Series of EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning a Coup, Hostage Incident, and Continuing Conflict on Fiji: 19 May 2000 to 27 July 2000

27 July 2000

FIJI:

Instant Update-09:00CDT-27 July 2000

Military Cracks Down On Rebels

The military said that rebel supporters started taking hostages on Thursday in the first signs of retaliation against the violent arrest of a coup leader who may be charged with treason. Coup leader George Speight was arrested late Wednesday at a military checkpoint along with four others. Hours later, troops fired tear gas as they stormed a school in the capital, Suva, where more than 350 Speight followers were encamped. One man was killed and 39 others were injured, seven seriously. Hundreds were arrested. New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff said that if the unrest continued and loyalties were split in the military, the result could be "civil war."

As unrest flared across the South Pacific island nation after Speight's arrest, troops launched a tear-gas raid on a school camp used by rebels at Koluba, 12 miles east of the capital Suva, and captured 369 rebels. One rebel was killed. Officials said up to 50 gunmen roamed Labasa on Vanua Levu island, threatening residents. At Savusavu airport, an Air Fiji pilot and co-pilot were kidnapped by gunmen and taken to a nearby village. The kidnappers said they wanted to talk to the military.

Fiji's military said it was in full control and was conducting a "mopping up operation" to arrest more rebels. Speight was arrested with his legal adviser, media adviser and a bodyguard at a bridge checkpoint as he left the rebel camp at Koluba. The military said five warning shots were fired. Speight was arrested for failing to stick to an amnesty deal to surrender all weapons after the hostage crisis ended on 13 July. A total of 18 M-16s and pistols taken from military arsenals had still not been handed back so the amnesty, according to the military, did not yet apply.

Speight was being held inside the Queen Elizabeth military barracks on a hilltop overlooking Suva. The barracks were under heavy guard and nearby roads were blocked with razor wire. Australia and New Zealand welcomed Speight's arrest. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer didn't mince words when he said: "This is a man who has committed an appalling crime against the government of Fiji and deserves to be in jail. I hope they don't let him out..."

21:15CDT - 26 July 2000

Raid on Speight Supporters By Military; 1 Dead, Up to Fifty Wounded

Suva, Fiji: (EmergencyNet News) -- Following a raid on already arrested coup leader George Speight's rebel encampment, a firefight has resulted in the death or wounding of as many as fifty (50) people. Sporadic acts of violence are being reported at several other spots in the country, including the armed hijacking of state-owned Air Fiji twin-otter aircraft. Army spokesman Filipo Tarakinikini is quoted as saying that the military has taken action following threats on the life of President Josefa Iloilo. Many of the details as to what is actually happening "on the ground" on Thursday morning in Fiji are fragmentary. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events and will provide details as circumstances warrant...   

20 July 2000

FIJI:  Coup leader George Speight called on Friday for indigenous people throughout the South Pacific to unite and threatened to join forces with Australia's Aborigines to disrupt the Olympic games in Sydney in September. It wasn't clear, however, that he had their support. The nation's new president later went on national radio to appeal for unity. The speech by President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, the frail 80-year-old tribal chief with Parkinson's disease, did nothing to dampen speculation he is seriously ill. He admitted he was too sick to swear in his new Cabinet earlier in the week, and switched the address from television to radio at the last minute.

11 July 2000

FIJI: 

Despite Settlement, Violence Continues

Rebel sympathizers took advantage of an amnesty for politically motivated crimes to set fire to a Masonic lodge and occupy a U.S.-affiliated tuna cannery Monday, a day after a deal was reached to end Fiji's 53-day hostage crisis. Under the agreement signed by rebel leader George Speight and the military, the captives are to be freed Thursday, when the Great Council of Chiefs will convene from around the small islands that comprise the South Pacific nation to choose a new president.

Peace Settlement Reported...

09 July 2000 -- Coup leader George Speight and military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama signed an agreement Sunday to end Fiji's seven-week government hostage crisis. Under the deal, Speight's 27 hostages, including deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, will be released on Thursday before a meeting of influential tribal chiefs. The rebels also will turn in their weapons. The Great Council of Chiefs, made up of about 50 tribal leaders from across Fiji, will meet to select a new president, vice president and a new interim civilian government. 

08 July 2000

FIJI 

Political/Military  Situation Appears To Worsen In Fiji

  The military said that villagers attacked a police station on Saturday and took up to 30 hostages, including some policemen, in support of nationalist rebel leader George Speight. It was one of at least four protests around the Pacific island nation in support of Speight as Fiji's military rulers sought to persuade him to free 27 political hostages, including the deposed ethnic Indian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry, he has held since 19 May.

