Fiji on brink of military coup.

**lycanox** · Dec 3rd, 2006 6:57 AM

Originally Posted by Telegraph

Fiji on brink of military coup

By Nick Squires
Last Updated: 1:48am GMT 02/12/2006

Fiji's government went into hiding today as the South Pacific country teetered on the brink of a military coup.

Fijian soldier
A soldier stands guard outside the president's house in Suva

The Fijian military had threatened to overthrow the government by midday local time but the deadline passed without incident.

There were conflicting reports that the deadline had been extended by the army until Monday, sowing further confusion.

In Suva, the sultry coastal capital with its whitewashed British colonial buildings and modern office blocks, shop windows were boarded up, office workers went home early and the streets were unusually quiet.

"We all pray there'll be no coup," said taxi driver Wise Dumaru, 38. "People are very nervous because the army is split half and half."
advertisement

Raven Prasad, 31, an Indo-Fijian welder, said: "A coup would be terrible for Fiji. There'd be shooting and bloodshed."

A long-running feud between the commander of the armed forces, Frank Bainimarama and the prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, has plunged the former British colony of 850,000 people into deep political crisis.

Mr Qarase said his cabinet had left Suva and dispersed to "certain locations" because of the military's continuing threats.

"We had a plan in cabinet not to be together during this very difficult time and we are following that plan," he said, insisting that he retained "complete control" of the government.

In a nationally broadcast interview, the prime minister urged Fijians to stand up and fight for democracy.

"We want freedom to live within a democratically civil government, where the government is elected by the people," he said. "We do not want a dictator."

Commodore Bainimarama has demanded that controversial legislation pardoning the plotters of the last coup in 2000 be dropped and that a bid to charge him with sedition also be ditched.

He also wants the dismissal of Fiji's police commander, Australian Andrew Hughes, who has been forced to flee to Queensland because of death threats to him and his family.

But Mr Qarase said it was impossible for the government to accept all the demands, making a confrontation appear almost inevitable.

"I must say, if we give further concessions we would be breaking the law," he said.

Source, Telegraph News