Lavinia Padarath has reunion with friends and family. BBC Photo. (mjf)
The Padarath household in Suva was woken at 3am yesterday by knocking at the
door and a loud call from Mrs
Lavinia Padarath, a minister in the government of Mr Mahendra Chaudhry.
She had been released at 2.30am from Fiji's parliamentary compound, where she
had been held for
37 days, and was anxious to come in.
"I stumbled out of bed; I was shocked," said her son, Ben, who had
prayed and had threatened to organise a national march for the
release of the hostages.
Mr Adishwar "Spike" Padarath, a former communications officer for
the United Nations in New York, rushed to the door with his son. Hours later
he
and his wife went to the Wesley Methodist Church in Suva, where the Rev Anil
Reuben thanked God for her deliverance.
"They came and told us we could go home," Mrs Padarath said. "I
was excited. We were half expecting it. We had prayed. Yes, we expected it would
happen soon."
Mrs Padarath said the four women released decided that, as mothers, they had
an obligation to take the opportunity.
"We did not want to leave our brothers but they said, 'You have had enough'."
Another released MP, Ms Akanisi Koroitamana, said she also wished to thank
God and people in Fiji and the world for having prayed for them. She
did not wish to comment further, she said, because "we want our men to
come out first".
Ms Padarath said that during their captivity she and the other hostages prayed
for forgiveness for their captors. The hostages were racially separated, but
during daily exercises "we waved to our Indian brothers".
Ms Padarath regarded herself and the other released hostages as having "come
out as civilians".
For the first 2 weeks the hostages were frightened, she said. But relations
with George Speight became more cordial, and he had sat among them at one
stage and explained his reasons for the coup.
The Fiji Red Cross, which has catered for the health, nutrition and other personal
needs of the hostages, made its centre available yesterday for
medical checks and debriefings.
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