Sugar Industry Minister Charan Jeath Singh is considering the deployment of military personnel as part of security measures at the Lautoka and Labasa sugar mills.
This follows a report of an alleged arson at the Lautoka mill over the weekend.
In an interview, he confirmed he had spoken to Acting Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad and senior government officials in the West about this issue.
“It will be best to ask for assistance from the (Republic of) Fiji Military Forces because this is a big industry and many Fijians depend on it for financial support,” Mr Singh said.
“So, I have asked the Acting Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad and the Commissioner Western for assistance and the need to discuss this further with the military leaders because we need to protect this industry.
“Imagine if the Lautoka mill got burnt as a result of the attempted arson case, it will have an enormous impact on the industry and the many who depend on it.”
Mr Singh said they were aware of a group of disgruntled people whose self interests were more important than farmers.
“We are aware because for the Rarawai mill in Ba, I am told that it was an act of arson and this does not surprise me because of this group of people,” he said. “They make so much noise in the media but do nothing to look after the farmers and their families like the Coalition Government has done.”
Efforts to obtain comments from RFMF commander Major General Jone Kalouniwai proved futile.