The United States said on Saturday its ambassador to Fiji, Osman Siddique, had been recalled for consultations on the political crisis and repeated it was considering steps that could have a "serious impact" on the island nation.

The most serious protest in support of Speight seemed to be at Korovou, about 25 miles east of the capital Suva, where military spokesmen said about 150 villagers invaded the police station. The villagers stormed the police station and took up to 30 hostages including some policemen, seized rifles from soldiers manning roadblocks near the village, and set up roadblocks of their own to seal off the town. There were no reports of injuries and it was not clear how far local police and soldiers had gone to resist the takeover.

06 July 2000

FIJI:  Rebels holding 27 people in Fiji's Parliament raised a handmade flag today in a show of defiance after the military vowed to restrict access to the compound while offering amnesty to those who walked out before midnight Friday. There were some signs of movement in the seven-week-old standoff with preliminary talks held between the two sides for the first time since 25 June, when a tentative agreement between rebels and Fiji's military rulers collapsed at the last minute. Neither side commented on the talks at Parliament, which ended after more than four hours. The Fijian capital was plunged into darkness late Thursday when landowners supporting the nationalist rebels took over an electrical supply station. Local media said that they also took a number of electricity workers hostage.

03 July 2000

FIJI:  Fiji's military leader appointed a temporary civilian government on Monday in defiance of hostage takers who had demanded a role in naming it, but said he would remain head of state until the hostages are released. Notably absent from the new government lineup were members of Fiji's Indian minority, who have been stripped of most political power since rebels stormed parliament on 19 May and took the Indian-led government hostage. 

02 July 2000

FIJI: Defying rebels who took over Fiji's parliament and demanded that ethnic Indians be stripped of political power, the army said on Sunday it would appoint a temporary government next week that would include Indians. The announcement appeared to raise the stakes in a political standoff that began on 19 May, when the rebels stormed the Indian-led parliament of the South Pacific island nation in what they called a battle for the trampled rights of indigenous Fijians. They continue to hold 27 members of parliament hostage.

01 July 2000

FIJI:

Bomb Threat Forces Plane To Return To Fiji

An Air New Zealand Boeing 767 aircraft turned back to Fiji on Friday because of a bomb threat. Flight NZ45 to Auckland, with 205 passengers on board, returned to Nadi International Airport. Radio reports in both Fiji and New Zealand linked the incident to the refusal of Fijian authorities to allow entry to ten New Zealand indigenous Maori activists who support rebels holding 27 politicians hostage in Fiji's parliament since 19 May. The plane had spent about three hours in the air before turning back.

Latest SitRep In Hostage Situation

Fiji's military said on Friday that it would prefer to let the crisis drag on rather than endanger the lives of the 27 remaining hostages. A military spokesman said that authorities have decided to isolate the hostage-takers. He added: "It's a crisis situation. If things go terribly wrong, people would expect the military to respond accordingly. I would prefer to let the crisis drag on rather than endanger the lives of hostages." Rebels led by George Speight have said that Speight supporters might harm the hostages if the military launched an assault.

The rebels have kept Prime Minister Chaudhry isolated from view during the six-week siege, but on Friday allowed a photograph of the prime minister to be published in a local newspaper. The photo, believed to have been taken on Thursday, showed a bearded Chaudhry looking frail but smiling as he hugged another hostage. But state-owned television station TV One, which was allowed to film him on Friday, showed a thin, bearded Chaudhry walking with his son, Rajendra, a fellow hostage. Chaudhry looked angry and dejected and did not look anyone in the eye. 

29 June 2000

FIJI:

Fiji Military To Form New Civilian Government

  Fiji's military said on Wednesday it would set up an interim civilian government after indigenous rebels defied an ultimatum to lay down their weapons and free 27 hostages or be excluded from a future administration. The military decided to create the interim administration within a week and retain executive power until ethnic Indian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and 26 other political hostages were released unharmed, adding it still hoped for a peaceful resolution to Fiji's five-week crisis.

Security was being increased in Fiji's capital Suva on Wednesday after a number of bomb threats ahead of the military deadline for rebels to lay down their arms and free 27 hostages. Two schools in the Suva area have been evacuated in the last two days after bomb threats and a caller to a radio show late on Tuesday said Suva would be set ablaze if the military carried out its ultimatum.

Additional policemen were being deployed to fortify military roadblocks which have ringed Suva since gunmen who want to end the political power of Fiji's large ethnic Indian community stormed parliament on 19 May.

