12 Jan 2005

Fiji tourism head calls for community to unite against crime spate

7:01 pm on 12 January 2005

The Head of the Fiji Visitors Bureau has urged local people to unite against a recent spate of violent crime.

Bill Gavoka says it's disturbing that four people have been murdered already this year and the high-profile mugging of the Australian High Commissioner has not helped.

Mr Gavoka says the police are doing the best job they can but there are people on the fringes of society that are making a bad impact.

He says the community needs to work together to neutralise that impact.

However Mr Gavoka says tourists should not be deterred by the recent crime wave.

"It's the Fijian way of things, not only with the Fijians, but our Indo-Fijians and all the communities here that foreigners are welcome into our homes, into our shores. Up to now I think if you look at the number of visitors into Fiji and the incidents against them, it is quite negligible."

Mr Gavoka says more than 600-thousand people visited Fiji last year.