SUVA (The Fiji Times/PINA) — Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and his Cabinet took shelter in a family home in the highlands of the country’s main island after floods blocked the road.
Qarase and his ministers were in a convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles returning to Suva for Easter after visiting rural villages on Viti Levu. They founded themselves stranded by flooding caused by heavy rain.
Irinieta Vula and her husband Viliame Vakamoce welcomed the prime minister and his party into their home while they waited for floodwaters to recede and rain to subside.
A small welcoming ceremony was accorded to Qarase and his Cabinet by Vakamoce, a retired Department of Public Works employee.
Qarase, who had been given a roasted pig and basket of dalo at the village they had recently visited, presented this to the couple as a token of appreciation for giving shelter.
When the floodwaters dropped enough for the convoy to move on their departure was marked by a prayer led by Health Minister Pita Nacuva and a hymn.
It was one Easter that this highlands couple will never forget.
