FBC News, Suva, March 16, 2019
Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama has described the shooting incident in Christchurch as heart-breaking for his country.
Forty-nine men, women and children died and 39 persons (including 11 in ICU) were injured as a man went on a shooting spree inside two Mosques in Christchurch on Friday, March 16, 2019 as the victims were offering their Friday Prayers.
Speaking to FBC Radio, Mr Bainimarama sent his condolences to former Fijians and New Zealanders living in the New Zealand South Island City.
He said that as the news of a mass shooting at the two Mosques in Christchurch unfolds, Fijian hears are breaking for our brothers and sisters, “a place where an atrocity of this nature is shocking almost beyond comprehension.
Mr Bainimarama said that across all religions, houses of worship are a source of refuge, of prayer, and of love.
He said that to see such a heinous and hate-filled act occur in what should be places of peace is the darkest of evils.
“Fijian people stand with our Pacific family in this time of suffering and sadness, and we condemn all forms of hatred and terror. Fiji will be working closely with authorities in New Zealand to monitor the welfare of Fijians in Christchurch and will provide updates as they are made available,” Mr Bainimarama said.
Fiji’s Leader of Opposition Sitiveni Rabuka also conveyed his personal condolences to the families of the victims of the cowardly terrorist attacks.
Under a Special Arrangement with the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
