Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Fiji women’s group criticises police handling of home bombings

Posted at 21:16 on 27 March, 2009 UTC

The convenor of a women’s awareness group says she doesn’t think the police are working hard enough to find the people behind recent attacks on prominent public figures.

Last weekend homemade bombs were hurled at the homes of Netani Rika and a security recruitment agent, Sakiusa Raivoce.

The attacks follow earlier incidents where vehicles belonging to the trade unionist, Attar Singh and the pro-democracy politician, Kenneth Zinck, were stoned.

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls of FemLink Pacific says the attacks are a clear manifestation of the kind of violence that’s been underneath events in Fiji since the 2006 coup.

She says the police need to do more than "look for footprints in the sand".

“This is the time when the people of our country need to be feeling safe to be able to say, this is what I feel is the way forward, this is what I would like to see happen. But with this kind of environment, people aren’t going to be comfortable to speak.”

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls of Femlink Pacific.