Fiji: Fiji Appoints New Interim Government Without Any Backers Of Jailed Coup Leader George Speight

Record ID: 4216

  • Title: Fiji: Fiji Appoints New Interim Government Without Any Backers Of Jailed Coup Leader George Speight
  • Date: 28th July 2000
  • Summary: Fiji President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, who defied Speight and dropped all four of his backers from an earlier administration, re-appointed Qarase and named Ratu (Chief) Epeli Nailatikau deputy prime minister on July 28. Speight had publicly opposed both Qarase and Nailatikau. Speight, arrested by the military on July 26 and facing possible treason charges, had threatened further civil unrest unless his supporters dominated the new government. Fiji has been shaken by turmoil since Speight stormed parliament in May taking hostages and demanding an end to Indian political power and government roles for his nationalist supporters. After being sworn in, Qarase called on all Fijians to end widespread lawlessness in the racially split nation and work together "I commend his Excellency the President for his initiative to hold consultation with all groups including the George Speight group, if there are people who remain unhappy it is not that his Excellency has not invited them, they have excluded themselves by their own decision"" Qarase said. Indians make up 44 percent of Fiji's 800,000 population and dominate the economy, which has been battered in the turmoil. Speight and his gunmen stormed parliament on May 19 in the name of indigenous rights and held Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry and most of his multi-racial cabinet for 56 days. Iloilo named a 20-member all indigenous Fijian cabinet and eight assistant ministers, one of whom was an ethnic Indian. Other ministers said restoring economic confidence was paramount. The only hard-line nationalist in the new government was Apisai Tora, but he has not been aligned with Speight. Fiji remained on alert after a military crackdown on nationalist rebels in the past two days sparked sporadic unrest. Military roadblocks dot the capital Suva, while ethnic Indians in some towns remained indoors fearing rebel reprisals. Speight and key aides were arrested on Wednesday night, and the military captured more than 300 of his rebels in a Thursday morning raid, which left one man dead and more than 40 injured. Speight, who was given an amnesty when he agreed to return the hostages and the rebels' weapons, was arrested for failing to hand over all arms. The arrests sparked unrest with 40 Indians briefly held hostage in the town of Labasa and two New Zealand pilots taken hostage at Savusavu airport on the island of Vanua Levu. The pilots were freed unharmed on Friday. The latest unrest was confined to Vanua Levu island and has not spread to Fiji's main island Viti Levu. New Zealand said evacuation plans were in place for its nationals if the situation deteriorated. Australia issued a new travel advisory calling on its nationals to leave. Some of Fiji's new ministers and analysts defended the all indigenous line-up of the interim government as necessary to smooth indigenous fears and gradually restore democracy
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  • Location: FIJI SUVA PRESIDENTS HOUSE,
  • Reuters ID: LDL0012DM8WFZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
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