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Fiji coup ‘by stealth’
Reports from Fiji reveal that the military has disarmed the country’s police force and thrown up roadblocks around the capital in what Australia believes is a coup by stealth.
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was in home in the capital, Suva, on Monday night after armed soldiers stopped him from trying to see the President.
Heavily armed soldiers have entered two police compounds in and around Suva and seized the weapons of Fiji’s only armed police unit.
Troops in battle gear were located across Suva, establishing a network of roadblocks and cutting off several roads into the city.
Armed soldiers were located outside the presidential palace and on an access road that leads to the homes of government officials.
Qarase has remained defiant saying he will call an emergency cabinet meeting today (Tuesday) to discuss the latest developments in a crisis that appears to be the result of Fiji’s fourth coup in 20 years.
Australian authorities said it was feared the military was carrying out a stealthy power grab, moving slowly to take control without mounting a dramatic coup like the ones that wracked the country in 2000 and 1987. Australian vessels remain on standby off Fiji’s coast if a full-scale evacuation is necessary.
Streets in Suva were quiet on Monday with many Fijians staying at home, despite the military’s assurances that residents have nothing to fear.
Phil Davies
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