Fijian troops entered key police installations around the
capital, Suva, and removed weapons on Monday amid fears of an
imminent coup in the South Pacific island nation, witnesses
said.
Six truckloads of heavily armed troops arrived at the police
tactical response unit's headquarters, the only armed police unit,
and shortly afterwards began removing weapons from the
armoury.
"The army asked to examine what weapons this unit has. It is not
violent," Assistant Police Commissioner Moses Driver told Fiji
radio.
Across town soldiers entered another police armoury.
"We are hopeful that no confrontation of any sort is going to
occur. The Fiji police appeal to members of the public to remain
calm," Driver said.
The nation's military chief, Commander Frank Bainimarama, has
threatened to topple Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's government on
Monday, claiming it is corrupt, but says it will be a peaceful
transition.
Qarase earlier told Fijian radio that he remained in control.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the military was
trying to "slowly take control" as there was a split in its ranks
over whether to stage a coup.
"They are now reaching a point, the military, where they are trying
to persuade the prime minister to stand down without actually
mounting a coup," Downer told Australian radio.
Resistance
"My guess is that within the military there is a fair bit of
resistance to these tactics and quite a lot of resistance to a
coup. There isn't an inclination to mutiny against the commander,
so it's a torturously complicated situation."
A military spokesman was not returning phone calls.
Qarase and Bainimarama have been embroiled in a power struggle all
year. Bainimarama gave the government a list of "non-negotiable"
demands a fortnight ago and threatened a "clean-up campaign".
Fijian newspapers expected he would act soon.
"Point of No Return," the Fiji Sun newspaper said on its front
page. It called on the military to end the uncertainty because "the
whole nation is engulfed in fear".
The Fiji Daily Post said Bainimarama had drawn up a 13-member
interim cabinet to be led by an unidentified member of Qarase's
government as interim premier.
It quoted unidentified sources as saying that the list included two
former prime ministers and that Bainimarama had chosen a portfolio
for himself.
PM refuses to yield
Bainimarama told Fiji television on Sunday that he expected
Qarase's government, re-elected in May for a second five-year term,
to "give in peacefully" and leave office.
Qarase in turn has called an emergency cabinet meeting for Tuesday
and has refused to bow to Bainimarama's threats. He tried to have
the outspoken commander replaced last month but the military stood
firm behind its leader.
Bainimarama installed Qarase as interim leader after declaring
martial law to put down Fiji's last coup in 2000, but now accuses
him of being too soft on the coup plotters and a subsequent failed
but bloody mutiny in which Bainimarama was almost killed.
Fiji's latest political crisis has alarmed its South Pacific
neighbours, with Australia sending three naval ships to the area in
case it needs to evacuate holidaying nationals. Bainimarama has
said his military would oppose any foreign intervention.
The United States, Britain and the United Nations have all warned
Bainimarama not to attempt to take over the government, with
concerns that another coup would devastate the fragile local
economy based on tourism and sugar.
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