M A I N   N E W S

Rebels tell President to quit
Threat to kill hostages

SUVA, May 21 (Reuters) — Fiji’s President said today that gunmen holding the country’s Prime Minister and other politicians captive had threatened to start killing their hostages unless he quit as Head of State.

President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara said he had rejected a request to meet would-be coup leader George Speight, who has been holding Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and some of his colleagues hostage in Parliament since Friday.

But Speight had sent him an indirect message “That if I didn’t follow what he says... he will start executing hostages one by one,’’ Mr Mara told the nation in a televised address.

“When I asked what does he really want, I was told that he wants me to step down and allow his group to run the country,’’ Mr Mara added. “To that extent I will not be able to comply.’’

Speight has claimed to have overthrown Mr Chaudhry, Fiji’s first ethnic Indian Prime Minister, and to have taken power on behalf of indigenous Fijians.

A coalition of nationalist parties backed Speight today, calling Mr Chaudhry an “insensitive and power hungry immigrant Indian Prime Minister’’.

But the President, the police and the military have all supported the government and Fiji’s trade unions have called a national strike for tomorrow in support of Mr Chaudhry.

The report said sugar unions were backing a call from the Fiji Trade Union Congress for a nationwide strike from Monday in support of Mahendra Chaudhry, Fiji’s first ethnic Indian Prime Minister, who has been held captive since Friday.

One ethnic Fijian member of the elected government claimed indigenous people supported the Indian Prime Minister and would not accept Speight’s rule.

“We will not compromise with these illegal people,” Labour Minister Ratu Tevita Momoedonu told Australian television’s Nine Network.

“We are treating these people as a bunch of thugs and we will not compromise with them in any way.”

Earlier today, rebels released some hostages, but not Chaudhry, who collapsed overnight apparently from stress.

Fijian Red Cross doctor John Scott said Chaudhry appeared calm and uninjured.

At around 4 a.m., Speight released five native Fijian members of Chaudhry’s coalition government, who were driven away from parliament.

About 30 minutes later, the rebels released a second group, four ethnic Indian lawmakers and about 20 parliamentary staff who had also been held inside and Chaudhry’s bodyguard.

The Indian lawmakers said they had been released only after signing resignation letters.

All lawmakers were led one by one into a room by two hooded gunmen and told to sign the resignation letter. They were told if they didn’t they would be shot by rebels.

Chaudhry’s son Agendhra, who is also a legislator, has reportedly also signed a resignation letter, but had not been released by late morning today.

A coalition of five indigenous Fijian political parties and groups who support Speight delivered a petition to Mr Mara earlier today, demanding he dissolve Parliament and establish an interim government of Fijian national unity.

Part of the nationalist petition demanded the revocation of Fiji’s 1997 multi-racial constitution, so that only indigenous Fijians could be prime minister or president.

However, condemnation of Speight’s actions has been widespread, ranging from President Mara to the Methodist Church and local newspapers.

Mr Mara declared a state of emergency after the crisis sparked rioting and looting in Suva on Friday and a dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed in Suva.

Earlier local media announced the Great Council of Chiefs, an influential body in the Pacific island nation, would meet to discuss the impasse on Tuesday, and suggested this meant neither side was likely make a major move before then.

Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, who led a 1987 coup which toppled an Indian-dominated government, has been acting as mediator between Speight and Mr Mara and is expected to chair the council meeting.

Envoys from the European Union, Britain and France were scheduled to meet Fijian President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara today to discuss the attempted coup in the country, according to AFP.

The ambassadors were to express their strong support for the government as it tries to negotiate with armed men who stormed Parliament building on Friday.

They had written a joint statement warning that an accord scheduled to be signed on June 8 in Fiji between the European Union and former Africa, Caribbean and Pacific colonies was now at risk.

“Democracy is an essential part of the agreement,” they said.

The European Commission has said it was “unlikely” to proceed with the treaty signing due to “security and political reasons.”