/403586/samoa-measles-outbreak-claims-lives-of-15-children-sources |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 22 November – Samoa confirms that 20 persons, all but one under the age of four, have died of measles, and 11 more are in critical condition. Authorities recorded 1,644 cases since the outbreak began last month.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-22 |title=Samoa measles death toll hits 20; eleven children critical |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/403902/samoa-measles-death-toll-hits-20-eleven-children-critical |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 23 November – Conditions worsen in Samoa where the death toll continues to rise and schools remain closed. There are 1,797 confirmed cases as of Saturday, with 153 detected on Friday alone.{{Cite news |date=2019-11-23 |title=Samoa measles outbreak worsens with death toll reaching 22 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50528834 |access-date=2025-06-12 |language=en-GB}}
- 28 November – The United Nations blames anti-vaccination messages for the current outbreak of measles in the country, where the death toll has risen to 39 and is expected to rise as 200 are reported hospitalised, according to the World Health Organization. Total cases now soar to near 3,000.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-28 |title=Samoa measles epidemic: Death toll reaches 39 |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/404352/samoa-measles-epidemic-death-toll-reaches-39 |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 30 November – The Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, announcesthat he will propose a law which would penalize parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, amid an ongoing epidemic that has killed 44 people, mostly children under the age of four.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-30 |title=Samoa govt allocates more funds for measles epidemic |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/404533/samoa-govt-allocates-more-funds-for-measles-epidemic |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 2 December – Police urge people to respect a curfew. Authorities order that children stay at home and announce that Christmas celebrations and public gatherings have been cancelled in order to prevent the epidemic from spreading even further. The death toll from the outbreak stands at 53.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-02 |title=Children stay home, Christmas gatherings cancelled in Samoa |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/404589/children-stay-home-christmas-gatherings-cancelled-in-samoa |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 3 December – The government makes it illegal to make non-essential domestic travel on the roads while vaccination units cross the country with 40,000 still to be vaccinated. Also, the opposition calls for an inquiry into the low vaccination rates which began after a mistake by two nurses last year which resulted in the deaths of two children.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-04 |title=Samoa measles epidemic: non-essential road travel banned |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/404775/samoa-measles-epidemic-non-essential-road-travel-banned |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 4 December – Amid the imposed curfew, the Samoan government asks unvaccinated families to display a red flag or red cloth in front of their homes to warn others and to aid mass vaccination efforts as the death toll hits 60 and confirmed cases surpass 4,000.{{Cite web |title=Unvaccinated Samoans told to fly red flags – DW – 12/04/2019 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/samoan-measles-epidemic-unvaccinated-advised-to-display-red-flags-in-front-of-their-homes/a-51520869 |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=dw.com |language=en}}
- 6 December – Samoan police arrest Edwin Tamasese, an anti-vaccination campaigner, for incitement against a government order.{{Cite news |date=2019-12-06 |title=Samoa charges anti-vaxxer who called measles immunisation drive a 'killing spree' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-06/anti-vaxxer-charged-samoa-amid-nationwide-immunisation-drive/11772714 |access-date=2025-06-12 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}
- 14 December – The government of Samoa extends the state of emergency until December 29. it was due to end on December 15. There have been 72 deaths and more than 5,100 cases to date.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-14 |title=Samoa measles state of emergency extended |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/405509/samoa-measles-state-of-emergency-extended |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}
- 29 December – The Samoan government lifts its six-week state of emergency after a mass immunization campaign against measles reduced the death and infection rates.{{Cite web |title=Samoa ends measles state of emergency as infection rate slows |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/29/samoa-ends-measles-state-of-emergency-as-infection-rate-slows |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}
Deaths
- 1 March – Mike Tamoaieta, 23, Samoan-born New Zealand rugby union player (Blues, North Harbour).{{Cite web |title=Stuff |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/110980672/blues-and-north-harbour-prop-mike-tamoaieta-dies |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=www.stuff.co.nz}}
- 11 March – Pua Magasiva, 38, Samoan-born New Zealand actor (Shortland Street, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, 30 Days of Night).{{Cite news |date=2019-05-11 |title=Shortland Street actor Pua Magasiva dies aged 38 |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2019/05/shortland-street-actor-pua-magasiva-dies-aged-38.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511031717/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2019/05/shortland-street-actor-pua-magasiva-dies-aged-38.html |archive-date=2019-05-11 |access-date=2025-06-12 |work=Newshub |language=en}}