UN KEY ROLE IN STOPPING FIJI SUSPECTS DEPLOYMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SUVA 000509 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2017 TAGS: MARR PREL PHUM KPKO FJ UN IZ SUBJECT: UN KEY ROLE IN STOPPING FIJI SUSPECTS DEPLOYMENT TO IRAQ REF: A. SUVA 506 ¶B. SUVA 502 Classified By: Amb. Dinger. Sec. 1.4 (B,D). UN letter halts RFMF plan to deploy murder suspects -------------- -------------- ¶1. (C) According to a well-placed embassy source in Fiji Immigration, a UN intervention is what kept the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) headquarters from deploying 7 soldiers and one policeman, all charged with murder (see reftels),to UNAMI last Saturday. Reportedly a letter from the UN reached the RFMF leadership on Saturday p.m. stating that the 8 personnel were unacceptable to the UN. All 8 had been processed through Immigration and their baggage was on board the aircraft when the RFMF "move-con" officer pulled them back. A source noted to us that RFMF plans to send the 8 had moved ahead, despite a court summons (ref A) that was intended to halt the deployment. Then the UN letter arrived and brought activity to a halt. Departure of the aircraft was delayed by two hours as events unfolded. Earlier information indicated a total of 9 personnel were deploying. It is not yet clear what happened with the 9th, Private Etonia Nadura. ¶2. (C) We have heard from the UNDP ResRep in Suva that he provided UNDPA a heads-up last week, "based on the rumblings in Fiji," that allowed rapid consultations once the issue hit the media. The ResRep said he has since been out of the loop, as DPKO and UNDSS took over, apparently conversing with the Fiji mission in New York. Senior Police complicity -------------- ¶3. (C) An interesting aspect is that the one policeman implicated in the murder case was to be included in the deployment. Reportedly, when Commodore Teleni moved from RFMF Deputy Commander to Police Commissioner last summer, he made arrangements for police to join RFMF PKO deployments, particularly to MFO Sinai. The particular policeman, Patrick Nayacalagilagi, reportedly had a bad disciplinary record, even before being charged with murder. Given the history, his inclusion in the deployment had to have been approved at a very senior level, presumably by Teleni personally. RFMF says "not fair;" Teleni seeks praise -------------- ¶4. (U) The RFMF spokesman, LtCol. Tikoitoga, defended the decision to send the personnel on a PKO assignment abroad, proposing that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had given no indication the men would be charged. Tikoitoga said, "It is not fair" to bar departure at the final hour. Police Commissioner Teleni indicated to the media that the Police had "acted in the name of justice" by refusing to allow suspects in the murder case to depart on PKO duties. Teleni said he knew nothing of the one policeman alleged to be deploying. Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) Our knowledgeable sources are amazed by the gall of Tikoitoga to claim the RFMF was unaware the 8 were under investigation for murder. The suspects have been known ever since the beating in February, and the ODPP has been trying for weeks to convey the news that charges were ready to be filed, with the RFMF constantly evading a meeting. Similarly, for Teleni to attempt to claim high moral ground is breathtaking. While details remain to be sorted out, it now appears that a UN intervention blocked the deployment. The ODPP did what it could as well. The RFMF and Fiji Police senior leaderships failed miserably to uphold proper standards of conduct. An interesting side note is that three of the RFMF suspects have been members of the Fiji "rugby sevens" team, the highest calling for any Fiji sportsman. DINGER