A first on Christmas
December 25, 2007
THE Fiji Times, for the first time, published its edition on this day — December 25, 2007. Ever since its inception in Levuka in 1869, The Fiji Times had always followed the British newspaper tradition of not publishing Christmas Day and Good Friday editions. This changed in response to customer demand.
Sex man kills self
AN elderly man accused of molesting a seven-year-old girl is dead after what police believe was a suicide. The 79-year-old was arrested by police for his own safety after tensions mounted in his home village in Kasavu, Naitasiri, when word got out that he was a suspect in the sex assault case. Police spokesperson at the time Suliano Tevita said the death occurred before their own investigations could begin into the sex assault. He said the suspect had been accused of molesting the girl in his home while her parents were watching DVDs in a separate room. Police said the case would now be closed because the main suspect had died, the procedure in such cases.
December 26, 1997
Police arrest 26
POLICE arrested 26 people for being drunk and disorderly in public places during Christmas of 1997. The December 26 edition reported senior officers were generally pleased with the public response to police warnings about partying and driving under the influence of liquor. The Central Police Station duty officer, Assistant Superintendent Jese Maimanuku, said apart from the drunkenness, Christmas had been quieter than other years. He said there were no reports of major thefts or robberies.
Ministry orders ban on
TV program
THE Ministry for Information placed an order on Fiji Television Ltd to stop airing its weekly series Millenium after complaints on its disturbing content. The then director of Information, Joe Turaganivalu, stated in the news report the ministry “was of the mind that a lot of programs being viewed were unacceptable.”
A Christ is born
MUM Angeline Rohini was overwhelmed with having a baby born on Christmas Day that she named him after the Lord Jesus. Little Christ Pawan Narayan weighed 3.2 kilograms.
December 26, 1987
Soldiers fire shots to
end drunk brawl
POLICE reinforcements and soldiers had to move in and fire a shot in the air to stop a brawl among drunken youths in Ba Town on Thursday evening of December 24, 1987. During the disturbance police arrested an army officer for allegedly hitting a special constable on the chin with a wooden truncheon, inflicting a cut.
Christmas bundle of joy
PROUD mom Marica Maria couldn’t hide her happiness after giving birth to a 3.65kg baby girl at the Lautoka Hospital at 12.45am on Christmas day of 1987. The child was the first born at the hospital on Christmas day and also the first for the 24-year-old mother from Newtown in Nadi.
December 26, 1977
Cyclone winds batter
North
TROPICAL Cyclone Anne battered Udu Point with winds of up to 24 knots late Sunday evening, December 25, 1977, The Fiji Times front page read. Meteriological officers had been watching a weather depression for several days before labelling it TC Anne at 10.30am on Christmas Eve.
