| 斐济为伊拉克危险性工作提供人力-1 In a palm-fringed garden in Fiji's Burerua village, Manasa Lalaqila stands by two graves: his wife's, and that of his 34-year-old son, Timocei. Timocei died in Iraq in 2005. Lalaqila recalls the day he heard the news. "An officer came one morning. I was staying alone here and they tried to tell me what had happened, which I find very hard to accept. I was told he got shot in the plane while on duty, flying in a helicopter escorting some officers and then they were shot by insurgents. They managed to collect his body and send it back to Fiji. So he's buried here beside his mother." With their warrior culture, Fijians are a popular choice as United Nations peacekeepers. As British Commonwealth citizens, 300 Fijian are recruited a year by the British Army. And many more Fijians - like Timocei Lalaqila - work with private security companies. Timocei was one of more than 20 Fijians who have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. This Bati warrior chant is traditionally sung by Fijians to prepare men for battle. As the men of Burerua village prepare a bowl of kava, the local narcotic drink, village spokesman Leone Matai explains the Bati culture. "Bati refers to the teeth. It bites. Mostly in every tribe, there's special Batis. I'm one of them. People are born with their positions. In Fijian beliefs, we believe if you are a priest, you are born a priest. If you are Bati, well the genes will come through you and so automatically you will be a Bati. It doesn't matter what you do. So, if you are on the street, automatically you will become a street fighter. It's in the genes. So if you're in warfare, you are the best war man ever." Following a recent military coup in Fiji, the British and the U.N. are not recruiting here. The best option to earn good money abroad now is with the security companies. Colonel Jonetani Kaukimoce is a Fijian agent for the British security company Control Risk. In a Suva garment factory, he shows the uniforms his men work in - and sometimes die in. "This is the company badge with the tiger sitting and watching - that says security." |
