The police in Samoa have assured local journalists that they will still be available to answer questions, despite the end of weekly media conferences.
The Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who is also the police minister, has shut down the conference, blaming journalists for giving Samoa a bad name by reporting stories about rape and incest.
The Samoa Observer had reported Tuilaepa saying the negative reports gives the impression that Samoa is not a place people would like to visit.
He says that in a place like New Zealand, with its much larger population, incest cases are rarely mentioned in the media.
Our correspondent, Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia, told Don Wiseman he has been told by the police that journalists will still have ready access.
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Samoa police spokesperson, Sala'a Moananu Sale Sala'a. Photo: RNZI / Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia