(-) Bainimarama warned to stay away

Coupfourpointfive reports: "The Marama Roko Tui Dreketi and the head of Burebasaga Confederacy, Ro Teimumu Kepa, has warned interim prime minister Frank Bainimarama, is not allowed in Lomanikoro. The Lomanikoro village was supposed to host the August conference.

"When the military issued a statement banning the conference, the Standing Committee of the Church tried to diffuse tension with the regime, by extending an invitation to Bainimarama to address the conference. However, according to sources, when Ro Teimumu heard of the proposal, she made it clear that Bainimarama should not set foot in the chiefly village, and if he agreed to giving a speech at the Methodist conference, then it would have had to be at another venue like Nausori. Sources say this message was conveyed to Bainimarama by Church President Reverend Ame Tugaue and Secretary-General Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu when they met him yesterday.

"But instead Bainimarama made it clear to them that as far as the regime, military and police were concerned, the Methodist Church conference was cancelled for an indefinite period.

"The Methodist Church is the largest Christian denomination in the country with over 200,000 members. It meets annually to discuss religious, national, political issues as well as to fundraise an average of $2.4 million to sustain its operations and activities."

Note: Ro Teimumu Vuikaba Kepa has been an outspoken critic of the Interim Government. As head of one of Fiji's three great confederacies, she was a senior member of the Great Council of Chiefs. It was the GCC's refusal (led, I recall, by Ro Teimumu) to accept Bainimarama's nomination of Ratu Epeli Nailatikau as Vice-President that led to Bainimarama dismissing the council. She was also a cabinet minister in the ousted Qarase Government. See previous post on the Church Conference.