Qiliho Happy with Police Preparation for Nadi March
Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho was in Nadi yesterday for a final briefing before the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) organised march tomorrow.
He made sure that Police were prepared and ready.
The march is in support of a group of striking Air Terminal Services workers. "Today I was with the Police in Nadi and was briefed by Divisional Police Commander West and his senior team," he said. He said he was happy with the preparation.
"I've also informed them of the Police Force Strategic Assets or Reserves that I have - that I will be moving into the area as well, but will only be deployed when the need arises.
"They will be moving into the Western Division and I am talking here about manpower and resources," he said.
He said Police were ready to carry out their duties to care for the public and make sure all went well at the protest march. "I'm confident and we are well resourced to deal with this. Even though there are other avenues that we can draw from like the military, we don't see that being put in place, however the option is always there," he said
The FTUC has called on supporters and member unions to join the striking workers who have been picketing for a month now.
The statement said that the FTUC was providing a bus for those who wanted to travel from Suva to Nadi for the march. Workers’ unions including the Fiji Teachers Union have planned to join the march. Meanwhile, SODELPA candidate and activist Lynda Tabuya and MP Mosese Bulitavu held another press conference in Suva to rally support for the march. They claimed they had received a mandate to present a report on behalf of the Federated Airlines Staff Association. But the report could not be independently verified. Its unsubstantiated negative content was used to try to bolster support for the march.