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THE UNSUNG HEROES: As the local media pursue the Messiah (Frank Bainimarama failed to walk across to Koro Island), his Monk (Khaiyum) and his Nun (Akbar) we tell the heroic services of the neglected others!

1/3/2016

Pope prays for Fiji; Fiji Gas donates $10,000 to Fiji Red Cross Cyclone Winston Appeal; Bainimarama's former bodyguard and military and police officers plead not guilty to allegedly raping the late Viliame Soko; Mobile services restored by Digicel on Koro Island; After a storm of protest FNFP relaxes requirements for cyclone related assistance - All members affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston can apply for the $1000 assistance and Quick Repairs housing assistance of $5000; Members, who wish to help their immediate family in affected areas, are also eligible for the assistance; FNPF teams will no longer inspect or visit villages/settlement or members’ houses to verify members’ residential addresses; The $1000 assistance is available to members regardless of the classification of their dwelling (eg. agricultural lease, squatter, village, agreement for lease, instrument of tenancy such as titles etc); India donates $170,000 worth of bio-medical equipment

They are doing out of COMPASSION and not because they want VOTES:

Contact: 1. Laisiasa Jioji, Director Global Compassion, Email laijioji2013@gmail.com; Cell Phone – +679 8362286; 2.Kesa Catanasiga, Manager Administration, Email address kesh75@gmail.com; Cell Phone – +679 9266042,

This 80-year-old Indo Fijian man sheltered in his toilet throughout the onslaught of TC Winston. He and his family in Dawasamu, Tailevu, were all smiles as Global Compassion arrived with cartons of much needed food supplies. — with Josh Donumauibulu.

Levuka bound. Off loading in Levuka Town this afternoon (Tuesday March 1st). When the Global Compassion team arrived, there was still enough light to start distribution. All hands on deck as boxes of food rations was passed from truck to waiting trucks and also onto boats to reach the villages on the other side of the island where roads have been damaged and trucks couldn't go through. Drums of Pre-mix fuel was also off loaded for boats to Moturiki and around the island of Ovalau. A big vinaka vakalevu to Pastor Eparama Bukalidi and the CMF church volunteers in Levuka for coordinating distribution.

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http://www.fijileaks.com/home/khaiyums-aunty-milked-taxpayers-to-the-last-drop-regime-paid-nur-bano-ali-over-half-a-million-dollars-to-re-structure-rewa-cooperative-dairy-company-ltd

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WINSTON EXPOSES THE ABJECT POVERTY OF MANY INDO-FIJIANS while the so-called champions of RACE EQUALITY have been lording it up since the 2006 coup, with Khaiyum and his 'Dear Aunty' leading the PACK

29/2/2016

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Indo-Fijians abject poverty remained invisible until Winston lifted the lid on their plight! Worst, by removing one's ethnicity in poverty surveys, these poor Indo-Fijians are being punished twice - 'Oh, we are all Fijians'; A TALE OF TWO BANOS IN KHAIYUM'S FIJI:

Shahista Bano, 27, with baby son Ikram, 8 months, in Lovu Seaside, an informal settlement, Nadi; and 'Aunty Bano' who was the illegal regime's paymistress since 2006 without any accountability or transparency

Khaiyum arriving at some island do in a helicopter last year - clutching his son

TWO BABIES - TWO LIFESTYLES! Khaiyum is yet to reach the Sumera family by foot, car, horse or helicopter in Bulabula, Ba; not to mention his "Killer Minister" Parveen Bala who lied to the family: "See You Tomorrow"

"Our baby has no milk and has caught fever because we have had no help whatever so from Government"

ANZ distributes relief packs in Dawasamu

STAFF of ANZ took time out yesterday and distributed relief packs to families affected by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston in Dawasamu, Tailevu.

They were led by ANZ CEO Pacific and CEO Fiji, Vishnu Mohan.

FijiFirst Party general secretary and then and now Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Aiyaz Khaiyum was on the verge of being declared bankrupt for failing to keep with up his mortgage repayments on his Berry Road property in Suva. In 2009, ruin, shattered career and bankruptcy stigma starred at Khaiyum as his family desperately begged businessmen and other associates to bail him out, and to stop the bankruptcy notice from being published in the Fiji Sun. In the end the Tappoos stepped in and bought his property worth $400,000 for a staggering $810,00 in return for duty free concessions and other perks; the difference was to pay the re-mortgage loan Khaiyum had taken but could not find money to meet up with his re-payments to ANZ Bank. The sweet deal was made through Tappoos' Bright Star Investments Ltd and Aiyaz Khaiyum's Latifa Investments Ltd.

Fijileaks: This VHP (Fiji) video in no way should be taken as endorsing our interpretation of the plight of many Indo-Fijians. Their abject poverty remained invisible until Cyclone Winston lifted the lid on their plight!

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Chaudhrys and Winston: "This fella who pocketed millions to settle overseas but never did and saved those millions should now maybe donate to the Fijian people?" - Fiji Sun's Pratibha forgot two on the list!

