RFMF's Underwear Fetishism: 'After 10 minutes a masked officer, fair bloke with one pip which I noticed rushed to my cell door and warned me, "O na veka bogi ni kua ni boko na icina, raica o na veka". "You will shit tonight once the light is turned off." He disappeared as soon as he uttered those threatening words...In the morning, he ordered that I take off my underwear and threw it out of the window. He also removed the mattress I was sitting on. I did this and sat down naked on the floor...He ordered me to squat on my hind legs whilst pulling my ears. I did this...6-8 soldiers started throwing punches at me...The fair officer squeezed my mouth, cursed and threw punches into my face.."
A native Fijian businessman's written statement to
Fijileaks Founding Editor-in-Chief, 21 May 2007, for the book (with Russell Hunter)
Treason in Paradise: The Inside Story of Fiji's 2006 Coup
 |  |
VIRISILA BUADROMO, 2007:
"Yeah, they did it to all of us, I thought if she [Laisa Digitaki] said yes [she was pregnant], they wouldn’t, but they did. I didn't think they would but they still did it and that's when they started really physically assaulting us, smacking, boxing your ears, so to speak, smacking up your ears, hitting your face with their boots, kicking you in the ribs and they made us lick their boots, do really degrading things like that. Then they started to threaten our families. They knew all these details about our families and they basically said things like "You know we could kill you now, put a bullet through all your heads, put you in a drum and throw you out of the wharf of or down at the Suva harbour, no-one would know and no-one would miss you".
 |  "I felt a toad placed between my thighs and I heard a soldier say that a toad be given to Virisila to hold. Laisa Digitaki |  |
CROAKING in the dark with the Fijian Cane Toad was Sitiveni Qiliho
Human Rights activist Virisila Buadromo's account of her detention at the military's Nabua camp as told on Dateline, Australia, Fiji: After The Coup during an interview with reporter Bronwyn Adcock back in 2007. Buadromo knew she was in trouble when she heard herself named on radio by Commodore Frank Bainimarama after the 5 December 2006.
VIRISILA BUADROMO, FIJI WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT: He specifically named myself as well as one of my board members, as people who were not helping Fiji get back on the straight and narrow.
Just before midnight last Christmas Eve, Virisila was taken from her home by the military. She had run an advertisement giving out Bainimarama's mobile phone number urging opponent's of the coup to text him. She was taken into the barracks.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: They kept on asking me in Fijian, who did I think I was, you know, putting out the Commander's mobile number, publicising his mobile number, do you realise what you have done. While questioning me they had a gun which they uncocked and cocked and they put it up to my head and just saying, you know what we could do with this.
Virisila was then made to lay face down in the rain, along with six other pro-democracy activists.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: That's when they started to physically abuse us. One of the things that, which I thought was quite strange, they asked all the females, “are you pregnant?” I was like no, and I was wondering what that was about. I remember Laisa saying yes and then immediately they just, with their boots stamped on your back, on your lower back. So they did it to all three females.
REPORTER: Did they do it to the woman who said she was pregnant.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: Yeah, they did it to all of us, I thought if she [Laisa Digitaki] said yes [she was pregnant], they wouldn’t, but they did. I didn't think they would but they still did it and that's when they started really physically assaulting us, smacking, boxing your ears, so to speak, smacking up your ears, hitting your face with their boots, kicking you in the ribs and they made us lick their boots, do really degrading things like that. Then they started to threaten our families. They knew all these details about our families and they basically said things like "You know we could kill you now, put a bullet through all your heads, put you in a drum and throw you out of the wharf of or down at the Suva harbour, no-one would know and no-one would miss you".
Virisila says she is now a lot more careful with her criticism.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: Before, I would never have thought twice about putting out a statement. I never would have thought about putting out a statement, gotta say something, whereas now, following on what happened to me, I am very aware of not the repercussions on me but my staff being threatened and another of my colleagues has been threatened recently. We have to be careful about these things. We are operating in an environment of fear, you never know.
