There is a real fear of violence in Samoa over Toaipuapuaga Opapo Soana’i,’s claim to have received the stigmata according to Michael Field.
Field is a respected and long-time commentator on Pacific Affairs.
On RNZ last Friday he said there had already been instances of theft, arson and vandalism believed to related to the issue.
Field said Samoan Government had become a “ridiculous part of this whole thing” through the support it had givenToa and her family.
He went on to say that Catholic Church “which has engaged mainly in silence”, has brought shame on itself.
“… when you see what is actually also is going on in Samoa you would have to that the Catholic Church – especially with the Pope we have now – you would have to think that the Catholic Church would try and calm the situation. But in fact they are making it worse.”
In the latest development a search warrant was served on the editor of the Samoa Observer.
The warrant requested the name and contact details of the author of an letter published in the Samoa Observer under the heading
“Stop this Madness”
The author of the letter is believed to be the same person responsible for a blog which made a number of “sensational” claims.
This prompted Field to Tweet “As police search a newspaper office for stigmata girl critic, Samoa slips into a kind of totalitarian South Seas caliphate.”
Last week a woman was held in custody without charge for five days.
The woman said the Deputy Registrar at the Court told her she was being charged under the Crimes Act 2013 for “Harassment utilising means of electronic communication.”
She was later released.
At a media conference Police Spokesperson Su’a Muliaga Tiumalu said, “Just to set the record straight, we haven’t found the “O.L.P.’ blogger,”
“The woman who was in custody, is not being charged with the O.L.P. matter but on a different matter.
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