28/2/2016

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Fijileaks: It is time Rani, Mahendra Chaudhry's daughter and Vishwa Sharma, his son-in-law, both of CJ Patel and Co Ltd, handed over the ill-gotten $50,000 they got from Chaudhry's $2million to charity to help the Winston victims

The first two to be exposed by Victor Lal were Mahendra Chaudhry's daughter Rani Sharma, HR manager at CJ Patel, and her husband Vishwa Sharma, the CEO of CJ Patel. The convicted "Daaku Mahen" had gifted his daughter (Rani) and his son-in-law Vishwa $50,000 from the $2million he was secretly hiding in his Australian bank account - money that was given to him to be passed onto the Indo-Fijian victims of George Speight's coup, especially the refugees hiding in the Girmit Centre!
Fijileaks: It is time Rani and Vishwa of CJ Patel and Co Ltd gave
the ill-gotten $50,000 to Winston charity

In early February 2008, Victor Lal had published in the Fiji Sun a series of articles relating to Mahendra Chaudhry's tax details but without naming him and provided no documentary evidence to support his claim when he published the following story, headlined: “Minister gave $A50,000 gift to daughter”; Victor Lal had evidence on him but had chosen to drag it out

By VICTOR LAL
Fiji Sun
February 2008

An Interim Cabinet Minister accused of systematic tax evasion made a personal gift of fifty thousand Australian dollars, equivalent to seventy thousand Fijian dollars, from his Australian bank account that he claimed was intended for his community in Fiji, to his daughter in 2002.

The details of the gift, supplied by the Australian tax and bank authorities to FIRCA, Fiji Inland Revenue and Customs Authority, are on the Minister’s tax files.

Last week I had revealed how the Minister, after claiming that the funds were held in trust for his people, had failed to provide evidence of a trust deed, and the bank accounts were in his name alone, not a trustee for any trust.

FIRCA, based on evidence supplied by the Australians, had confronted him as to why he did not disclose in his tax return the funds in Australia...

And now his tax file has been locked away in the deep bolts [sic vaults] of FIRCA. Any FIRCA officer who has the slightest innocent link with reviewing his file is sent home. The interim government, meanwhile, refuses to act against one of its own, accusing me and countless others of having a “political agenda” against the minister.

Mahendra Chaudhry's lawyer ANAND SINGH to VICTOR LAL in 2008:

Fijileaks: Vishwa Sharma (circled) should Hand Over the ill-gotten
$50,000 his father-in-law Chaudhry gave to him (Vishwa) and his wife Rani, both employed at CJ Patel and Co Ltd!

The $2million plus was for these Indo-Fijian victims of George Speight and NOT for the Chaudhry clan to relocate to Australia

Mahendra Chaudhry to Victor Lal (a member of the London based Movement for Democracy in Fiji) after the failed George Speight coup: 'We should raise money in London and other cities in the United Kingdom', 2001; Chaudhry never told Victor Lal and others when they hosted him in London that he was hiding $2million in a secret bank account in Sydney, Australia, given to him by India:

Aiyaz Khaiyum and Frank Bainimarama (backed by military guns) tried to prevent Victor Lal from revealing that their Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry was hiding $2million plus in Australian and New Zealand banks which was meant for Indo-Fijian victims of George Speight's 2000 failed coup.

BITTER HARVEST TO BITTER BETRAYAL: When he was making this SBS documentary in 2001 on evicted Indo-Fijian farmers he was already hiding from them over a million dollars in his Australian bank account

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/story/bitter-harvest

Airdate:
Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - 21:30
Channel:
SBS

The [George Speight] coup in Fiji may be over, but the persecution of ethnic Indians continues.

The lucky ones - the wealthy and educated - are leaving in droves.

But for others, the situation is becoming critical with the campaign to push them off their land threatening their very existence.

Mark Davis has their story.

Transcript

In Fiji, the coup is over, the world`s media have departed, but the persecution of ethnic Indians continues. The lucky ones - the wealthy and the educated - are leaving Fiji in droves. But for Indian farmers, the situation is becoming critical. The campaign to push them off the land threatens their very existence. It is an exodus which has gone largely unreported, but it could seal the fate of Fiji's Indians once and for all.

REPORTER: MARK DAVIS
The Prasad family have lived in this valley for three generations. For Dhiren Prasad, it was a tough job to build this house.

REPORTER: Pretty solid?
DHIREN PRASAD: Yeah, pretty solid, because I was trying to fight with a hurricane. But I never thought about this. I never thought about this.

Built to last a lifetime, it`s an even tougher job to pull it down.

DHIREN PRASAD: It took me many days hard labour to build this, but... gone.

When Dhiren and his wife built their new home just a few years ago, they never dreamt that their land lease, held for more than 70 years, would not be renewed. They anticipated the cyclones that sweep through here every season, but not the political storms that have brewed in the past year.
REPORTER: So you got notice, what, one month ago to leave?

DHIREN PRASAD: Correct. 30 days notice.
Today is the last of those 30 days he`s had to salvage what he can from his life`s work. Tonight, he, his wife and his children will be sheltering in a shed at the local school. After that is unknown.
REPORTER: What`s your future?

