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Fiji army disarms police

P. S. Suryanarayana

Troops take control of strategic locations in capital Suva

SINGAPORE: Fiji on Monday night appeared to be the brink of a coup, as the military disarmed the police force's only armed unit earlier in the day but did not announce any follow-up action.

There was no sign of resistance in Suva, capital of the south Pacific state, as the troops took control of strategic locations in the city. Nor was there any sign of an imminent end to the simmering political crisis that was caused by a power struggle between the military chief and the elected Prime Minister.

The Military Forces Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, insisted that there would be no need to stage a coup if Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase agreed to step down even now. But the Commander did not specify who was at the helm now. The Prime Minister's security guards were also reported to have been disarmed by the military without any shot being fired. But it remained unconfirmed whether Mr. Qarase had been summoned by the President.

"Unlawful action"

Acting Police Commissioner Moses Driver said in a statement that the military had confiscated the weapons of the Tactical Response Unit (TRU). The entire police force, however, "remains intact and functional," he asserted. The TRU had posed "no threat to the military", and its action was not only "unlawful" but also "unnecessary."

Cmdr. Bainimarama had demanded that Mr. Qarase drop legislative bills that were seen designed to rehabilitate those behind the armed overthrow of a duly elected government in 2000. The Prime Minister was also asked to purge his Cabinet of such persons and give up moves to expand the land-owning rights of the native majority at the expense of the minority of ethnic Indians.

AP reports:

Mr. Qarase dodged one checkpoint by returning by helicopter from a meeting with supporters outside Suva, after earlier insisting he was still in control.

Cmdr. Bainimarama said in a statement read to a news conference that Monday's seizures were ``to ensure that police weapons are not used against the military.'' Police continued to have a role in maintaining security in Fiji, he said. Police have said they are not in a position to challenge Fiji's military.

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