Tui Nayau warns of 'new generation of drug dealers'

The Tui Nayau, Ratu Tevita Lutunauga Kapaiwai Uluilakeba Mara, has warned that Government inaction over suspected drug packages washing ashore in maritime provinces risks creating a "new generation of drug dealers".

In a strongly worded statement issued today, Ratu Tevita said communities in Lau were increasingly concerned by the growing number of suspected narcotics packages being discovered along coastlines.

"As a chief with responsibilities to my people, I am issuing a direct warning: if Government continues to neglect our communities in the face of this crisis, the day will come when our own youth realise the true worth of these finds," he said.

"Through that gross negligence, we will have bred an entirely new generation of drug dealers."

His comments come amid ongoing investigations into dozens of suspicious parcels recovered from waters around the Lau Group.

Ratu Tevita said the increasing frequency of drug packages washing ashore represented a national security threat and called for urgent intervention.

"The window to act is now, and it is closing," he said.

He said Government, traditional leaders and communities all had a role to play in addressing the issue, but argued that coastal communities needed greater support and resources.

"This demands a whole-of-society response," he said.

He urged Government to restore the necessary regulations and provide the tools and resources to eradicate this social ill. 

Ratu Tevita also suggested that traditional leaders must be empowered to act. 

“Every layer of our society has a role - but only if Government steps back from the podium and into genuine partnership with the Vanua. “

“And to our own people I say: stand, and watch over your shores as your fathers did before you. We are the first line of defence, and we will not surrender our seas, our homes and our villages to those who would poison them.”

The statement follows recent discoveries of suspicious packages in Lau and other maritime provinces, including a package in Kadavu that later tested positive for cocaine.