Pacific

Samoa plans to review adoption law

15:20 pm on 20 June 2005

Samoa's attorney general plans to table a bill in parliament this week to amend the law on adoptions.

This follows an inquest into the death of a one-year old baby at a house where some children are being cared for before they are adopted.

The infant's natural parents claim their daughter died from malnutrition.

Our correspondent in Samoa, Lagi Keresoma, says authorities have been closely monitoring adoptions after questions were also being raised as to how another US adoption agency, Focus on Children, was operating.

She says the attorney general, Brenda Heather-Latu, is behind the bill to amend the Infants Ordinance Act of 1961.

"She said they have set up a bill and they're going to table it this week at parliament. Until they table it, she couldn't comment more on that."

Our correspondent in Samoa, Lagi Keresoma