September

ALLEGATIONS of police brutality surfaced towards the end of the month enraging many as the claims were made by a 16-year-old who said he was taken in for questioning by two men who claimed to be military officers. He was accused of writing swear words on the back of a bus directed at Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

The Fiji Police Force refused to comment on the allegations — but weeks after the incident Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho issued a statement saying the interrogation was lawful.

The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimation Commission also announced it had conducted its own investigation, but to this day, the fate of this complaint has not been publicised.

Meanwhile, after weeks of investigation, New Zealand permanent resident

Muhammed Raheesh Isoof was charged with the murder of the Kumar family who were found dead in the Nausori Highlands.

On the political front, NFP president Pio Tikoduadua was suspended for six months for refusing to apologise in Parliament. One of the highlights of the month was the celebration of The Fiji Times’ 150th anniversary, from its humble beginnings in Levuka on September 4, 1869.

SEP 1

■ MORE than 200 people gathered at Votualevu College to pay their respects to the Kumar family, who were found dead in the Nausori Highlands.

SEP 2

■ REMOVING homeless people from the streets is a national issue, said the permanent secretary for Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Jennifer Poole.

SEP 3

■ THE Parliament Privileges Committee was put to test when they summoned to further deliberate matters of privilege against PM Voreqe Bainimarama and Opposition MP Pio Tikoduadua.

SEP 4

■ The Fiji Times marked its 150th anniversary after its humble beginnings in Levuka on September 4, 1869. The newspaper was started by George Littleton Griffiths and his family. The Fiji Times is Fiji’s oldest newspaper, documenting history over the decades.

SEP 5

■ JUDICIAL officers must ensure that their position as judges and magistrates are not used to solicit money or to influence any type of fundraising event organised by family members, said the Acting Chief Justice Kamal Kumar to participants at a Civil Law Workshop.

SEP 6

■ A 17-year-old girl was charged with one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs. She was found to be in possession of more than 60 sachets of dried leaves confirmed to be marijuana and more than $900.

SEP 7

■ “MY mind and conscience are clear.” These were the words of Opposition MP and National Federation Party president Pio Tikoduadua before he was suspended for six months from Parliament.

SEP 9

■ A mother grieved the death of her second daughter, Maraia Tauyavu, who was found by the Sigatoka River, with visible injuries to her body.

Her elder daughter was allegedly murdered by her partner in July.

SEP 10

■ AN allegation was made that a Cabinet minister in the FijiFirst Government had verbally upset a female staff member of Parliament who described the alleged incident as “rude and disrespectful”.

SEP 12

■ FORMER Parliament secretariat staff Iliesa Raiduduva was forced to resign for an alleged serious breach of contract. He was accused of leaking the video of PM Bainimarama manhandling Opposition MP Pio Tikoduadua.

SEP 13

■ PM Voreqe Bainimarama called on Pacific leaders to honour the legacy of late Tongan PM Akilisi Pohiva, who died in New Zealand.

SEP 16

■ WE fear for our lives and the lives of our loved ones, said Rajesh Kumar, the younger brother of Nirmal Kumar, the Legalega resident whose body was found along with four members of his family in the Nausori Highlands.

SEP 17

■ SECRETARY General to Parliament Viniana Namosimalua handed over the video of PM Bainimarama allegedly manhandling Opposition Pio Tikoduadua to police.

SEP 18

■ THE Minister for Mineral Resources was ordered by the Lautoka High Court to release the investigation report on the death of a miner at the Vatukoula Gold Mines to his wife. Avinesh Sanjay Ram died on May 2, 2018, while working underground at the mine.

SEP 19

■ SCHOOL teachers are not allowed to have students or their parents as friends on social media, according to a new requirement from the education ministry.

SEP 21

■ AN 18-year-old Rakiraki resident studying on a scholarship in Goa, India, was assaulted by a group of men.

SEP 23

■ POLICE have set up a special team to investigate unsolved murder cases in the country, according to spokeswoman Ana Naisoro.

SEP 16 Rajesh Kumar with his wife Suman Lata at their home in Legalega Nadi.

SEP 24

■ THE Director of the Public Prosecutions directed police to further investigate the allegation of assault against Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama by National Federation Party president and suspended Opposition Member of Parliament Pio Tikoduadua.

SEP 25

■ THE family of a 16-year-old boy in Suva expresses concern for his safety after he was taken in for questioning by two men claiming to be military personnel.

SEP 27

■ FORMER five-time Olympian and US volleyball player Danielle Scott-Arruda is alarmed by the abuse rates in Fiji.

SEP 28

■ POLICE say a new drug called ‘zombie’ has been discovered in Fiji.

SEP 29

■ THIRTY new cases of cancer were registered with the Fiji Cancer Society (FCS) in September, according to society CEO Belinda Chan.

SEP 30

■ TWO cousins who went to bathe their family horse in Tuva River, Sigatoka died after drowning. They were Avishek Kumar, 19, and Avish Adhar, 14.

Pictures: FT FILE/SUPPLIED SEP 4 The Fiji Times general manager Christine Lyons, third from left, and editor Fred Wesley, third from right, are joined by Motibhai Group of Companies chairman and CEO Kirit Patel, middle, directors Jinesh Patel, left, Rajesh Patel, right, with Kontiki Finance Ltd chairperson Daryl Tarte, second left, and Dr Anurag Subramani cut the cake during the The Fiji Times’ 150 Anniversary Celebration at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.

SEP 27 US volleyball Olympics champ and domestic violence survivor Danielle Scott-Arruda.