Military 'takes control of Fiji'
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SUVA - The military commander of Fiji has announced he has taken over control of the country. Cmdr Frank Bainimarama said in a televised address he had assumed executive powers and dismissed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Cmdr Bainimarama accused the prime minister of corruption and leading Fiji on a path of doom. Mr Qarase said earlier he had been put under house arrest as troops blockaded his home in the capital, Suva. Cmdr Bainimarama warned that more troops would be seen on the streets of Fiji but said there was no curfew and he urged the population not to be intimidated. He said Fiji had reached a "crossroads" and that the government had been "unable to make decisions to save our people from destruction". "I urge all citizens to remain calm, and maintain the peace that currently prevails," he said. Cmdr Bainimarama said he would next week ask the country's Great Council of Chiefs to restore executive powers to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. The president would then appoint an interim government and elections would follow at an unspecified date, the military chief said.
Cmdr Bainimarama had repeatedly threatened to unseat Mr Qarase, expressing anger at the way the prime minister had proposed legislation to offer an amnesty to those responsible for a coup in 2000. In his speech Cmdr Bainimarama accused Mr Qarase of failing to address the military's concerns in "true spirit" and said the prime minister had created tension in the army by trying to have him removed.
posted by wnsworld @ 7:27 AM
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