Prime Minister La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt banned the Samoa Observer from attending any future press conferences and warned that he would be telling cabinet ministers not to respond to any queries from the newspaper.

La'aulialemalietoa announced this during his press conference with the media on Monday afternoon.

Senior Journalist Marieta Heidi Ilalio was told to leave after he explained his disappointment about how the newspaper writes its stories and said it tarnished his image when he was overseas for medical treatment.

"There is always va tapuia (boundaries) and fa'aaloalo (respect) on how the newspaper should do things," La'auli said.

"I've banned the Samoa Observer way before I became Prime Minister. Agafili (Chief Executive Officer for MPMC) had advised to reconsider this decision, and I accepted Observer back again during my very first press conference when I became Prime Minister," he added.

He went on and said the newspaper is now run differently from the way its founder, Savea Sano Malifa.

La'auli elaborated that the article about Agafili Shem Leo and Peseta Noumea Simi, who are heads of the ministries under him, was not true and that the Samoa Observer should apologise.

He claimed an incident where the editor of the newspaper, Shalveen Chand, was assaulted last Saturday was because reporters were invading his privacy.

"I just arrived home, and ten minutes later I was told the Samoa Observer is in front of the house asking how I was doing," La'auli said.

"I told the police officers to tell the reporter to please leave and meet me in my office today (Monday), but the reporter did not accept it and had some arguments with the police," he added.

La'aulialemalietoa said his home is private and the media should respect that, and that he always makes time available at his office for the media to meet with him.

According to the Samoa Observer editor, he had arrived to deliver a camera bag and was not even at the gate when two men came out of the Prime Minister's compound and assaulted him on the roadside. The matter has been reported to the police. 

"Therefore, I am sorry to say that starting today Samoa Observer is banned from my press conferences and I will write a letter to the cabinet advising all cabinet ministers not to answer the Samoa Observer in the future," he said.

After that, he asked the Samoa Observer reporter to leave before he started the press conference.

"There's a Samoan saying, 'e le po pea se nu'u" (there's no village that lives in the darkness forever), but sorry you have to leave the press conference," La'auli told the reporter.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by Laaulialemalietoa on Monday evening, he said he decided to temporarily suspend the newspaper from his press engagements starting today.

"I remain committed, however, to a free and vibrant press. But it is essential that media outlets uphold standards of ethical journalism, respect, and fairness. Our cultural value of fa’aaloalo- respect-is central to our society, and I encourage the media to reflect this in their approach," he said.

"I am hopeful that these concerns will be acknowledged, and I remain open to reconsidering this decision should the media demonstrate a renewed commitment to responsible and factual reporting."