The Australian newspaper – the nation’s most influential – has updated its front page print story on the killing of Jone Vakarisi (see previous article) with an Internet version that is even more pungent and is a PR disaster for the RFMF and Fiji’s image as a whole.
The timing couldn’t be worse, as public attention in Australia is drawn to the closer ties between Canberra and Suva – the upgrading of the Vuvale Partnership to a Vuvale Union – and the integration of RFMF personnel into the Australian Defence Force. And as Fiji is now only months away from a general election in which an issue is bound to be that the Rabuka Coalition promised to curb the excesses of the Bainimarama era and has delivered the same or worse.
Certainly the gross human rights violation of Jone Vakarisi being beaten to death in military custody and the RFMF Commander attempting to cover it up will haunt the Coalition all the way to election day. And as the following demonstrates, it is already a public relations nightmare for the Prime Minister, his hapless Information Minister, Lynda Tabuya, and her kai vata, Ro Jone Kalouniwai.
The notion that Ro Jone can survive and that it is business as usual at the Camp is a fantasy. Much of the nation is in a state of shock and so are our neighbours. And the government has two choices:
1/ Staunch the flow of negative publicity with a proper demonstration of accountability or 2/ Suffer a collapse of confidence on the part of a significant proportion of the population, Fiji’s development partners and would-be visitors to Fiji. And all at a time of economic challenge when the nation simply cannot afford a scandal of this magnitude.
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The embedded links above to other stories by The Australian. Because of its paywall, we’re republishing them here in full, some of them amended for length.
Of course it is now a matter of public record that since these stories were written, George Speight has been freed from prison and Ben Naliva was removed from the Australian Defence Force and is now back in a senior capacity with the RFMF.
Here he is on the left in a group photo taken at State House in December at a reception for returning UN peacekeepers. Second from right is another former Bainimarama loyalist who survived Kalouniwai’s arrival as Commander, Aseri “Rocky” Rokoura.
What role, if any, has Ben Naliva played in recent events at the Camp? That remains to be seen.
But he has already paid a heavy price for his involvement in human rights abuses under the Bainimarama regime.
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Finally, you can access a great many Grubsheet articles on the same theme by tapping any of the relevant names into our search engine on the right.
Happy hunting.
Just imagine the pain Jone Vakarisi had to go through with those beatings before his death. Oh, dear God, please give justice to late Vakarisi and bring perpetrators to account as citizens needs to be protected from future situations like this.
There was no reason for such abhorrent behavior by RFMF. If they want to be macho then go and fight in many wars around the world. Simply, law of Jungle at play here. Even in wars, prisoners are accorded respect and dignity. Just shows the organization lacks professionalism.
If Jone Vakarisi had some issues then RFMF should have managed it appropriately without resorting to violence. No doubt, illicit drug is a serious problem and all the drug lords are to be held to account- but let the courts decide on the punishment. Law enforcement agencies have no authority to become judge.
Police crack down on Jone Vakarisi and his gang in Mead Road Housing in Nabua
By Semi Turaga and Filipe Vakaloloma
07/08/2018
FIJI VILLAGE NEWS
Police are now cracking down on Jone Vakarisi Junior and his gang in Mead Road Housing in Nabua after serious allegations of the group’s involvement in drug related activities in the area.
Vakarisi and seven of his associates have been charged and remanded by the court for the violent attack on police officers in Nabua last Friday.
In 2016, Jone Vakarisi Junior was charged with two counts of act with intent to cause grievous bodily harm where he is alleged to have run over two students.
He is also alleged to be the lead conspirator in a brawl which happened in Nabua that same year.
Police Director Operations ACP Maretino Qiolevu says they have a dedicated task force which is now profiling others that may be in Vakarisi’s group.
He says police will be making some big changes in that neighbourhood.
Looks like this guy was not a saint, he had a criminal history .
He didn’t deserve to die but neither he should have been outside prison.
Magistrates court was giving him suspended sentences all along.
😞
No-one is depicting Vakarisi as a saint and in any event, this isn’t about him. It’s about him being murdered by the military instead of facing justice in a court of law and the RFMF Commander lying about the circumstances of his death.
Rather unfortunate event GD that happened in military camp.
Court of law that you talking about saw him with one eye.
People with 0.001 gram of drugs and first offenders are sent to prison.
There was a university student in that first offenders list last year.
It is more than “rather unfortunate”. Extrajudicial killings cannot be tolerated. But neither can a military commander who tries to cover-up the facts. Kalouniwai needs to take responsibility for what happened and stand aside or be removed. Otherwise we are sending a clear message to the Fijian people that such conduct is acceptable when it is not.
All through out the world when people have died or tortured while in custody or arrests, there going to be a first story from the head of the institution, then a second story will come later.
No leader would want to degrade his or her institution.
Some have escaped justice.
Many developed countries will send to coroner for a report and then act and charge people, or there will be an inquest to find actual cause of death when families need answers.
These goes back to even 30 years, where people have been killed for no reason while being arrested and no one took responsibility including Fiji.
The difference is that these people promised to be different – better accountability, better transparency, a better human rights record yet have been either the same or worse. A bunch of hypocrites continually pointing the finger at the Bainimarama government only to behave the same way when they got into power. Disgraceful.
How stupid can this Commander be by putting out a statement that it was a pre existing medical condition that led to his death. For someone of his stature and so called intelligence, it was foolhardy of him.