14 May 2007

Fiji Human Rights Commission to receive account of military beating of businessman

3:29 pm on 14 May 2007

An account is to be lodged with the Fiji Human Rights Commission by a businessman who says he was beaten by the military.

The president of the Indigenous Fijian Business Council, Ulai Taoi, appeared on local television with bruises to his body after being taken to the military camp and beaten by soldiers.

He says he was questioned over an anti-military website.

Mr Taoi says he's forgiven those soldiers who beat him but he's speaking out in the hope that those in control will bring some order back and take some measures to limit the problem.

"I think through my putting this and talking to the media that perhaps, people out there might begin to sit back and say, hey, where are we going from here, how can we do things so that these sort of things do not happen."

Ulai Taoi