DHIREN PRASAD: Myself, I have no place to go, and I just have to find anywhere to live, like that, or what do you call me? Nomadic. Go here and go over there like that.

In the house below, his mother sits as her mom is demolished around her. Yashoda refuses to leave the house her father built, the house that she was born in, the house her husband died in.

YASHODA PRASAD: Now there is nothing here - all our furniture has gone. There is nothing to sit down on. But I want to stay, even if it`s on the floor. I don`t want to leave this place.

Yashoda is hoping for a reprieve that will not come. Her children will take her away from this valley tomorrow. It will be dangerous for her and for them to try and stay just one more day.

YASHODA PRASAD: I thought that I would always live here. I never thought this would happen.

The Prasad family are not alone in their ordeal. Thousands of other Fijians of Indian descent are facing the same fate. A forced exodus from the land has begun which has gone virtually unreported - a story less dramatic, but for Indian Fijians, more devastating than last May`s coup.

FIJIAN INDIAN MAN: If our PM was forcefully removed from his seat so if you look at the bottom people here, we have got nothing here. Anything can come to us, see. So there is a fear inside them, see. So that fear is driving everybody out from here.

The nightmare for Fijian Indians began last May when an indigenous group launched a coup to oust the elected government of Mahendra Chaudhry. Chaudhry`s political crime was his race - an Indian Fijian. Chaudhry and his ministers were held in Parliament for nearly two months while the coup-makers outlined their plan for Fiji - a government reserved for the racially pure. It was the second such coup in 13 years to disenfranchise more than 40% of the population - some 330,000 Indians in a country of 800,000. While Chaudhry`s release and the prospect of legal proceedings offer hope for some, few doubt that the political rights of Indians in Fiji are in tatters at the very time they need them most. Across the islands, long-term rural leases are expiring and almost without exception, there is a blanket eviction of Indian farms under way - farmers who`ve turned to Chaudhry for help. While still officially PM, today Chaudhry is facing the juggernaut of indigenous nationalism armed with little more than a taxi fare and a mobile phone - a juggernaut which evicted him from power and is now sweeping through the countryside.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY, DEPOSED FIJIAN PRIME MINISTER: The fact is that this is the second time it has happened to the Indians here. The first was in 1987. They were made the scapegoat for the 1987 coup and again this year.
They are being stripped of their political rights, and of course, this coup is compounded by the fact that they - I`m talking about the farming community - are being stripped of their economic rights. So there is not much future when you look at it, that they`re being stripped of their political rights, economic rights and they`re being pushed into third-class citizenry in this country. So these are the thoughts that go through my mind when I see them.

Amidst all of his recent crises, this is probably the hardest week of Chaudhry`s career - travelling through the cane belt to be with families on their last days on the land, the elected leader of his country, powerless to offer anything but condolences.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: The whole of this settlement here, some 300 families, will have to move out before December 31. Many have moved already - they`ve pulled down their homes, they`ve left. 330, actually. 330 families, so... what we are seeing is just an example of a pretty large picture. We`re just seeing a part of it. And this, of course, is right through from right throughout the cane belt.

Like most farmers in Fiji, these people have held long-term leases on land held by a trust board for indigenous Fijians - leases which are generally rolled over at the end of their term. Today is the first time that a mass eviction has ever occurred.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: How many people are leaving without a place to go?

ELDERLY MAN: 15 people from that side and 15 from my gang, which is 30 already. Another 15 up there.

Even if Chaudhry was still in government, these leases would have expired, but the Landlord and Tenants Act, now effectively abandoned, would have softened the blow. Tenants had more rights to renegotiate a lease, there was more protection offered for the family home and a financial package for compensation and resettlement was in place. All that Chaudhry can offer now are some emergency food packages donated by the Farmers` Union. With a virulently anti-Indian administration in power, now there is no government assistance of any kind for these people - not even food or basic shelter. Politically, it would be unpopular to be seen to be helping Indians.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: You`ve played here since you were little? Now you`ll go to another place. Don`t worry - the world is big enough for everyone.

But it would seem that Fiji is not big enough for the Fijian Indians. Many of these people can`t even rely on the charity of relatives to house them. They`re being evicted also, or they will be within the next year or two. Just a week ago, this man had a large house and a farm which supported his family. His future now is a shack in the corner of someone else`s cane field. It`s an illegal arrangement - no lease, no land to farm, but monthly rent to be paid and his life savings given for the privilege of putting a temporary roof over his family`s head. This man came to Fiji as a baby. He`s now 105 years old, still living on the land that his father cleared. In a few days, this last section of his home will be pulled down. But that`s his choice, according to the Native Land Trust Board, the authority that manages this land on behalf of its indigenous owners. They claim that he`ll be leaving his home of more than a century into a life of certain poverty purely of his own free will.
The island of Vanua Levu, prime cane country, prides itself on its reputation as the "Friendly North" - a reputation valiantly upheld at the headquarters of the Native Land Trust Board, the NLTB. Its director, Emosi Tonga, can`t understand the apparent lemming-like behaviour of Indian farmers.
REPORTER: You believe that they don`t have to go?