26 June 2000

FIJI:

Tensions Build As Efforts To End Crisis Continue

  Tension was building after Fiji's military rulers set a 24-hour deadline on Tuesday for rebels to lay down their weapons and free the country's ethnic Indian prime minister and 26 hostages held for five weeks in parliament. The military's ultimatum expires at around 18:00 hours local time on Wednesday, and it said the rebels would be excluded from a role in any new government if they did not meet the deadline.

But rebel leader George Speight dismissed the military's demand. He said: "We will not be pressured by the army in any way." Talks between the military, in power since martial law was declared on 29 May and the rebels collapsed on Sunday but contact was reestablished on Tuesday.

A military spokesman said: "We are giving them 24 hours to go and reconsider their position and come back to us. Failing that, we might be pushed to take the other option ... that's one of forming our own civilian administration and going on with the government of the country."

25 June 2000

FIJI:

Four Female Hostages Released

  Fiji's military government said the freeing of four hostages on Sunday was a cause for optimisim for the swift release of the remaining 27 captives seized by rebels more than five weeks ago, including Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry. The four women were released as a goodwill gesture by the rebels ahead of talks with the military later on Sunday aimed at ending the political crisis sparked by the hostage drama. But an agreement between rebels and the military is unlikely to mean an immediate release of the other hostages, with the rebels. It may take up to 48 hours for the remaining hostages to be freed after a formal accord is reached.

The four hostages released without announcement in the early hours of Sunday were all indigenous Fijian members of the government and included the daughter of former president Ratu Mara, Adi Koila Manailatikau. Hopes for an end to the country's hostage crisis were dashed on Saturday when plans to sign an accord between the military government and the rebels collapsed at the last minute. 

24 June 2000

FIJI: Talks between Fiji's military rulers and gunmen holding members of the deposed government stumbled on Saturday, breaking down for several hours, and continued differences held up a deal to bring the captives' release. Military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama and rebel leader George Speight met Saturday to look over the final draft of an accord that negotiators had earlier said both sides had agreed to. But Bainimarama left the meeting after less than 20 minutes without signing the accord...

23 June 2000

FIJI:  Both sides said that Fiji's military rulers and the gunmen holding 31 members of the former government hostage reached a deal on Friday that would see the captives released within days. A rebel spokesman and a government official said the two sides agreed to terms under which Fiji's next government would be formed -- the final hurdle to the release of the hostages. Military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama and rebel leader George Speight are to sign an accord on Saturday that would bring an end to the 36-day hostages crisis. It also was not immediately clear when the hostages would be released, but it was expected to be soon after the accord was signed... 

21 June 2000

FIJI:   The leader of gunmen holding Fiji's former prime minister and other lawmakers hostage in parliament said on Wednesday he hopes to reach an accord with the military this week. Rebel leader George Speight's demand that political power be wrested from Fiji's ethnic Indian minority had been watered down Monday, when he said he'd be willing to allow a few Indians in the interim government. Speight reiterated his earlier stance today. Speight led the 19 May armed takeover of parliament.

19 June 2000

FIJI:  A rebel leader who is holding an ethnic Indian prime minister and 30 others hostage in parliament said on Monday he would accept the appointment of ethnic Indians to the country's next government, signaling progress to the crisis. Heading into a new round of talks with military rulers about the makeup of an interim administration, George Speight said it was possible that ethnic Indians could be included in the appointments made by a new president. In related news, racial tensions in the Fijian capital Suva erupted into gunfire when three armed men stormed the city's police headquarters in search of an ethnic Indian prisoner. 

18 June 2000

FIJI:

End To Hostage Crisis Near?

  According to Fiji's military government on Sunday, hopes have been raised for an end to the country's four-week hostage crisis. The only obstacle remaining appeared to be the demand by nationalist rebels to be part of a new civilian administration. A military spokesman said the armed forces hoped to be able to achieve a resolution "within the next few days" to the crisis which has toppled Fiji's elected government and crippled its economy.

Trade bans imposed by unions in Australia and New Zealand in protest against the rebel coup have begun to hit Fiji, and tourists are steering clear of the country's resorts. The Ministry of Labor says more than 4,000 jobs have been lost in the past four weeks.

17 June 2000

FIJI:  Fiji's military rulers made further concessions on Saturday to the leader of an attempted coup, saying they would install some of his nominees as ministers in an interim government and let his supporters help draft a new constitution. Rebel leader George Speight is holding the deposed prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, and 30 other hostages at gunpoint in parliament to press demands that Fiji's ethnic Indian minority be stripped of political power. His takeover began on 19 May.

