Samoan national who died while serving prison sentence laid to rest Featured
Officer on duty at Hu'atolitoli Prison
25 July, 2016. A Samoan man who died in Huatolitoli Prison in Tonga was laid to rest on Friday 22 July after the Police Ministry in Tonga finally connected with his family.
Leuma Laulu died more than a month ago after being admitted to Vaiola Hospital after a stomach ache and vomiting.
He also had a serious heart condition and doctors were unable to conduct an operation, according to reports from the Ministry,
After a week in the hospital Laulu passed away. Laulu had been incarcerated on a sexual offence involving a minor.
Authorities in Tonga asked the Samoan community there for help in trying to locate Laulu’s next of kin before he was buried,
A Samoan woman who was visiting Tonga and an avid reader of our news website Talanei came cross a story with the last name Laulu and emailed us for help in locating his family.
Tonga’s Police Commissioner insisted that the next of kin be notified before he was buried,
We made contact with a family with the same name in the Western District and shared the information with our colleagues at Radio 2AP and TV1.
The Samoa police also got involved and in a short time, Mr. Laulu’s parents in Savaii were located and told of their son’s demise.
Relatives of Mr. Laulu in New Zealand and Australia also made contact with the Tongan authorities.
Since last week, when Laulu’s body was released from the hospital morgue after an autopsy, the Samoan community has been holding prayer services for him at the Huatolitoli Prison with the inmate population and staff.
A family member from Samoa is unable to attend his burial service but the family has been given assurances by the Tongan police commissioner that there will be a solemn burial service at the Tongan public cemetery.
-Talanei
