Virisila Buadromo (born 1972) is a

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

an political activist and former journalist, who was the executive director of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) from 2001 to 2015. She used to be the news director for FM96.

Political positions

On 15 August 2006, Buadromo called for abortion to be legalized in Fiji.

2006 coup d'état

Buadromo strongly condemned the military coup which deposed the elected government of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Fiji, sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After Republic of Fiji Military Forces, the military quashed the 2 ...

on 5 December 2006. The ''

Fiji Times ''The Fiji Times'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869 by George Littleton Griffiths, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating. ''The Fiji Times'' is owned by Motibhai Gr ...

'' quoted her on 12 December as saying that Fiji had a "coup culture" which was perpetuated by the failure of successive governments to prosecute perpetrators of earlier coups, from the 1987 coups onwards. The

Fiji Village ''Fiji Village'' (stylised ''Fijivillage'') is an online news website in Fiji which is fully owned and operated by Communications Fiji Limited. It covers local, political, business, sporting, cultural, and other news items. ''Fiji Village'' is ...

news service reported on 9 December that she had issued a strong warning to any persons interested in applying for ministerial positions in a

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

-backed government that participation would be illegal, and that the FWRM was documenting events in the wake of the coup. On 20 December, the ''

'' and ''

Fiji Sun ''Fiji Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Fiji since September 1999 and owned by Sun News Limited. ''Fiji Sun'' was founded by and is part of CJ Patel Group. The Fiji Sun has its main newsroom in Suva, Fiji. Its print center remains in subu ...

'' quoted her as extending the blacklist to persons taking up positions in the civil service. "These are not private appointments. You are being offered positions on the boards of statutory or corporatised bodies, which are partially public or government-owned. This is the same as accepting a position in the illegal interim government," Buadromo said. She had already condemned lawyer

Rodney Acraman Rodney Acraman was Fiji's Acting Ombudsman and thus the ''Ex officio member, ex officio'' Chairperson of the Fiji Human Rights Commission from 2006 to 2007, when he was replaced by Shaista Shameem. The Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Military ad ...

on 15 December for accepting the position of

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

and Chairman of the

Fiji Human Rights Commission The Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) was created by presidential decree in 2009, succeeding the entity of the same name established as an independent statutory body under the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of the Fiji Islands. The 1997 Co ...

. Fiji Village quoted Buadromo on 11 December as saying that on 4 December, she had received a call from an anonymous male who tried to intimidate her into ceasing her campaign against the Military. A number of news agencies reported on 25 December that Buadromo, her partner Arshad Daud, and fellow-pro democracy activists Imraz Iqbal, Jacqueline Koroi, Laisa Digitaki, and Peter Waqavonovono had been summoned to Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks around midnight. There were allegations that soldiers had assaulted some of them, and had forced all of them to walk a long distance to the outskirts of the city and told to find their way home.
/ref> On 23 December,

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

Frank Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (; born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian former politician and naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst party, which he founded in 2014, he began his c ...

, Commander of the

Republic of Fiji Military Forces The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF, formerly the Royal Fiji Military Forces until 1987 when the Dominion of Fiji was overthrown) is the military force of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of about ...

, had accused Buadromo, along with lawyer Imrana Jalal, of having published his personal e-mail address and mobile telephone number in newspapers, which was causing him problems, he said.

Personal life

Her father, Seni Buadromo, a former

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

, and her mother, Liku, are both from the

Lau Islands The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about sixty islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited. T ...

. She has four sisters. Buadromo is married to Arshad Daud, an

Indo-Fijian Indo-Fijians () are Fijians of South Asian descent whose ancestors were Girmitiyas, indentured labourers. Indo-Fijians trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent. Although Indo-Fijians constituted a majority of Fiji's ...

. Buadromo is a Christian.

Sources

Wansolwara Print, April edition, 2002
(most information in this article, except where otherwise noted, is gleaned from this source).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buadromo, Virisila Living people 1972 births Fijian Christians People from Lau Province People from Suva I-Taukei Fijian people Fijian journalists Fijian democracy activists Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award Fijian women activists