Update: Fight Continues for Release of Samoa’s Minister Hans Joachim Keil; Brother Provides Timeline

Hans Joachim Keil, Samoa's Associate Trade Minister, on the right, co-chairing talks in Germany last year with the European Union on economic partnerships in the Pacific. He is the chief negotiator for the Pacific states with the EU Economic Partnership Agreements. On the left is Germany's Minister for Economic Co-operation and Development. Keil, a former American Airlines pilot, is currently in Missouri awaiting a court hearing after being arrested for alleged US immigration breaches. The Samoan Government has formally protested to the United States Government over what it calls a big mistake.

One of the Samoan media sites has published a timeline reportedly provided by Aukuso Willian Keil, the brother of Samoa’s Minister Hans Joachim Keil, Samoa’s associate minister for trade and commerce.

Clearly this isn’t an easy time for the family with Joe Keil, as he’s known among his friends and family. We did email the Samoan Government and Samoa’s TV3, the latter is owned by Keil, for comments in the early days when the story first broke.

But neither have responded and that isn’t surprising given the sensitivity of this sort of issue for Pacific people, particularly in this case for Samoans.

Meanwhile, Keil’s brother, Aukuso Kiel, has spoken out and provided this timeline to one of the Samoan media outlets. Read the rest of this entry »