420AM&PM
Well-Known Member
A chief in the highlands of Navosa is unhappy with the manner in which more than 30 police officers entered their village, destroyed 9000 marijuana plants, root crops and burnt small huts in the plantations two weeks ago.
Vatubalavu Village chief Ratu Jone Rokovesa said they had an agreement with the police commissioner Andrew Hughes and the church to start a six months operation called Operation Valoma for all marijuana plants to be uprooted from the plantations. He said that in June this year, they were visited by the police force and the agreement was made for them to uproot in the next two weeks but the officers came to the village months before the end of the six months and uprooted the marijuana plants.
Ratu Jone said the manner in which they did the operation was low and degrading because the first group came to the village on a Friday with two officers carrying rifles.
He said they returned the next day and completed their raid by uprooting root crops and burning small huts that the villagers used as a resting houses in the plantation.
Radios, pots, plates, beddings and mats that were in the hut were destroyed and burnt by the group and it had angered the villagers. Ratu Jone said the initiative would now be a waste because it had been agreed upon that the villagers would be uprooting the plants with the assistance of the police officers at the end of this month.
He said they feared that the planting of marijuana would continue to become" a massive one" after what has been experienced and it was not good.
When they visited the new police headquarters yesterday, they were told by one of the senior police officers that the head office had no idea there had been directives given for the officers to uproot the plants.
Ratu Jone said the officers told them that they should write a letter to Mr Hughes explaining what happened, but it was too late.
He said some of the villagers wanted the police force to pay for the damage they had done on their farms.
Attempts to get comments from police were unsuccessful last night.
Newshawk: 420AM&PM - 420 Magazine
Source: FIJI Times Online (Fiji)
Pubdate: October 11, 2006
Author: Reijeli Kikau
Copyright: 2006 Fiji Times Limited
Contact: webstaff@fijitimes.com.fj
Website: Fiji Times Online - Fiji News, Sport and Weather from the pages of The Fiji Times
Vatubalavu Village chief Ratu Jone Rokovesa said they had an agreement with the police commissioner Andrew Hughes and the church to start a six months operation called Operation Valoma for all marijuana plants to be uprooted from the plantations. He said that in June this year, they were visited by the police force and the agreement was made for them to uproot in the next two weeks but the officers came to the village months before the end of the six months and uprooted the marijuana plants.
Ratu Jone said the manner in which they did the operation was low and degrading because the first group came to the village on a Friday with two officers carrying rifles.
He said they returned the next day and completed their raid by uprooting root crops and burning small huts that the villagers used as a resting houses in the plantation.
Radios, pots, plates, beddings and mats that were in the hut were destroyed and burnt by the group and it had angered the villagers. Ratu Jone said the initiative would now be a waste because it had been agreed upon that the villagers would be uprooting the plants with the assistance of the police officers at the end of this month.
He said they feared that the planting of marijuana would continue to become" a massive one" after what has been experienced and it was not good.
When they visited the new police headquarters yesterday, they were told by one of the senior police officers that the head office had no idea there had been directives given for the officers to uproot the plants.
Ratu Jone said the officers told them that they should write a letter to Mr Hughes explaining what happened, but it was too late.
He said some of the villagers wanted the police force to pay for the damage they had done on their farms.
Attempts to get comments from police were unsuccessful last night.
Newshawk: 420AM&PM - 420 Magazine
Source: FIJI Times Online (Fiji)
Pubdate: October 11, 2006
Author: Reijeli Kikau
Copyright: 2006 Fiji Times Limited
Contact: webstaff@fijitimes.com.fj
Website: Fiji Times Online - Fiji News, Sport and Weather from the pages of The Fiji Times
