Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) refusal to bring the body of Corporal Sefanaia Sukanaivalu back to Fiji was published in The Fiji Times on September 9, 1976.
The report read the Papua New Guinea government refused Fiji’s request to bring back Fiji’s only Victoria Cross winner home to a hero’s grave.
Cpl Sukanaivalu died in action on Bougainville Island while fighting with the allied forces during World War II. He was buried at Bita Paka war cemetery near Rabaul.
The Daily Mirror in Sydney, Australia, stated Papua New Guinea officials were sympathetic to Fiji’s request for the removal of Cpl Sukanaivalu’s body but their hands were tied because of a protocol agreement affecting war cemeteries.
Under a unique arrangement, which Papua New Guinea agreed to on their independence day in 1975, the cemeteries were seen as “international islands”, wherever they were located, The Daily Mirror reported.
This had placed them under the administration of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in London, which had strict rules about the removal of remains.
The move to bring Cpl Sukanaivalu’s body home began after a pilgrimage to the grave 16 months before by then Fiji prime minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.
It was hoped the body could be removed in September 1976 during a visit to Papua New Guinea by the deputy prime minister at the time, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau.
The Sydney newspaper reported both governments, as members of the Commonwealth, accepted the arrangement.
But there was a marked degree of disappointment in Papua New Guinea that it had been unable to accede to what it saw as a legitimate request.
Cpl Sukanaivalu was killed in June 1944, helping to rescue wounded comrades when he was hit by Japanese machine gunfire and badly wounded.
Fearing that more of his comrades would be killed or injured while trying to rescue him, he raised himself from a hollow in the ground and deliberately exposed himself to another machinegun burst which killed him.
The Papua New Guinea High Commission in Suva was unable to comment as their official, John Tau, was away in PNG and could not speak on the issue.