EMOSI TONGA, DIRECTOR, NATIVE LAND TRUST BOARD: No.

REPORTER: You believe that you would allow them to remain in the houses?

EMOSI TONGA: Yes.

REPORTER: Well, why is this not happening? It`s not happening anywhere. There is an absolute exodus.

EMOSI TONGA: No, there`s only some who are going and there`s others who remain.

REPORTER: People are remaining...some of the people are remaining on existing leases, but people are giving up their farms, but they`re losing their houses as well. Should this happen?

EMOSI TONGA: Well, that`s their choice. I have nothing to do with it.

REPORTER: Well, you`re the head of this...
EMOSI TONGA: I`m the head of this institution that looks after the native land, right? My first priority is the interests of the landowners. I`m not the government. That`s the government`s responsibility.

REPORTER: Well, you`re representing the landowners. Now, you`re saying that the Indian farmers don`t have to leave their houses, is that correct?

EMOSI TONGA: Yeah.

Emosi Tonga maintains that the NLTB has merely entered into discussions with farmers and that only 30 or 40 families are leaving the land on his island, but the valleys and roads around him tell a very different story. Even on a visual count of demolished house sites, it`s apparent that hundreds have left in this region alone. According to documents gathered by the National Farmers Union, the NLTB has issued eviction notices ousting families in December, and this is just a taste of what`s to come. This year, more than 1,600 leases will be expiring, affecting about 4,000 families, or 20,000 people, and next year will be almost double that. Local Fijian landowners are less ambiguous about what is occurring than their representative body the NLTB is. This man, an elder with a major land-owning clan in Vanua Levu, has no doubt that all expiring leases held by Indian farmers are being and should be revoked.

FIJIAN MAN: The village here, the village is staying on this land, the members of this village, about 1,000, more than 1,000, are staying here, staying on the 10-acres portion of lands. They are all staying together, working together, living together. And the Indian family, only one family occupy 30-40 acres of land. That is the difference.

This man is something of a rarity amongst Fijians. He`s a cane farmer as well as a landlord and he believes that the income that Fijian villagers receive from renting their land is simply not enough. He`s convinced that other Fijians will follow him into farming if given more opportunity.
FIJIAN MAN: The Indian people should please - we accommodate for 106 years already. Now give us a chance to accommodate our family.

To him, the Indians, despite being citizens for over a century, are a colonial relic who simply do not belong in the natural ethnic and religious mix of Fiji. It`s been a common theme heard over the past 12 months.

FIJIAN MAN: Because this is our responsibility - the Indian people is not our responsibility. It`s not a responsibility of us. That`s the responsibility of the government`s. Or the responsibility of the British and Australia. Not ours. We done our part - 106 years, we gave it to them.
But we have to look after our members, too. To educate them, to accommodate them, to housing them and whatever we can do. Surely, we will ask, what are you doing when the lease expires and you try to renew it again. This is one thing, as I quote in the bibles.

REPORTER: Well, as a Christian, what do you do for your brother who no longer has any income now? What happens to the Indians?

FIJIAN MAN: Indians - well, they didn`t believe God. Jesus, they never believed it. That`s what the Bible say. Don`t associate with those who didn`t believe with our gods.
FIJIAN INDIAN MAN: What can we do? Everything is lost, but we`re being brave. I`m not losing hope - I am very brave, but we have a problem getting food for the kids.

Few question the right of landowners to reclaim their land. But not even the wildest optimists imagine that all of these abandoned farms are going to be put into production. It seems to many that the evictions are occurring at such a speed that the primary intention is to evict Indians rather than to install Fijians onto the land.

FIJIAN INDIAN WOMAN: They should just pack us all up and throw us in the sea. Put us in a big boat and drop us in the ocean.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: Don`t worry - you`ll have hardship for a while and then it`ll be OK.
Those being forced off the land today have few alternatives in an increasingly anti-Indian climate. Racially pure Fijians are now favoured in everything from gaining entry to the public service to getting scholarships for universities. A recent edict even barred Indian-Fijians from applying for taxi licences.

REPORTER: The way the Indians see it and the way I guess it does appear, that this is part of a broader anti-Indian campaign in Fiji.

EMOSI TONGA: Maybe, maybe not.
What is certain is that Indian farmers aren`t just facing legitimate actions to get them off the land. A wave of terror and intimidation continues against Indian farmers that began while Chaudhry was locked in Parliament.
At this refugee camp for evicted farmers in Vanua Levu, a familiar story emerges about what happened in the hinterland during the coup.

KHALID HUSSEIN, FIJIAN INDIAN FARMER: I took out my family for the safety of the family, my daughters and my wife.

On isolated farmlands, the coup triggered a wave of theft and plunder, with farmers savagely beaten trying to protect their families and their properties.