Just before midnight last Christmas Eve, Virisila was taken from her home by the military. She had run an advertisement giving out Bainimarama's mobile phone number urging opponent's of the coup to text him. She was taken into the barracks.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: They kept on asking me in Fijian, who did I think I was, you know, putting out the Commander's mobile number, publicising his mobile number, do you realise what you have done. While questioning me they had a gun which they uncocked and cocked and they put it up to my head and just saying, you know what we could do with this.
Virisila was then made to lay face down in the rain, along with six other pro-democracy activists.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: That's when they started to physically abuse us. One of the things that, which I thought was quite strange, they asked all the females, “are you pregnant?” I was like no, and I was wondering what that was about. I remember Laisa saying yes and then immediately they just, with their boots stamped on your back, on your lower back. So they did it to all three females.
REPORTER: Did they do it to the woman who said she was pregnant.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: Yeah, they did it to all of us, I thought if she [Laisa Digitaki] said yes [she was pregnant], they wouldn’t, but they did. I didn't think they would but they still did it and that's when they started really physically assaulting us, smacking, boxing your ears, so to speak, smacking up your ears, hitting your face with their boots, kicking you in the ribs and they made us lick their boots, do really degrading things like that. Then they started to threaten our families. They knew all these details about our families and they basically said things like "You know we could kill you now, put a bullet through all your heads, put you in a drum and throw you out of the wharf of or down at the Suva harbour, no-one would know and no-one would miss you".
Virisila says she is now a lot more careful with her criticism.
VIRISILA BUADROMO: Before, I would never have thought twice about putting out a statement. I never would have thought about putting out a statement, gotta say something, whereas now, following on what happened to me, I am very aware of not the repercussions on me but my staff being threatened and another of my colleagues has been threatened recently. We have to be careful about these things. We are operating in an environment of fear, you never know.
Lt. Col. Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara, the former Commander of the 3FIR, accused Bainimarama of beating up the human rights activists
In a statement released on 28 May 2011, Lt Colonel Mara gave a graphic account of how coup leader Bainimarama assaulted a group of women at military barracks outside Suva. Bainimarama believed he needed to clamp down on protests.
"Anybody, too vocal, was taken up to QEB barracks where they were assaulted and humiliated," Mara said. "If he was not attacking their bodies he was attacking their property and organized a number of arson attacks against the people of Fiji." On night he said three Pro Democracy Movement women, Laisa Digitaki, Virisila Buadromo and Jacquline Koroi were brought up to the camp along with youth activist Pita Waqavonovono. They had constructed a pro democracy shrine.
"It was a pitch black night when the girls were brought to the barracks," Mara said. "There were a number of soldiers present including the Commander of the RFMF, Bainimarama. "He was wearing a bush hat, brown overalls and no obvious signs of his rank. "The men were hanging back unsure what to do. This was the first time there were women in the camp needing to be silenced.
"Bainimarama landed the first blow." He then continued to punch and kick them. "When they had fallen to the ground he jumped on their backs and continued with the beating. "The girls could not see who was attacking them and for a long time it has been blamed on (Land Force Commander Colonel) Pita Driti.
"It was not Driti but Bainimarama, the man who calls himself the Prime Minister of Fiji."
Mara said he did not take part in the beatings and to the question why didn't he stop it, he replied: "You can't tell your commanding officer to stop anything at that time." "But that, is not really a good reason and I regret I did not do more. "I apologize to you, Laisa, Virisila, Jacqueline and Pita and when I am back in Suva I will answer to you all."
Frank Bainimarama was BEATING us up at Barrack:
"I looked up to see Frank Bainimarama kicking and verbally abusing me. He called soldiers to come and drag me to the cricket pitch. A soldier came to me and pulled me by the hair, and started cutting patches of my hair off. I was told that he would cut me up and throw me in the sea – that no one would care about me." Pita Waqavonovono
