The Fiji Labour Party has raised the alarm after recent attempts to gain unauthorised access to Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) facilities in Lautoka and Nabua, urging the government and police to launch a prompt, independent inquiry into what it calls a worrying threat to national security.
Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry told journalists the incidents cannot be written off as minor lapses. “In a small island nation like Fiji… such incidents require planning, resources, and possibly insider knowledge — the hallmarks of organised networks rather than random criminality,” he said, calling the attempts “a dangerous signal” that defence installations may not be as impenetrable as believed. Chaudhry noted the RFMF has confirmed that no weapons or ammunition were compromised during the incidents, but said that fact alone does not remove the need for a full accounting.
Chaudhry framed the attempted breaches as part of a broader deterioration in public safety, citing what he described as rising drug-related activity in the country. “The emergence of sophisticated, well-coordinated criminal elements poses a direct threat to public safety and national stability,” he said, and demanded clear answers from Government and Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua on who was behind the attempts, what their objective was, and whether links exist to organised criminal syndicates.
The Labour Party is urging the Fiji Police Force to carry out a “swift, independent and thorough investigation” and warned that failure to act decisively would risk eroding public confidence in both the military’s ability to protect sensitive sites and the government’s oversight. “National security is not a partisan issue — it is the solemn duty of every government to protect its citizens,” Chaudhry added.
The call from the FLP comes as the RFMF has been increasingly in the public eye following recent military events, including ceremonies at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Nabua. While past coverage has focussed on the military’s public-facing activities, the latest disclosures of attempted access at installations in both Lautoka and Nabua raise fresh questions about physical security measures and possible insider vulnerabilities at facilities that house critical defence infrastructure.
Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua has not publicly responded to Chaudhry’s demands as of the party’s statement. The FLP wants a transparent briefing from the minister and the government detailing what security failures occurred, the status of any internal investigations by the RFMF, and what measures will be taken to prevent recurrence. The party also emphasised that any probe should be independent of both military and political influence to ensure public trust.
With the RFMF’s assurance that no armaments were taken, the immediate material risk may appear limited. But the Labour Party’s intervention signals heightened political scrutiny and public unease. How quickly and openly authorities respond to the FLP’s call for investigation will be watched closely by opposition parties and citizens concerned about the implications of organised criminal activity targeting national defence sites.
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