KHALID HUSSEIN: So when I went back, there were a group of people, they were trying to steal away my cattle. So when I went outside, these people came in again and they assaulted me. Brutally beaten. Here`s my hand, there`s a fracture - I had to have a surgical operation. My nose was broken. Skull was broken, badly beaten.
An entire community was left totally defenceless for almost two months.

KHALID HUSSEIN: But I have lost everything.

FIJIAN INDIAN WOMAN: The Fijian people want to rape, all these things. We don`t like it, the rape cases. It`s dangerous, because we`ve got small children here. The daughter is very small - if they`re going to do something to her, what will she feel in her heart? The Fijian people take the knife and chase my son. Then I got my daughter and ran into the sugar cane. Three days - three days we stayed in the bush.
They said, "Indians go back to India!" They said it just like that. How can we have the lease from a Fijian? We can`t go back in that place. They will beat us again. How will we stay there?

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: Of course, I wasn`t aware of what was happening, because we were locked up for eight weeks and we had no contact with the outside world. It was only when I was released that I had to reconcile myself with what I saw, and it was quite unbelievable. It was quite shocking, as far as I was concerned, and it didn`t stop.

The legacy of the coup is a continuing climate of violence and bravado in the bush. Just a week ago, this man was beaten unconscious when a Fijian landlord moved into his house, even before his lease had expired. Like many of his neighbours, he had endured a string of local thugs, all demanding goodwill payments that would apparently allow him to secure a new lease from the NLTB and to save his home - a huge payment with no guarantee of a lease being issued.

KHALID HUSSEIN: So I went to all the departments to ask if they could assist me. No-one could assist, no-one had assisted so far.

Khalid Hussein was one of the most successful farmers in his region. He still had six years to run on his lease, but he was driven from his farm when he refused to make goodwill payments to local landowners in excess of what he already pays to the NLTB.

KHALID HUSSEIN: The money that I have lost through my livestock is about 150,000. I`ve lost my house, two houses - about 60,000.

Khalid`s lease is legally binding, but it`s a moot point when his family`s life would be endangered if he tried to enforce it. But according to his landlord, the NLTB, all is well in the farming districts.
REPORTER: I mean, you presumably travel around this region. You know that these houses are being pulled down and these people are leaving. It hasn`t crossed your mind has to why they`re doing that?

EMOSI TONGA: As I`ve said, I think it`s misinformation. Maybe some problems - that`s probably why they`re doing it. An Indian wouldn`t believe me - an Indian would believe another Indian.

REPORTER: Well, have you considered that what they`re saying is true? Have you spoken to... when you see these areas that are being emptied out of the Indian population, have you spoken to the landowners about what`s going on?

EMOSI TONGA: Yes, I have spoken to a number of landowners - they haven`t done anything. I mean, they haven`t had anything to do with the Indians living there.

REPORTER: It`s a mystery for them as well? It`s a big mystery.

EMOSI TONGA: It`s a mystery to them too.

For these refugees, there`s not much mystery in it.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: We should never have to live in fear from anyone. The sufferings of our ancestors, who came to Fiji about 120 years ago, was much worse than ours. They went through a lot of hardship to give us a better future. They were whipped and made to work 14 hours a day, paid 5 cents in wages a day. We have to think about the sacrifices they made to secure our future.

The journey of the Indians in Fiji has never been an easy one. Like migrants everywhere, they worked hard in the hope of a better life for their children, and they succeeded.
After the coup in 1987, the Indian community threw itself into reconciling with the indigenous Fijians. They rebuilt and broadened their political parties. For 10 years, they worked at negotiating and achieving a new constitution to satisfy all races in Fiji. Their future was back on track.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: Now it`s our turn to sacrifice for our children.

But today, the talk amongst Indian Fijians is not about rebuilding or reforming Fiji - the talk is all about leaving it. It`s a move which Chaudhry doesn`t oppose, even though it will, of course, demolish the political base of his party and further weaken the position of those Indians who remain.

REPORTER: Are you planning an exodus from Fiji for the Indian population?
MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: Well, after the first coup, thousands of them left. After this one, many have left. We don`t have exact statistics, but I think the exodus will continue. And indeed, it seems that`s the way that the Indians want it - that if they can go away to a more secure future elsewhere, they`d prefer to do that.

REPORTER: And what`s your feeling?

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY: I think they`re entitled to that, and I think we have a duty to help them there, because what else can we give them here?

Although it`s what they want to hear, Chaudhry makes no direct mention of migration to this crowd. He knows that for most countries, cane farming is not high on the list of preferred skills.
Indians of wealth have already left Fiji. The professional classes are flooding out now, in high demand overseas as nurses, teachers, engineers. But there`s no nurses, teachers or engineers here, just people who`ve struggled to feed their children, and now they can`t even do that.
What remains of Dhiren Prasad`s home is loaded onto a truck - a few dollars worth of scrap which he hopes to shelter his family in somewhere. As Fiji lurches back to reclaim its past, it`s taking Indian Fijians back with it. For farmers like the Prasads, it`s not the future they`re heading to, but the same road they travelled a century ago - landless, penniless and worst of all, voiceless.

