Rabuka backs his men

Press, 19 July 1988, Page 6

Rabuka backs his men

NZPA-AAP Canberra The Fijian Army Commander, Brigadier Sitiveni Rabuka, said yesterday that no action would be taken against soldiers involved in an incident in which an Australian said he was beaten during an escape attempt. The man, Stephen Frank Lock, arrived home in Sydney on Sunday, claiming he was detained for no reason, beaten, frightened into trying to escape and later forced into signing a false confession in Suva’s Queen Elizabeth Barracks.

Brigadier Rabuka told the ABC radio’s AM programme that Mr Lock’s allegations had been investigated, and he was satisfied the soldiers involved had acted properly.

He said Mr Lock fought with a soldier during an escape attempt.

Brigadier Rabuka said Mr Lock had been “under surveillance for some time for his association with a certain person who has links with drugrelated offences" when he was arrested for taking photographs near an army camp. Mr Lock was arrested under Fiji’s controversial internal security decree on July 8 and held for six days. He is the only Australian national to have been detained under the decree.

In Sydney last night, he denied he had a camera when he was arrested but said he had signed a statement saying he did have one after being told it would mean a quick release.

Brigadier Rabuka said Fiji authorities had confiscated a roll of film from Mr Lock but had released him because the roll contai ne d no evidence of

security-related offences.

Mr Lock was released on Thursday without being charged with any offences.

Mr Lock, aged 24, an unemployed Sydney factory worker, had bruises to his face, a split lip, grazed cheek and chin, and a blacked and bloodied right eye, when he arrived in Sydney. The Australian Foreign Affairs Department was still investigating the incident to see if any action should be taken, a spokesman said yesterday. He said Fiji had not told Australian embassy officials in Fiji of Mr Lock’s arrest and several requests for officials to see him were denied before the Consul, Mr Andrew Engel, finally saw Mr Lock for 30 minutes last Wednesday after representations to the Acting Prime Minister, Josevata Kamikamica.