Deportee not on our radar, say Fijian authorities

FIJIAN authorities have denied that Josefa Rauluni, who leapt to his death from the roof of a Sydney detention centre, was being monitored.

FIJIAN authorities have denied that Josefa Rauluni, who leapt to his death from the roof of a Sydney detention centre on Monday, was being monitored, saying the claims were "absolute rubbish".

Sharon Smith-Johns, the secretary for Fiji's Ministry of Information and the international spokeswoman for military leader Frank Bainimarama, said Mr Rauluni "was not on their radar" and the regime had no records on him.

"I cannot find any record of criminal history, medical history . . . we were simply not monitoring him," Ms Smith-Jones told The Australian yesterday.

"He would have been in no trouble at all . . . he meant nothing to the government."

The 36-year-old father jumped from the roof of Stage 2 of the Villawood detention centre in Sydney's west on Monday, just hours before he was due to be deported to his native Fiji.

His death sparked a 30-hour rooftop protest by 11 asylum-seekers, which was followed by another rooftop protest by nine Chinese detainees, including a woman who claimed to be two months' pregnant.

Mr Rauluni applied for asylum shortly after arriving in Australia two years ago, on fears he would be persecuted by the military regime if he returned to Fiji because of his involvement in the Fijian movement for democracy.

His application was rejected earlier this year despite direct intervention from the former Fijian prime minister Laisenia Qarase.

In a letter to the Refugee Review Tribunal last November Mr Qarase said Mr Rauluni "runs the risk of been taken in by the regime if he returns to Fiji".

The Fijian government's comments came last night as the standoff between the Chinese detainees and Immigration officials continued.

About 4pm yesterday one male member of the group came down from the roof via a cherry-picker to act as a negotiator on behalf of his fellow detainees.

The group was believed to come from China's Fujian province and has been in Australia from between two and six months, entering the country on student and tourist visas.

Baxter Wang, a friend of one of the detainees, said he had spoken with the group members by phone and they remained committed to their protest and, he said, he was "still worried that they might do something dangerous and stupid".

Meanwhile, the 11 detainees were believed to have been moved to the Stage 1 high security section of the detention facility.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: DREW WARNE-SMITH