This month Fiji born rugby prop Tanya Kalounivale took the field for Aotearoa’s Black Ferns, playing against Australia. While her appearance was celebrated, few asked why the talented 23-year-old was wearing New Zealand colours and not those of the land of her birth.
Their is a simple answer; the unending vengeance of Fiji’s strongman, Voreqe Bainimarama.
Tanya’s father, Selesitino Kalounivale, featured in a book I co-wrote, Speight of Violence (2005); “CRW Corporal Selesitino Kalounivale suffered 31 injuries to his neck and head. There were 56 injuries to his body…” As he was tortured to death Tanya, nearly two years old, was at home with her mother and brothers.
We will return to her father’s death, for it’s a riddle involving the 2000 George Speight coup, Bainimarama’s own first coup and the savage way he reacted to soldiers who munitied against him.
After Tanya’s Black Fern’s appearance, a Twitter thread appeared, written by Geoff Webster who has been Fiji Rugby Union’s (FRU) general manager from 2016. Because of the political interference in FRU, Webster’s appointment was approved, and funded, by World Rugby.
FRU’s chairman was Francis Kean, Bainimarama’s brother-in-law. In 2007 Kean assaulted a man at a family wedding, killing him. He was convicted of manslaughter and quickly freed, unaffected by his crime and suffering no consequences for it.
Webster began his tweet: “A great achievement for Tanya, but there is a very sad but unsurprising story that drove it - a brief thread.”
Her big brother is Selestino Kalounivale Jr, named after his father.
“(He was) an outstanding local prospect who we selected in the Fiji Warriors squad in early 2017. But having assembled in camp at the GPH, we were told by the CEO that he was to be withdrawn immediately.
“Reason? His father was on the ‘other side’ of the Coup & had ‘shot at the PM’,” Webster wrote. “Sadly, the father was killed in the coup.
“As I said to the CEO at the time, ‘he’s already lost his father, how much of a price does this kid need to pay for something that went down when he was a boy?’
“We objected, but one of my staff had to tell him what was happening, and he left camp after his mum realised he would never play for Fiji while the then Board was in place and they left Fiji very quickly for NZ.
“I don’t know how her brother is faring, but I am delighted for Tanya that she now has an opportunity that would have been denied her in Fiji due to the politics of rugby - where if there is any hint you are opposed to the PM, you are vetoed.”
When Ana Kalounivale gave birth to Tanya on January 20, 1999, her husband was serving in the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), posted as a corporal to the First Meridian Squadron, also known as the Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Unit (CRW). It was founded by Fiji’s first coup plotter, Sitiveni Rabuka.
He was prime minister when Tanya was born, but was about to lose office to Fiji Labour Party’s Mahendra Chaudhry who became prime minister on May 19, 1999.
The success of the country’s first Indian prime minister did not sit well with extremist indigenous groups, leading to a coup exactly a year later. Bankrupt businessman George Speight was the nominal leader of the coup, but to this day it's far from clear who really was behind it.
Members of CRW joined the coup, providing the firepower for what became a three month long hostage crisis with Chaudhry and his MPs held at parliament.
At the time Bainimarama had the rank of commodore, and was head of the RFMF. During the hostage period he seized power, declaring martial law and exiling President Ratu Kamisese Mara.
Eventually the hostages were released, but Chaudhry never returned to power. Bainimarama was the military strongman calling the shots.
The role of Tanya’s father, Selesitino Kalounivale, in these events is not clear.
What is known is that on November 2, 2000, he was at home. His wife was working and he was minding a sick child. It was probably Tanya.
At the same time, members of the CRW attacked the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva, in a bid to kill Bainimarama. He escaped by running down a bank, leaving others to fight. The camp was taken over by CRW at about 3.30pm and retaken by the military around 6pm that day.
The mutiny was heard all across Suva and was soon world news.
Kalounivale was called to the base. He had his knapsack bag and was in civilian clothing when he was picked up by soldiers in Tamavua. His knapsack was searched and it contained a camouflaged army trousers, detonator, cord, knife and a water container.
He was taken to Bainimarama who was hiding at the naval base. Sometime later Bainimarama ordered soldiers to take Kalounivale to the Central Police Station (CPS). Kalounivale had been taken to CPS in an army van. He was lying on the floor and later witnesses said they could hear swearing, hitting with rifle butts and kicking at the back of the tray.
He was one of five CRW soldiers found to have been murdered that day. Around midnight on November 2 he was taken to the mortuary at Colonial War Memorial Hospital. Later an Australian pathologist, Stephen Cordner, examined the bodies. I obtained his reports and included them in Speight of Violence:
CRW Corporal Selesitino Kalounivale suffered 31 injuries to the neck and head. There were 56 injuries to his body. Cordner said he could not rule out the possibility Kalounivale had been tied by his hands behind a vehicle and driving over a rough surface. He said while there was no injury consistent with this, there was a possibility that the areas tied up were covered with clothing that the soldier wore.
“He (Selesitino Kalounivale) sustained numerous blunt impacts, particularly to the head but also to the chest and abdomen. All compartments of the head – front and back of scalp, forehead, eyes cheeks, mouth has received multiple blows. These have resulted in bleeding around the brain. The pattern of injuries indicate that this man has been severely assaulted.”
Cordner ruled death was found to be “multiple blunt force injuries including head injuries with subdural haemorrhage”. His body had been formally identified by his wife, Ana.
She and the family have long since campaigned for the truth. In 2009 she unsuccessfully called for an investigation.
“All I want is the truth about the death of my husband,” she said.
She said her husband and the others were innocent, a fact uncontested by RFMF.
“That night the military camp turned into a killing field,” Ana said.
Ms Kalounivale said all she wants is the truth as her children have grown up and have every right to know what really happened to their father.
Bainimarama has denied any responsibility for the deaths of the five CRW soldiers.
“I never gave any orders to kill,” he said in 2003.
The five who were murdered on military orders were Selesitino Kalounivale, Jone Davui, Epeneri Bainimoli, Lagani Rokowaqa and Iowane Waseroma.
©Michael J Field