4 Dec 2002

Fiji villagers burn down house to remove evil spirits

2:49 pm on 4 December 2002

Villagers in Fiji's Tailevu province have burnt down a house, a village hall and traditional artefacts said to have been possessed by evil spirits.

The Fiji Times reports that Methodist Church workers claimed they saw visions of the evil spirits.

The newspaper says the burnings are continuing with another village targetted this week.

The headman of Naila village is quoted as saying they are trying to cleanse themselves spiritually.

The report says a family in the village is planning legal action because their house has been one of those identified as possessed of evil spirits.

The general secretary of the Methodist Church, the Rev Jione Lagi, has described the burning as unauthorised and very foolish.