THERE IS NO EASY WALK TO FREEDOM

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"The Indian Maharaja" lashed for abandoning USP staff and students while they struggle to recover from Winston's whip - VC Rajesh Chandra condemned for holidaying and not cutting short his trip to return to Fiji!

28/2/2016

5 Comments

* Rajesh Chandra accused of holidaying instead of cutting short his trip and returning to USP; he only came back at the weekend;
* USP has not yet done anything- let alone send volunteers to help the Winston victims;
* While no one had power in Suva, his house was full on with a generator even when he was not around;
* It is alleged that his cousin/friend was in the house while he was away;
* He had not sent any messages to his staff, or students, many whose parents have been affected

There MUST be light in the "Indian Maharaja's" house

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NFP visits Ra with rations: NFP leader Professor Biman Prasad salutes the work done by individuals, families and friends who are doing great humanitarian work without seeking publicity following Cyclone Winston

28/2/2016

7 Comments

This Indo-Fijian in BULABULA, Ba, says Minister Parveen Bala assured them he will 'come tomorrow, we are still waiting'; 'we have no water, no food, no milk, Government got millions but we are yet to get any help!

27/2/2016

20 Comments

"It is 50 years and yet we have no water connection to the house despite begging with the District Officer...Its over a week now and we are yet to see the Government...When voting season comes, they come and tell us if you don't vote, you will be jailed..but now Government is nowhere to be seen except boasting that they have got thousands in cash and millions in food aid...They don't care about us, the poor...God is blind to RACE but this Government is not...it is becoming race based distribution of aid.." The 73-year-old tearful Ram Sumera, Bulabula, Ba, whose family have been surviving by eating "rotten" cassava since Winston

Race discrimination running riot in the distribution of Winston aid as
BSP Bank announces "BSP Sends Relief Supplies To Eight Villages In Ra" -
"Indo-Fijians and other non-native Fijian Winston victims also bank customers"

Listen to the VHP (Fiji) video of this desperate Indo-Fijian Winston victim; and also of this native Fijian woman - who were both helped by VHP (Fiji)

VHP: "One of the many families we visited today with relief supplies. Just see the unfortunate circumstances they are facing in life. How can someone sleep in that small shackle with a small kid in the middle of shrubs like this. Please note that these videos are merely to show the reality on the ground and is in no way intended to politicize issues. VHP is purely a charity and we will remain apolitical for this reason. We are in fact working alongside our Government in these times of crisis."

ONE COLD HEARTED AND CALLOUS INDO-FIJIAN'S MESSAGE:
"I have no sympathy for such people"

Satya Sharma: "Instead of running to Government for ages for water supply he could easily have dug up a well. We used well in countryside. There is nothing wrong in eating cassava. We grew up eating that. We grew up in grass hut. That was our house. Made of gadra, dongo, bamboo and wood post. You can't live in countryside and dream of town facilities. Heart breaking when farmers who could easily grow vegetables go to town on Saturdays to buy mircha, baigan and chicken. We grew all that and plenty more. I have no sympathy for such people. Go to Nadi countryside and learn to live."

BSP’s Pene Andrea (inside container), gets help from some villagers of Naibita in Ra to offload relief supplies donated by the bank for cyclone victims. Photo: Bank South Pacific

BSP Sends Relief Supplies To Eight Villages In Ra

The BSP Fiji group began their distribution of basic food items yesterday assisting families in eight villages across the Ra district.

The eight villages visited yesterday were Namuaimada, Nanukuloa, Naiserelagi, Rokovuaka, Naibita, Nailega, Bucalevu, and Nasautoka.

In their effort to console members of these communities, BSP country manager Kevin McCarthy reassured them that they were being supported by every Fijian and those overseas to help them rebuild their lives.

“We are very saddened to see the destruction here and we can’t imagine what you’re going through to rebuild your community,” Mr McCarthy said. “We’re a bank that’s committed to giving back to communities and that is why we’re here today, with you, in your time of need.” Distributions were done in village halls, outside damaged homes, under trees and by the roadside.

These makeshift venues were emotionally charged as village elders, men, women and children received their supplies at a time when they were at critically low levels. “We are honoured to offer help with these provisions that may not fix your long-term problems but we’re hoping it can help with your immediate need for nourishment and try to bring a smile on your faces,” Mr McCarthy said.

All village headmen mobilised their communities and accorded the BSP delegation with the traditional gestures of showing gratitude with applauds, cheers, hymns of praise were sung and emotional thanksgiving speeches were made in all these locations.

Mr McCarthy was inspired by these communities who have lost almost everything.

“They have an immense challenge ahead to recover from this but it’s fantastic to see their positivity and how they are moving on with their lives.”

