Source: The Daily Post, Fiji
SUVA, FIJI, February 18, 2003: The beach along Queen Elizabeth Drive, on the Suva foreshore, is designated to the Hindu community to be used to dispose of the ashes of their loved ones following cremation, Multi-Ethnic Affairs Minister George Raj said. Mr. Raj yesterday said he would make a detailed statement on the matter today in response to reports of complaints of human ash residue found in sea shells along the beach by squatters living nearby. Labor Parliamentarian and the national president of one of the largest Hindu organizations in the country, Kamlesh Arya, said the Hindu community had been designated the beach in the area and “there is nothing illegal about them disposing ashes there.” Mr. Arya said there was an agreement between the Ports Authority and Multi-Ethnic Affairs Ministry over the disposal of human ashes. “It is the final funeral rite for Hindus and that is why the ministry has designated the area for the Hindu community to use,” he said. “It is legal.” He said the human ashes or the residue “will not cause pollution as it will be dissolved in the sea.” Mr. Arya urged the members of the Hindu community not to dispose of flowers and wreaths along the beach. “This will certainly cause pollution,” he said.