THE criminal organisations Fiji faces are not village-level operators, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Sakiasi Ditoka.
Mr Ditoka said some commentators seemed to think that policing Fiji’s borders was as simple as sending out patrol boats and waiting for the drug traffickers to appear.
“Fiji sits in the middle of a vast ocean network connecting Asia, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
“The same routes that facilitate legitimate trade and movement are also being exploited by sophisticated transnational criminal networks.
“We are responsible for monitoring more than 1.2 million square kilometres of ocean.
“The criminal organisations we face are not village-level operators. They are well-funded international cartels with access to enormous financial resources, logistics networks spanning continents, advanced communications and local accomplices prepared to do their bidding.”
He said this challenge was not created overnight.
“Years of institutional weakness, compromised systems, inadequate resources and failures across multiple agencies created vulnerabilities that organised crime was quick to exploit.
“Some of those responsible have long since moved on.
“Others now speak from the sidelines as though the problem appeared yesterday.
“Rebuilding capability takes time. It requires stronger intelligence, better regional co-operation, improved maritime surveillance, upgraded technology, professional law enforcement agencies and, most importantly, an alert and engaged public.”
Mr Ditoka said the discoveries of packets believed to be illicit drugs in the Lau Group illustrated this perfectly.
“Those packages were not discovered by aircraft, ships or satellites.
“They were found by ordinary citizens. Members of our communities saw something unusual, acted responsibly, and informed the authorities.
“That is exactly what we need because the truth is that every Fijian is now part of this fight.
“We are all frontliners.
“Our families, our churches, our workplaces, our homes, our villages, our communities, our towns and our cities are the forward edge of the battle area.”
He added the criminal forces Fiji was fighting against were powerful.
“The cartels and their local minions possess vast resources, international connections and have demonstrated a willingness to deploy their worst against our people.
“But they should understand one thing.
“We will not surrender.
“We are defending our children. We are defending our families. We are defending our communities. We are defending our homeland.”