16 June 2000

FIJI:  Fiji's return to an elected government could take up to two years, a Commonwealth ministerial delegation said on Friday after talks with the South Pacific nation's military rulers. The military imposed martial law on 29 May, ten days after rebels led by former businessman George Speight stormed parliament, taking Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, and members of his coalition hostage.

15 June 2000

FIJI:  Commonwealth foreign ministers were heading for Fiji on Thursday to urge a restoration of democracy as coup leaders in the capital Suva briefly released one of 31 hostages for medical checks. The Commonwealth delegation was due to arrive in Fiji today and will start talks on Friday.

14 June 2000

FIJI:  Fiji's military rulers said they reopened negotiations on Wednesday with the rebel leader holding 31 hostages, despite his rejection of their plan to name a new civilian administration by the end of the week. A military spokesman said talks with rebel leader George Speight were "back on track" after being frozen for more than a week. He refused to give details. The spokesman did indicate, however, that the military may have shifted ground on one of Speight's demands -- widening an amnesty to include supporters outside his core group.

13 June 2000

FIJI:  Fiji coup leader George Speight insisted on Tuesday he was the target of an assassination attempt when troops fired on his car at a military checkpoint and said it might have been divine intervention that saved him. Speaking for the first time since the Monday shooting, Speight rejected the military's explanation that the incident was a mistake, and said he believed he had survived a bid to kill him...

11 June 2000

02 June 2000

Observers in Fiji say the chiefs' proposals were an "extraordinary capitulation" and would seriously alarm the international community. The tribal chiefs, leaders of Fiji's 14 provinces, had earlier condemned the coup attempt, but said they were sympathetic to Speight's cause...

24 May 2000

*****

ERRI SPECIAL - THE COUP IN FIJI

Friday 19th May 2000

SPECIAL REPORT

Produced by: Jeremy Zakis, ERRI Analyst

**SPECIAL BRIEFING - FRIDAY 19 MAY SITUATION REPORT ON FIJI**

**FIJI BRIEFING INDEX**

* TROOPS DEPLOYED AS RIOTERS BURN CAPITAL

* DISBANDED FIJI INTELLIGENCE SEEN AT COUP

* STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION ILLEGAL

* COUP LEADER APPOINTS INTERIM PARLIAMENT

* THE REACTION FROM FIJI'S NEIGHBOURS

* FORMER PM ATTEMPTING MEDIATION

* ERRI PROFILE: COUP LEADER GEORGE SPEIGHT

* COUNTRY INTELLIGENCE: FIJI

FIJI: FRIDAY 19 MAY 2000 - (1400 GMT)

TROOPS DEPLOYED AS RIOTERS BURN CAPITAL

SUVA, FIJI - In reaction to the taking of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaoudhry and seven ministers, rioting flared on the streets of the capital Suva.

President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara deployed approximately 300 troops in the city after declaring of a state of emergency but they have been unable to maintain control on the streets. Mr. Chaoudhry and seven ministers were taken hostage at 10am Friday morning when seven gunmen stormed the the Veiuto Parliamentary Complex in Suva, later declaring it a coup.

Widespread damage and looting have been reported and the local police station was closed. One witness described the situation as, "Suva is burning." No casualties have been reported. Reports from the capital said that Red Cross members were allowed to deliver medical supplies to the hostages being held in the Parliament building. No reports on the welfare of the captives were given.

DISBANDED FIJI INTELLIGENCE SEEN AT COUP

SUVA, FIJI - The leader of the coup in Fiji refused to comment about the presence of disbanded Fiji Intelligence Service (FIS) members at the Veiuto Parliamentary Complex, but did reveal more of his plans.

Members of the FIS were seen outside the parliamentary buildings Friday evening, even though the Chaudhry government had disbanded the service. 'Fijilive.com' said that Coup leader, George Speight would not comment on what they were doing there.

Mr Speight did tell 'Fijilive.com' that he expected civil servants to return to work on Monday and reassured the public that no essential services would be shut off. He said that he did not know how long the coup would last before order was restored. Mr Speight also said he had not finished drafting who would be a part of the new Cabinet but hoped to announce the members on Saturday.

STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION ILLEGAL

SUVA, FIJI - Coup leader George Speight told 'Fijilive.com' that President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara had made a legal error by declaring a state of emergency. Mr Speight argued that under section 187 of the Fiji Constitution the President can only make a declaration under advice from the Cabinet. But in this case the Cabinet had been taken hostage and were not consulted, therefore rendering the President's call "null and void".