BSP’s $100K Cyclone Winston Relief Efforts are in support of ongoing national efforts by the Government of Fiji through the National Disaster Management Office. Source: Fiji Sun

HIP-HOPPING WITH BSP BANK: Rosy Akbar and her PS look on instead of taking the bank to task over blatantly discriminatory distribution; Akbar is suddenly in every Winston photo - she is cynically exploiting aid donation to increase her measly 990 votes at the next election

GMHR Howard Politini and CM Kevin McCarthy with Turaga ni Koro Nasautoka

20 Comments

Bouncing back from WINSTON: How Bangladesh bounced back from Cyclone Sidr in 2007 - one of worst natural disasters in Bangladesh when over 3,000 died, thousands were made homeless, losses ran over billion!

27/2/2016

2 Comments

People affected by cyclone Sidr sit in line and wait to receive aid materials at Gabtala village in Bagerhat district of Bangladesh

2 Comments

DUMPING GROUND AFTER WINSTON: Tappoos accused of dumping old stock as donation to Prime Minister's Relief Fund and fizzy sweet soft drinks will cause more health problems - why not donate healthy foods?

26/2/2016

8 Comments

Pepsi not in demand in Fiji. BIG business will also get TAX REBATES and DISTRIBUTORS will get DOUBLE REBATE - one from the State and another from Overseas suppliers

Bainimarama receiving $250,000 worth of corrugated roofing irons and screws from the Vinod Patel Foundation

THE SCRAMBLE TO BE SEEN WITH FRANK BAINIMARAMA

BUT WHAT ABOUT ORDINARY MORTALS WHO ARE ALSO DOING STERLING SERVICE WHOM MEDIA HAVE IGNORED

8 Comments

SOWING SEEDS OF DOUBT: The farmers who lost everything question MoA's report that it is sending packets of seedlings to farmers - which farmers - what areas? Why no inspections of 'Winston' damaged farms?

26/2/2016

9 Comments

SEEDLINGS PREPARED FOR DISPATCH TO FARMERS

Agriculture is one of Fiji's largest revenue earner and provides income and employment for thousands of farmers across Fiji. Apart from it's contribution to Fiji's GDP, the agriculture sector provides food security and helps secure the future of communities across the country.

When TC Winston struck the nation, it devastated farms across Fiji and directly impacting the lives of farmers and in the process, the nation's food security. To mitigate this, the Ministry of Agriculture and with the assistance of donors and the private sector immediately responded by providing the necessary assistance to ensure that our farmers can have access to farming tools and seedlings. By doing this, we are putting in place measures to avoid a disruption in our food security.

Tonight the Ministry of Agriculture staff started preparing the packaging of seedlings for farmers - each pack contains seedlings for 7 different vegetables including long beans, cucumbers, cabbages, watermelons etc.

Despite the lack of power, the staff continued to work overtime to have these seedlings ready for dispatch to ALL affected farmers. It's a long proces but its one that the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Hon. Inia Seruiratu is personally overseeing to ensure that the seedlings are packed in time for delivery across the country: Source - Fiji Government

Vegetable prices soar amid crisis

By Felix Chaudhary
Fiji Times
Saturday, February 27, 2016

WEST senior agricultural officer Vinesh Kumar has raised serious concerns about the escalating prices of vegetables at some municipal markets in the Western Division.

A survey conducted by this newspaper at the Lautoka Municipal Market yesterday revealed prices of goods had increased by about 500 per cent in some cases. When contacted yesterday, Mr Kumar said agricultural officers would look into the issue. "We will be closely monitoring the situation because gone are the days when middlemen could artificially escalate prices and take advantage of situations like Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston," he said.

Vendors at the market said they had been forced to pay exorbitant prices for basic vegetables. Lebua Sunia, a vegetable seller for the past 15 years, said while prices were expected to increase after natural disasters, the level of mark-up this time had been alarming. "Vegetables that people buy every day have gone up by huge amounts," the 50-year-old said.

Ms Sunia said English cabbage wholesale prices had increased from $30 a bag to $60, spinach from $8 a dozen to $24, Chinese cabbage from $20 a plastic to $30 and cucumber from $30 a bag to $80. Kaliappa Naidu, a vendor for more than 30 years, said customers needed to buy vegetables and store them while the prices were relatively cheap.

"Just before Severe TC Winston came, I could buy a bag of eggplant for anywhere between $5 and $10 a bag," he said.

"Today, that same bag costs me between $30 to $40."

Vegetable supply was expected to normalise in the next 4-6 months.

9 Comments

Cometh the Winston, Cometh the Man: 'Winston and its aftermath shows a military type operation with PM Frank Bainimarama at the helm in Fiji'

26/2/2016

4 Comments

The organised response to Winston and its aftermath shows a military type operation with Frank Bainimarama firmly at its helm. For the first time, the public has been given proper and succinct official information about the extent of the damage, physically, financially and structurally, to the country. It shows the experience of the government officials in charge. These are mostly former military personnel now in significant civil service positions such as commissioners of districts. It shows that their experience in crisis situations the world over comes into good use in natural disasters such as the one Fiji is facing.

Our constitutions always said that the role of the military is to look after the welfare of all the people of Fiji. The management of this most recent disaster shows how it works in practice. With Winston the people of Fiji have seen the measure of the man in charge. And that Bainimarama is in charge, with the Military Council most likely directing operations, gives most people confidence that it cannot be that bad in the end. Not because of Bainimarama's personality, but because the operation is a military one and not left to the bureaucrats.

