MINISTER for Defence and Veteran Affairs Pio Tikoduadua says if soldiers do not bear arms while on duty, they might as well become police officers.
Speaking on The Fiji Times’ online portal The Lens@177, Mr Tikoduadua said it was necessary for Republic of Fiji Military Forces soldiers to carry arms while on duty, including during joint operations with the Fiji Police Force.
“What they carry is rifles, not guns,” he clarified.
“In the military context, guns are specially categorised weapons. It’s either a machine gun, or like those ones that fire off the blank rounds, those are called guns.
“The rifles, we don’t refer to them as guns. And of course they have sidearms called pistols.”
He said soldiers deployed with police were armed with rifles and pistols because those weapons formed part of a soldier’s work outfit.
Mr Tikoduadua said unarmed soldiers deployed in such operations would be no different from police officers apart from the colour of their uniform.
“Exactly the same, they go through the same thing. They do the same work.”
However, he said police officers and soldiers were still covered differently under the law.
Mr Tikoduadua said weapons were present when soldiers were stationed at checkpoints, although they were not always visible.
“But when they’re there in the checkpoint, the weapons are also there.
“They don’t show them, but they only bring them out when they need to.”
