The Minister for Defence and National Security, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, laid a wreath at Bita Paka War Cem­etery in Papu New Guinea to hon­our the 35 Fijian soldiers laid to rest there.

Ratu Inoke was in PNG attending the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Police Ministers meeting at Kokopo, Rabaul of the East New Britain Province.

One of the 35 soldiers is Victoria Cross recipient, Corporal Sefanaia Sukanaivalu.

Sefanaia Sukanaivalu was born January 1, 1918, and joined the Fiji Infantry Regiment during World War II.

By mid-1944 he was a Corporal in the 3rd Battalion, which was tak­ing part in the Bougainville cam­paign. He died saving others under Japanese fire on June 23rd, 1944.

Ratu Inoke also visited Tung Na­parau where four Fijian mission­aries were martyred.

The Police Ministers meeting was on April 30 and they discussed re­gional policing and cooperation among other things the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Coopera­tion meeting to be held in PNG by the end of the year.

Fiji is closely associated with the township of Rabaul given our his­torical relations dated back to the late 1800s when Fijian missionar­ies first visited Kokopo.

Ratu Inoke is accompanied by the Commissioner of Police, Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho, senior Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) and Police officials in­cluding the Ministry of Defence personnel. The MSG meeting con­cluded on May 2.

Edited by Percy Kean

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