Police in Samoa have appealed to persons summoned as witnesses to turn up in court because it is the law.
The appeal was made following a delay in a murder trial last week because the witnesses allegedly disappeared.
A police spokesperson says three witnesses were brought to the court last week to testify during a trial, but when proceedings got underway, the trio could not be found.
Ten police officers were dispatched to Savai'i Island and located two of the three witnesses, who were immediately taken back to Apia and charged with conspiring to defeat the course of justice.
The police say failure to answer a court summon is a breach of the law and police will have no hesitation in enforcing it.
