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- SUVA (Reuters) - A group
of armed men took Fiji's Indian prime minister hostage in parliament on
Friday and claimed executive power over the tiny South Pacific nation
in the name of indigenous Fijians.
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- The coup, which took place as thousands of Fijians demonstrated
against the government of Mahendra Chaudhry, appeared to be well organized
-- international telephone lines were cut moments before seven gunmen
attacked parliament house.
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- But it was not clear whether the coup was backed by Fiji's
powerful military, which played a crucial role in 1987 coups against
an Indian-dominated government.
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- Local radio reporters said two or three shots were fired
during the assault, but no-one appeared to have been hurt.
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- Businesses in Suva shut their doors as looting broke
out in the Fijian capital, which attracts tens of thousands of tourists
every year. Schools were also closed down.
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- Coup leader George Speight, the son of opposition politician
Sam Speight, told reporters at the parliament he was taking control "on
behalf of every individual member of the indigenous Fijian community."
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- Speight read out a statement saying he was revoking the
constitution and would shortly form an interim government.
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- "Through these actions I am asserting ownership,
am asserting control, and I am asserting executive power over Fiji,"
Speight said. His statement was posted on the Internet on news site wwww.fijilive.com
and was also broadcast on local radio.
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- "We have revoked the powers of the president of
the republic of Fiji. The executive control of this country of ours currently
resides in my hands."
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- The Web site also said Speight had appointed an opposition
MP, Ratu Timoci Silatolu, as interim prime minister.
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- RABUKA VISITS COUP LEADERS
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- Speight's father is a close friend of Sitiveni Rabuka,
the military commander who headed the 1987 coup and was prime minister
until exactly one year ago.
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- Rabuka himself entered the parliament at around 1:30
p.m. local time, two and a half hours after the assault. It was not clear
what the purpose of his visit was.
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- The assault came as around 5,000 people demonstrated
against Chaudhry on the anniversary of his election as Fiji's first Indian
prime minister.
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- Seven masked men armed with AK-47 assault rifles entered
the building and locked all the MPs in upstairs chambers.
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- Local media said opposition members of parliament had
been released and a group of 60-odd students and teachers observing parliament
were also quickly freed.
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- The anti-government demonstration taking place outside
the parliament was led by the Taukei Movement, an underground political
organization which was instrumental in the 1987 coups.
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- Political analysts have interpreted the Taukei's re-emergence
as a sign that the racial divide between Fijians and Indians has widened
to an extent not seen since 1987 when Rabuka took power.
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- Indians make up 43 percent of the 770,000 population
but are economically more powerful than indigenous Fijians.
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- COUNTRY SHOCKED
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- "The mood around the country is one of shock,"
Radio New Zealand's Fiji correspondent Shiu Singh reported.
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- "We hear reports from the capital Suva and all the
towns around the country that shops have closed, offices have closed
and people are going home.
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- "The Ministry for Education has broadcast messages
to schools and to parents asking them to pick their children up from
school and take them home."
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- An Australian businessman living near Suva said shops
were closing after looting broke out in the capital.
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- "There is a general fear that there's going to be
quite some civil unrest," David Pitt, Air Fiji finance manager, told
Australian radio.
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- "There's been quite some unrest recently here and
there have been murmurings of another coup taking place, but I think
it's still a shock to everyone that it has happened," he said.
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