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Fiji
president says government may change, despite failed coup |
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May 23, 2000
SUVA, Fiji, MAY 22 (AP) - Fiji's president tried to draw armed rebels occupying Parliament closer to peaceful surrender Monday, saying the current government might be replaced even if the coup attempt fails. President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara's comments seemed aimed at presenting a conciliatory approach to ethnic Fijian rebels, who have been holding the Indian-dominated government hostage since storming Parliament on Friday. Ratu Mara said that he would hold talks with the government once the coup attempt ends, but he refused to guarantee that a failure of the coup would automatically bring back the democratically elected government. "We will have a dialogue and see what they offer," he said. "I cannot say I will put back the government that has caused all these problems."
The comments offered the rebels the possibility of achieving a major goal of their uprising: the ousting of the government. Ratu Mara sent a letter to coup leader George Speight on Sunday night promising to address concerns of ethnic Fijians, pledging that "the position of the indigenous community will be protected and enhanced." The president said he had a plan to end the standoff which would be presented on Tuesday to Fiji's influential Great Council of Chiefs, an association of tribal leaders. "Our main objective is to see that no blood is spilled," Ratu Mara said. The rebels were holding more than 20 Cabinet ministers and lawmakers as hostages. Much
will depend on the tribal meeting Tuesday. Speight said Monday
he would "retire" if the council does not back his coup attempt.
Local media also reported he said he would release his hostages if the council orders it. The failed businessman declared himself prime minister after storming parliament on Friday with a gang of seven gunmen and swearing in a replacement government. Although Ratu Mara's statements promised concessions for ethnic Fijians, he said he could not offer the coup plotters an amnesty if they surrender peacefully. "I
have no power under the constitution, nor does the council of chiefs,
to issue a pardon," he said. In a sign Monday of rising tension inside Parliament, rebels dragged elected Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry out of parliament and put a gun to his head, Speight deputy Ratu Timoci Silatolu was quoted as saying by local website Fijilive.com. Silatolu said the threat to Chaudhry's life was made because of rumors that outside forces would intervene to end the four-day standoff, Fijilive.com reported. Police
tightened security around Suva's parliament complex on Monday,
stopping news crews at checkpoints about one kilometer (a half mile) away
and searching vans delivering food and other supplies. The
situation grew tenser on Sunday, when Ratu Mara rejected Speight's
request for direct talks, and accused him of threatening to kill the
captives if his demands for control of the country are not met. Speight denied the allegation, saying his uprising was a civilian coup, not an act of terrorism. So
far, the rebels have not rallied much support. Elements of the military
reportedly have thrown their weight behind the rebels, but police and
Fiji's ethnic Fijian dominated army have declared their support for the elected government. Public
backing for the rebels has been scant as well. Speight received
his first public statement of support from the nationalist Taukei Movement
and main opposition party on Sunday, only to have movement leader Apisai Tora disassociate himself from the coup the next day. Speight, accompanied by a police escort, ventured out of parliament in the early hours of Monday morning to assess the damage wreaked on Suva by rioting Friday that followed the coup attempt. Many
stores downtown remained closed and steel security gates and screens
covering doors and windows. At least one building was smoldering. The
rioting appeared targeted against ethnic Indians, who own the majority of stores in downtown Suva. Speight claims Chaudhry's year-old coalition discriminated against Fijians. For months, ethnic tensions have been building between the indigenous people and the descendants of Indian migrants, who dominate commerce in this country. Indians
make up about 44 percent of Fiji's population of 813,000, while
indigenous Fijians account for 51 percent. Chaudhry is the first prime
minister of Indian extraction in Fiji.
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