The daughter of Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua has undergone three operations and remains in a critical but improving condition at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva after being struck by a vehicle that was trying to flee a police checkpoint, the minister confirmed on Wednesday.
Mr Tikoduadua said the surgeries took place on Tuesday and that his daughter was under close medical supervision in a critical phase of recovery. “She is showing positive signs of recovery, not quite out of the woods yet,” he told reporters, adding that the family has full confidence in the medical team. “She’s in the hands of very professional doctors and nurses, a team of medical professionals. And they have my family’s full trust.”
The incident occurred when a vehicle attempted to flee a police checkpoint and struck the minister’s daughter, leaving her seriously injured. Hospital sources at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital — Suva’s principal tertiary facility — confirmed she remains admitted, though they did not release further clinical details. Mr Tikoduadua declined to elaborate on the nature of the operations or provide an update on prognosis beyond saying she was “showing positive signs.”
Separately, Mr Tikoduadua raised concerns about the possible “leaking of information” related to police and military operations, warning that such leaks could compromise planned drug raids. He said he had been informed of claims that bits of operational information had been circulating but that no formal reports had been lodged with authorities as yet. “Professional institutions always take security measures to make sure they cover all ends,” he said, noting there is an internal process within the military and police to address any breaches and that such matters take their course.
The minister suggested the alleged leaks might amount to pieces of information “here and there” rather than full disclosures of operations, but stressed the importance of containing any compromise. Questions on the issue have been sent to police, and a response is expected, Mr Tikoduadua said.
The dual updates — a medical update on a minister’s immediate family and a caution about operational security — mark the latest development in a story that has drawn public attention both because of the personal nature of the injury and because it touches on law enforcement activity. Authorities have so far provided limited public detail about the checkpoint incident; police comment is awaited on both the collision and the minister’s concerns about potential leaks.