Pio: Return all arms, ammo

THE Minister for Home Affairs Pio Tikoduadua has issued a directive that all arms and ammunitions used by military personnel on ministerial security detail duties to be returned to the Republic of the Fiji Military Forces (RFMF).

In an interview with this newspaper, he said the arms and ammunitions would be accounted for by the RFMF.

He said he met RFMF Commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai where they discussed the issue.

“The other thing I have asked him (Major-Gen Kalouniwai), because arms and ammunition were carried by bodyguards in the past protecting these principles that he must account for,” Mr Tikoduadua said.

“He (Major-Gen Kalouniwai) needs to come back to me to make sure that he’s got all these arms and ammunition accounted for which is essential for national security.

“I just want to make sure that when soldiers return from these duties for which they’ve been recalled, that they will return these weapons with them.”

He said he was relying on Major-Gen Kalouniwai to provide an account on the number of weapons that was removed from the RFMF armory for security purposes over the past years.

“I haven’t asked him but I trust in the intelligence of the commander.

“They’ve got records and all that, I just want to make sure that when soldiers return from these duties for which they’ve been recalled, that they will return these weapons with them.

“I don’t know how they’ve been kept but as far as I’m concerned, they shouldn’t be drawing weapons from the armory every time they come out to work.

“But I want all those returned and Government, through my ministry needs to be assured that all of these arms and ammunition that were kept and used outside for personal protection now must be returned to the Queen Elizabeth Barracks (QEB) or wherever they came from.”

Questions sent to MajGen Kalouniwai remained unanswered when this report went to press.