SUVA, Sept. 26, Reuter: Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka tightened his grip on Fiji on Saturday after arresting politicians, judges, civic and union leaders in his second coup in five months,

Rabuka, commander of the Fijian army, imposed a dusk to dawn curfew, cut off main communication links to the outside world and promised a quick solution to the crisis.

The39yearold Colonel said in a radio broadcast immediately after the coup on Friday he would change the constitution to give ethnic Fijians total political control in their homeland.

His sudden move left Governor General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau powerless and increased tension between the country’s major races and ethnic Indians.

The coup was quickly condemned by the United States, Australia, New Zealand and India,

Ganilau, representing : Head of State Queen Elizabeth, ‘was leading an interim administration set up after Rabuka staged his first coup on May 14 that deposed the Indian dominated government of Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra,

Rabuls said Ganilau’s attempts to set up a BiPartisan caretaker government, including Bavadra’ political coalition endangered his coup objective of establishing ethnic Fijian political supremacy.

In detention are Bavadra and six of his former ministers plus Trade Union Congress Secretary James Raman, Suva Mayor Bob Kumar ‘and Supreme Court Justice Govind, military sources said.

Another Supreme Court Justice, Dublinbom Frank Rooney, was detained immediately after the coup, but released several hours later.

Rooney told reporters that he met Bayadra in an adjoining cell. “We agreed that we were sorry to have met under such dismal circumstances”, he said.

Army spokesman Lieutenant Eroni Volavola said the two local newspapers, Fiji Sun and Fiji Times, and the commercial radio station FM.96 would be closed indefinitely.

Rabuka who promised to provide security for all essential services, has summoned heads of the government departments for meeting later in the day. The Colonel was unlikely to hold a news conference in the next 48 hours, the spokesman said.

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 2, 1987