already had food and shelter, she claimed. Some even allegedly owned and rented out houses to others. According to Caucau, all beggars except the mentally disabled received family allowances of up to F$100 per month, which put them above the poverty line. Some people were using the lifestyle of begging to make money, sometimes as much as F$35 per day, she said. The government had provided them with free training for basic skills, but they had simply moved back to the streets at the conclusion of their courses, she alleged, and some were pretending to be orphans or disabled in order to attract sympathy and pilfer. She called on the police to take them off the streets. At a question-and-answer session at the Fiji media Council Editors Forum on 8 December 2005, Caucau said that people should stop giving money to beggars. Most beggars were on the streets voluntarily, she said, in search of easy money. Giving them money only reinforced their handout mentality, she maintained. Fellow-panelist and Fiji Labour Party parliamentarian Pratap Chand disagreed with Caucau, saying that most beggars did not enjoy their lifestyle but had no choice. Clash with Cakobau The decision of the SDL Party to renominate Caucau for the parliamentary election, which was duly held on 6–13 May 2006, was sharply criticized by Ratu George Cakobau, scion of Tailevu's most senior chiefly family and son of former Governor-General Ratu Sir George Cakobau. The Fiji Village news service quoted him on 18 March as saying that she had done nothing for the people of Tailevu. The SDL disregarded his advice, and Caucau went on to retain her seat by a large majority. Arrested in the United States In July 2008, Caucau was arrested in the United States and charged with having committed an "assault with a deadly weapon" in San Francisco. She was due to face trial on August 18. Christian Caucau is the daughter of the Reverend Ratu Isireli Caucau, a former President of the Methodist Church. Caucau herself espouses fervent Christian beliefs, claims never to make a statement without praying first, preferably with her advisers, and frequently preaches. Caucau's religious convictions strongly flavour her social views. She has spoken out strongly in favour of campaigns to discourage premarital sex, claiming that single mothers are among the most vulnerable members of society and are frequently abused. She has also strongly opposed calls from some quarters