Brij Vilash Lal AM, FAHA, OF (21 August 1952 – 25 December 2021) was an Indo-Fijian historian who wrote about the Pacific region and the Indian indenture system.

A harsh critic of the Bainimarama government, which originated in the military coup of 2006 and retained power in the 2014 elections, he lived in exile in Australia.

[1] Lal was born in 1952[2] in Tabia, Labasa on the northern island of Vanua Levu, Fiji to illiterate parents.

His paternal grandfather was a North Indian indentured sugar cane farmer in Fiji, known as a 'girmitya', - the focus of Lal's early academic research.

[17][18] Lal condemned the Military coup d'état which deposed the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase on 5 December 2006.

This time, however, race was not seen to be a factor, he said, unlike the previous occasions when ethnic issues were used, he claimed, as a scapegoat for other interests.

During the questioning, Lal reported that he was subjected to foul language and advised to leave the country within 24 hours, which he did.

[21][22] Following the 2022 Fijian general election, the new government led by Sitiveni Rabuka revoked the prohibition order on Lal's wife, allowing her to return his ashes to Fiji.