Fiji rebels demand PM be replaced with woman chief

Supporters of coup leader George Speight gather in a classroom of the Kalabu Fijian school in Suva, Fiji

July 22, 2000
Web posted at: 12:50 PM HKT (0450 GMT)

In this story: Rebels to meet presidential aides Military repels attempt to seize checkpoint RELATED STORIES, SITES

SUVA, Fiji (Reuters) -- Nationalist rebels pressed Fiji's leaders on Saturday to sack the military-backed prime minister and replace him with one of the country's women chiefs to end the island nation's nine-week political crisis.

"The main thing is we need somebody who has a high chiefly status who can bring the whole country together, a person who can yell and everybody listens," rebel spokesman Jo Nata told Reuters.

The rebels, who held former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and most of his multi-racial cabinet hostage for 56 days in the name of indigenous Fijian rights, now want Adi Samanunu Cakobau as prime minister.

Cakobau, a former High Commissioner to Malaysia, is regarded as close to royalty in Fiji. Her grandfather Ratu Seru Cakobau ceded the islands to the British in 1874.

The rebels warned earlier this week that there could be further civil unrest if their supporters were excluded from key cabinet positions.

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Rebels to meet presidential aides

Nata said the rebels, led by failed businessman George Speight, expected to meet a delegation of officials representing President Ratu Josefi Iloilo later on Saturday to discuss their demands.

The rebels had previously backed Ratu Epeli Kanaimawi for prime minister, having rejected the current leader Laisenia Qarase, a merchant banker put in the post by the military during the hostage crisis.

Analysts said the rebel's decision to change nominees reflected a power struggle among Fiji's traditional elite in the wake of the rebel's coup, which has brought international sanctions and crippled the economy.

Speight and armed rebels stormed Fiji's parliament on May 19 to topple the elected Chaudhry government and demand that ethnic Indians, who represent 44 percent of the population, be stripped of political power.

The hostages were released after the rebels won most of their demands, including the scrapping of the multi-racial constitution and installation of Iloilo as president.

Iloilo, however, defied Speight and announced a 32-member government line-up that excluded rebel supporters from key posts.

"The trouble with the demand for ethnic Fijian paramountcy is that, that second question is always which Fijian you make paramount," said University of South Pacific lecturer in economic history Jon Fraenkel.

Military repels attempt to seize checkpoint

On Friday Britain announced a string of new measures against Fiji, including cancelling joint military exercises and reviewing defence cooperation.

Australia and New Zealand have already imposed "smart sanctions," suspending defence and diplomatic links, cutting aid and imposing sporting bans.

Fiji's military said on Saturday soldiers had repelled an overnight attempt by up to 40 young men to take over a military checkpoint at Nausori, near Suva, the third such incident in two days.

The military has relaxed the night curfew imposed for nearly two months on Suva and the surrounding areas, but checkpoints remain on key access roads amid continuing outbreaks of lawlessness.

Speight and up to 400 supporters who had occupied Fiji's parliament throughout the hostage crisis have set up camp in cramped conditions at a village school near the capital.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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