Earlier Friday evening, President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara declared a state of emergency following an announcement by coup leader George Speight that he was acting in the name of indigenous Fijians against a government dominated by politicians of Indian ethnic origin. Declaring a state of emergency meant control of the military was passed from the Prime Minister to the President.

COUP LEADER APPOINTS INTERIM PARLIAMENT

SUVA, FIJI - Within hours of taking eight hostages at the Veiuto Parliamentary Complex in the capital Suva, coup leader George Speight told local media that despite any military involvement thus far, they were supporting him and he had formed an interim parliament.

"I would like to announce that Fiji is currently under civilian rule, with the assistance of armed forces, who are passive but will remain at the beck and call, and the control of the civilian government that is in place at this time and is headed by myself," he said.

Mr Speight who is the son of opposition politician Sam Speight, named Ratu Timoci Silotlu as interim Prime Minister. Ratu Timoci is an MP for the Fijian Association Party and has been in parliament for only a year. Two other indigenous politicians were appointed home affairs minister and Fijian affairs minister.

"We set foundations for change once and for all in the affairs of the country of Fiji as desired by the indigenous people," Mr Speight said. Later Mr Speight called for all foreign embassies in Fiji to send delegates for a meeting at the Parliament buildings, but officials said the  embassies would only make themselves available Saturday morning.

Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's government was elected the first ethnic Indian head of government under a non-racial constitution May 19 last year. Since being in power his administration has been accused of aggravating racial divisions between majority Fijian community groups and Indians.

THE REACTION FROM FIJI'S NEIGHBORS

SUVA, FIJI - New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff made the surprise announcement of denying that a coup existed in Fiji. "The military was not aware in advance of that action and has not supported it," which he claimed was required for a coup to occur.

However Australian Prime Minister John Howard condemned the takeover. "I'm horrified that such an act should be carried out against a democratically elected leader, a fellow commonwealth prime minister, a person who was a guest in Australia only a matter of a few weeks ago."

"I share the anxiety of many about the situation and I hope it can be peacefully resolved without any loss of life or injury," he said.

FORMER PM ATTEMPTING MEDIATION

SUVA, FIJI - The BBC reported that former Prime Minister Sitveni Rabuka was involved in mediation with coup leader George Speight. Mr Rabuka was responsible for leading two similar coup's in 1987. He failed both times and was eventually forced to resign.

ERRI PROFILE: COUP LEADER GEORGE SPEIGHT

Registered as a member of the SVT, the indigenous Fijian party that held power for seven years previous to Chaudhry's Labour Party-led People's Coalition, George Speight has been described as an unlikely coup maker by analysts in Fiji. From Lutu village in Waimaro, Tailevu, his mother is an indeginious Fijian and his father is of European-Fijian descent.

Mr Speight's educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Australia and a Masters Degree from Andrews University in Michigan, USA. He has no military experience which is the reason why analysts are giving him little-hope of success. By profession he is a Financial Consultant with experience in computer sales and a decorated career in corporate Fiji until the fall of the previous government, where all his good connections were lost.

He owned a number of failed businesses and was sacked from one job for misuse of funds. Mr Speight was once chairman of Fiji Pine and government-owned Fiji Hardwood Ltd, but was sacked from both positions by the new Chaudhry government in 1999.

His aspirations for a political career also took a tumble with the new government and his only link to politics was through his father, opposition MP, Sam Speight. Analysts said that while Mr Speight does not have the political clout of president, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, his cause won much Fijian support, including major Fijian political parties.

COUNTRY INTELLIGENCE: FIJI

Located in the South Pacific 2,250 miles northeast of Sydney Australia, Fiji consists of over 800 islands and islets, of which approximately 100 are inhabited. The capital is Suva.

Fiji's government is a democratic republic with elections every five years. The last election was in May 1999 and Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry was elected. In addition to holding his position as Prime Minister, Chaudhry is the minister responsible for Finance, Public Enterprise, the Sugar Industry and the Public Service.

Fiji was a British colony until it won independence in 1970. In 1987 a military coup led by Lt. Col. Sitiveni Rabuka toppled the newly elected Indian-dominated coalition but Rabuka resigned shortly after seizing power. A new constitution was created in 1990 favouring indigenous Fijians and Rabuka was named leader.

The population is approximately 646,561 (1995 consensus) with 51% indigenous Fijian and 44% Indian Fijian.

Fiji has a developing economy and crime is mainly low-level purse-snatching and theft.