Isikia Rabici Savua (31 March 1952Cremation for Savua
/ref> – 30 May 2011) was a senior

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

an diplomat who had a distinguished career in the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and police forces before taking up his last post as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations on 4 March 2003.

Career

Savua spent 18 years in the Fijian army, which he joined on leaving high school in 1971. When he retired from military service in 1988, he had attained the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. The following four years (1988–1992) were spent in the Fiji Diplomatic Corps, first as counsellor (political) to the Fiji Mission to the United Nations, and then (for six months) as

consul general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

to Sydney, Australia. In 1992, Savua joined the Fiji Police Force as deputy commissioner, the second highest position in the force. A year later, he was promoted to the post of

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

. He was to hold this top office until 2002.

Coup controversy

The Fiji coup of 2000, in which saw the fall of the government of Prime Minister

Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Pal Chaudhry ( hif, महेन्द्र पाल चौधरी; born 9 February 1942) is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. Following a historic election in which he defeated the long-time former lead ...

and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, took place during Savua's tenure as Police Commissioner. I
an interview
with

Fiji Television Fiji Television Limited is one of Fiji's main television network. It was founded on 15 June 1994 as the first permanent commercial television broadcasting network in the country, although television had previously been introduced temporarily ...

on 29 April 2001, his last media appearance before being incapacitated by a stroke, Mara accused Savua of having been a party to the planning of the coup. This allegatio
was later repeated
on 22 October 2004 under

parliamentary privilege Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made in the course of their legislative duties. ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Adi Adi or ADI may refer to: Names and titles * Adi (mythology), an Asura in Hindu faith who appears in the Matsya Purāṇa * Adi (name), a given name in Hebrew and a nickname in other languages * Adi (title), a Fijian title used by females of chie ...

Koila Nailatikau Adi Koila Mara Nailatikau is a Fijian lawyer, who has served as a diplomat and politician. She was also First Lady of Fiji from 2009 until 2015, as the wife of Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, the President of Fiji. Family background Vasemaca Koila J ...

, Mara's daughter, who condemned his appointment as an Ambassador while still under investigation for alleged coup-related offences. Savua was not charged with any crime, and while alive denied the allegations.

Personal life

Savua hailed from the village of Tobu in the district of

Nakorotubu Nakorotubu is one of nineteen districts in Fiji's Ra Province. It consists of seven sub-districts or sub-regions: the five villages of Namarai, Nacobau, Nadavacia, Saioko and Verevere. Nakorotubu also refers to one of the four main traditional re ...

, in

Ra Province Ra is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji. Occupying the northern area of Viti Levu, the largest island, it is one of eight Viti Levu-based Provinces. With a land area of 1341 square kilometers, it had a population of 30,432 at the 2017 census. ...

, and was married to Frances, with whom he had two sons, Daniel and Josefa.

Death

Savua died on 30 May 2011 and was cremated on 3 June.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savua, Isikia 2011 deaths Fijian civil servants Fijian police chiefs People from Nakorotubu Permanent Representatives of Fiji to the United Nations 1952 births Fijian soldiers