News

Purpose of Rabuka’s visit remains unclear

May 15, 2022 7:45 am

[Source: Sitiveni Rabuka/Facebook]

The People’s Alliance has done a sudden and unexpected flip today changing its story about why its leader Sitiveni Rabuka unexpectedly departed for India earlier this week.

A few days ago the Party General-Secretary had told FBC News that Rabuka had been invited by the Indian ‘Military Attache.’

But after denials of an official invitation to Rabuka by the Indian High Commission, the party General-Secretary Sakiasi Ditoka is now saying that he made a mistake and that Rabuka in fact hasn’t been officially invited to India.

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The first explanation was that Rabuka had been officially invited by the Indian government but now an embarrassed Sakiasi Ditoka is back trekking.

“I probably had it wrong but there was an invitation- it is an NGO meeting for an Environmental thing. He went for an environmental meeting in India, that’s all it is.”

Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Palaniswamy Karthigeyan says the commission has also enquired about Rabuka’s visit to India and it’s clear that he did not receive any official invite from the Military Attache.

“The way the Indian military Attache’s and different advises work-they would know that different attache’s don’t get into the business of inviting people like that. It only happens through the High Commission and in this particular case we are very sure that we have clarified that no such invitations was sent either from the High Commission or from the defence advisor.”

Ditoka says Rabuka will be back in Fiji on Wednesday promising he will provide full details to the media about his trip to India.

Meanwhile, a social media post by Rabuka last night said he was at a hotel in New Delhi waiting for the start of a yet to be named conference.

Rabuka had promised FBC News an interview in Suva earlier this week on Thursday but it could not be held because of his sudden departure to India.