Pio: Just allegations
MINISTER for Home Affairs Pio Tikoduadua says the claims of human rights abuse made against newly-appointed deputy commander of the Australian Defence Force Seventh Brigade Colonel Penioni Naliva are “just allegations”.
“On the matter of Colonel Naliva, they are what they are, and they are allegations,” said Mr Tikoduadua.
“Allegations are allegations. That is what they are.
“I can challenge anything about you. It is a different thing for you to go to the proper authority and say, ‘I have a report on a particular person’, but at the moment the key word is ‘allegation’.
“And it is all on social media right now and I do not react to that.”
Mr Tikoduadua said the appointment was made through a partnership between the Australian Defence Force and the Republic of the Fiji Military
Forces that had been endorsed by the Coalition Government.
“Between the Australian and Fijian governments, we have defence cooperation.
“There is a defence relationship, the nature of which is negotiated between our defence services, the ADF and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.
“So, on both sides, they have a memorandum of agreement which is the Status of Forces of Agreement on the nature of the exchanges and what they will do with each other including that job now that Colonel Naliva is holding as second in command of the Seventh Brigade.
“So, this was part of the agreement they reached, so by extension of the defence agreement, the defence forces they agreed to, which is obviously government-endorsed.”
Col Naliva’s appointment came under heavy criticism recently from Fijians, claiming he had been behind the alleged abuses.