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FIJI: ARMY TURNS PRESSURE ON THE GOVERNMENT December 4, 2006
Zainab Osman
(SomaliNet) Fiji's army disarmed Monday a police tactical response division, directing the standoff between the army and Government to a military coup. Over the last 19 years, three coups took place in this Pacific Island nation with a population of nearly 900,000.
Fiji's first coup took place on May 15, 1987 when Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka and his followers thrashed into parliament and took control. The coup left the new coalition government of Timoci Bavadra and drove Indian members out of power.
Rabuka staged a second coup only four month later, declared himself the country's leader and announced Fiji as a republic.
A third coup was launched in 2000 by George Speight, reportedly with the support of Rabuka, snuffed out Indian Mahendra Chaudary's elected Government. During the coup Speight took Chaudary and 35 other MPs hostages. He released those 73 days later and the army seized control. Speight was later arrested and charged with treason.
The Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, who got into power after the 2000 coup, and formed a multi-party Cabinet after this year's election, has been trying to put forward The Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill, which is aimed to grant amnesty to those who had been involved in the 2000 coup.
This has remained a source of resentment and a motivation for army commander Commodore Bainimarama's standoff with the Prime Minister Qarase, who was called Sunday by Bainimarama to resign for a Government change.