Fiji Sevens players arrested

Three members of Fiji’s rugby sevens squad are among eight soldiers and a policeman hauled off a plane and charged over the fatal bashing of a youth reports the Dominion Post.

The three have all played in the Wellington Sevens, though not in this year’s tournament, which happened three weeks after Sakiusa Rabaka, 19, was fatally assaulted by soldiers in January.

He was the second civilian to die at the hand of soldiers since the December coup.

The nine men were on a United Nations-chartered plane at Nadi on Saturday that was about to leave for Iraq, where they were due to serve as peacekeepers.

In a challenge to Fiji’s military rulers, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions acted quickly when it discovered the soldiers were about to leave the country.

Those summonsed over the death were named as Patrick Nayacalagilagi, a police officer, and Talone Lua, Ulaiasi Radike, Etonia Nadura, Ratuinaisa Toutou, Joeli Lesavua, Jona Nareki, Ilaisa Kurimavua and Napolioni Naulia, all soldiers.

Nadura, Nareki and Naulia are members of the Fiji Sevens squad. Naulia was a member of a gold medal winning team at the South Pacific Games last month. They will appear in Nadi Magistrate’s Court on November 23.