Speight’s allies take over executive power as Fiji faces cur

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer warned Canberra would notrecognise a government which included Speight or his close supporters. Healso said that he would meet Prime Minister John Howard this weekend todiscuss a range of options, and sanctions would depend on the make-up of thenew government. "The government will be giving consideration to any furthermeasures that we may take," Downer told ABC radio here.

Commonwealth Secretary General Don Mckinnon asked Fijians "to show a renewedcommitment to democratic principles and the rule of law".

Reacting to Downer’s comment, Speight on Friday warned Australia and NewZealand to keep out of Fiji’s business and threatened further unrest if hiscountry is returned to Commonwealth-style democracy.

The day after he released the last of Fiji’s elected leaders from captivity,Speight told commercial television here that Fiji would face the same fateagain if there was any attempt to restore the pre-May 19 status quo.

"It is about time the world started listening to the fact that Fijians havethe ultimate right to determine where Fiji goes in its future," abelligerent-sounding Speight told Channel Nine.

"Any attempt by anybody to return Fiji to the status quo before May 19 willbe met with the same resistance we showed to the army of this country."

The reality of the political situation in Fiji was that the Fijian peoplewould protect their interests above all else, he said, adding "That’ssomething that cannot be ignored by all the other communities."

Eight weeks after he stormed Parliament with a handful of special forcessoldiers in the name of indigenous Fijians, Speight has seen all his demandsmet.

He released the last of his 18 hostages on Thursday including Fiji’s firstethnic Indian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, knowing the 1997constitution, allowing non-ethnic Fijians into power, has been ripped up.

Speight, a failed businessman, demanded and received a full amnesty forhimself and his supporters. But the unrest and race hate stirred up duringthe hostage drama over a widespread resentment of Indian business success,continued to grip Fiji.

Coup plotters, who laid siege to the parliament, surrendered their weapons.Some 200 traditional chiefs filled the parliament chambers to witness thereturn of the arms, most of them stolen from Fiji’s military forces. Thearms were stacked in a room next to where hostages were held.

An AFP estimate showed there were 76 weapons including M60 machine guns, M16And Uzi assault rifles and handguns. There were also boxes of ammunition,claymore minies, tear-gas canisters and grenades. With the handover ofweapons, the coup plotters will receive immunity from treason charges andother political offences as outlined in the Muanikau Accord, signed onSunday night by martial law commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama andSpeight.