Riya Mala 
The Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission says that in the coming week, it will hold more public hearings, with ten families scheduled to participate.
TRC Chair Ana Laqeretabua acknowledges that the process is not easy and emphasizes the Commission’s commitment to avoiding retraumatization.
She adds that the Commission provides both pre-counseling and post-counseling to support participants.
Laqeretabua explains that this approach ensures participants are prepared before coming to a public hearing, allowing them to share their journey in a safe and supportive environment.
“We’re trying to secure venues. It’s a busy time, so we’ve been looking at trying to do another hearing here within the next couple of weeks, within, well, preferably as soon rather than later now that we’ve started.So we will keep the public notified. We will, we’re required by, in the Act, to put out an advertisement in the papers to advise the public that we’ll be conducting hearings, and we’re looking at doing that very soon so that we can continue to bring and allow people the opportunity to share their stories.”
During the hearings, many families have sought compensation for the trauma and hardships they have experienced. These requests are part of the recommendations the Commission has received.
Laqeretabua adds that the process involves hearing these cases, reviewing the recommendations, and using them to inform the broader recommendations in the Commission’s report, which will be submitted to the President by next year.
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