For too long people have had to put up with mediocre members of Bainimarama's government, the windbags, who talk a lot and are normally on every page of the daily newspapers, and sometimes twice on the same page, but had not been seen or heard during Winston. Thank goodness for that. On the other hand Bainimarama is giving people an honest assessment and rallying everyone to help each other.

That's the best way for us all to recover quickly and it needed someone like him to say it. Not everyone likes him or thinks well of him, or will even necessarily vote for him next time, but in this disaster, he has given the confidence back to the people of Fiji to stand together and rely on themselves alone.

Aiyaz Khaiyum and Rosy Akbar hit BA town:

This Indo-Fijian family of three are sleeping in an old Motibhai truck - listen to their plight, the sister narrates their ordeal in Fiji Hindi and her brother opts to narrate his version in native Fijian dialect:

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They are doing out of COMPASSION and not because they want VOTES:

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Indo-Fijians abject poverty remained invisible until Winston lifted the lid on their plight! Worst, by removing one's ethnicity in poverty surveys, these poor Indo-Fijians are being punished twice - 'Oh, we are all Fijians'; A TALE OF TWO BANOS IN KHAIYUM'S FIJI:

TWO BABIES - TWO LIFESTYLES! Khaiyum is yet to reach the Sumera family by foot, car, horse or helicopter in Bulabula, Ba; not to mention his "Killer Minister" Parveen Bala who lied to the family: "See You Tomorrow"

Fijileaks: This VHP (Fiji) video in no way should be taken as endorsing our interpretation of the plight of many Indo-Fijians. Their abject poverty remained invisible until Cyclone Winston lifted the lid on their plight!

Fijileaks: It is time Rani, Mahendra Chaudhry's daughter and Vishwa Sharma, his son-in-law, both of CJ Patel and Co Ltd, handed over the ill-gotten $50,000 they got from Chaudhry's $2million to charity to help the Winston victims

Mahendra Chaudhry's lawyer ANAND SINGH to VICTOR LAL in 2008:

Fijileaks: Vishwa Sharma (circled) should Hand Over the ill-gotten $50,000 his father-in-law Chaudhry gave to him (Vishwa) and his wife Rani, both employed at CJ Patel and Co Ltd!

Aiyaz Khaiyum and Frank Bainimarama (backed by military guns) tried to prevent Victor Lal from revealing that their Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry was hiding $2million plus in Australian and New Zealand banks which was meant for Indo-Fijian victims of George Speight's 2000 failed coup.

BITTER HARVEST TO BITTER BETRAYAL: When he was making this SBS documentary in 2001 on evicted Indo-Fijian farmers he was already hiding from them over a million dollars in his Australian bank account

THERE IS NO EASY WALK TO FREEDOM

Race discrimination running riot in the distribution of Winston aid asBSP Bank announces "BSP Sends Relief Supplies To Eight Villages In Ra" -"Indo-Fijians and other non-native Fijian Winston victims also bank customers"

ONE COLD HEARTED AND CALLOUS INDO-FIJIAN'S MESSAGE:"I have no sympathy for such people"

HIP-HOPPING WITH BSP BANK: Rosy Akbar and her PS look on instead of taking the bank to task over blatantly discriminatory distribution; Akbar is suddenly in every Winston photo - she is cynically exploiting aid donation to increase her measly 990 votes at the next election

Pepsi not in demand in Fiji. BIG business will also get TAX REBATES and DISTRIBUTORS will get DOUBLE REBATE - one from the State and another from Overseas suppliers

THE SCRAMBLE TO BE SEEN WITH FRANK BAINIMARAMA

BUT WHAT ABOUT ORDINARY MORTALS WHO ARE ALSO DOING STERLING SERVICE WHOM MEDIA HAVE IGNORED

Aiyaz Khaiyum and Rosy Akbar hit BA town:

This Indo-Fijian family of three are sleeping in an old Motibhai truck - listen to their plight, the sister narrates their ordeal in Fiji Hindi and her brother opts to narrate his version in native Fijian dialect:

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CategoriesThe Draft Ghai Constitution 2013The Explanatory ReportAppendage to Draft ConstitutionProfessor Yash Ghai's Statement

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Fijileaks: Vishwa Sharma (circled) should Hand Over the ill-gotten
$50,000 his father-in-law Chaudhry gave to him (Vishwa) and his wife Rani, both employed at CJ Patel and Co Ltd!

Race discrimination running riot in the distribution of Winston aid as
BSP Bank announces "BSP Sends Relief Supplies To Eight Villages In Ra" -
"Indo-Fijians and other non-native Fijian Winston victims also bank customers"

ONE COLD HEARTED AND CALLOUS INDO-FIJIAN'S MESSAGE:
"I have no sympathy for such people"

Categories
The Draft Ghai Constitution 2013
The Explanatory Report
Appendage to Draft Constitution
Professor Yash Ghai's Statement