A man is to appear in court today charged with the sexual assault and rape of a 21-year-old Virgin Airlines flight attendant in the Fijian city of Nadi, located on the western side of the nation’s main island Viti Levu. It was one of two attacks on crew members that occurred there in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
In a separate incident, another Virgin staffer was robbed and sustained facial injuries.
Fiji’s Acting Police Commissioner, Juki Fong Chew, said a local man would appear in court in Fiji’s Western Division over the alleged rape. The victim had become separated from the rest of her crew during a night out in the entertainment district of Martintar and was allegedly assaulted on the way to her hotel.
The seriousness of the charges against the man in custody may mean that his case is referred to the nation’s High Court.
There are unconfirmed reports that the alleged assailant had posed as a taxi driver and offered the woman a ride back to her hotel when she was forced to leave the bar due to Fiji’s 1:00 a.m. lockout laws.
Police are still investigating the second assault.
Previously, a spokesperson for Virgin said the airline was aware of the incidents and that its “focus is on the well-being of our team members affected.”
Staff remained at their hotel in Nadi while the airline sent support staff to Fiji and then flew home late last week.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was also aware of the attacks but could not comment further due to privacy obligations.
The government’s Safe Traveller tourism website has not changed its advice for the Pacific nation. It warns Australians to exercise normal safety precautions and highlights the possibility of crime, noting the highest risk is in urban areas and at night.
Fiji’s Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka said the country’s cabinet was committed to “strengthening security” in Nadi.
“We have the tourism police; what we discover now is that we need to revamp that unit,” he said. “Having a heightened level of police presence can really help in this area.”
Fiji Police announced more patrols in the capital Suva, about five hours’ drive away, after wild brawls on the weekend, but have not taken similar measures in Nadi.
“I’ve seen tourism grow from what it was back then to now, to almost a million visitors for a small country like Fiji,” Gavoka said.
He advised travellers that Fiji was overall a “safe country,” but that they needed to exercise care in certain areas.
“Last year, we reduced nightclub hours,” he said. “But when you’re on holidays, you don’t want to make too many rules, people are here to relax.”
But other local politicians are concerned the latest incidents could further harm Fiji’s tourism-reliant economy after seven visitors, including four Australians, were hospitalised after drinking cocktails at a five-star resort in December.
“These alleged incidents are regrettable,” Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka said in a statement. “Our thoughts and concerns are with [the alleged victims] and for their health and wellbeing.”
He said the man facing court today was known to police.
