Fiji

Fiji: No Room at the Inn and Possible Strike

Date: September 13th, 2005 |

Tourism promotion has been successful here, so successful that demand for accommodations has outstripped supply during peak season, with 60,000 people visiting the islands in July. Officials hope the problem will be short-lived, with several large hotels under construction that should be ready within two years. On a political note, a threat of power blackouts [read more]

Fiji

Date: January 25th, 2005 |

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The capital city of Suva has seen a spate of crime since the beginning of the year, particularly attacks on Australians. Three separate violent robberies occurred in little more than a week: 0ne incident involved a couple in their 40s who were robbed of cash and jewelry; in another, the Australian High Commissioner and two [read more]

Fiji

Date: December 11th, 2001 |

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The long-running saga of coup leader George Speight has taken another turn as he lost his seat in parliament because he missed two parliamentary sessions. He was unable to attend because he is imprisoned awaiting trial for treason for the coup he launched in 2000 when he held the prime minister and other officials hostage [read more]

Fiji

Date: August 21st, 2001 |

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The outcome of general elections that begin Aug. 25 could present a crisis for Fiji. If former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry wins, the country would have to face the same issues that arose in May 2000 when failed businessman George Speight stormed parliament, took officials hostage and forced the overthrow of the freely elected government [read more]

Fiji

Date: July 31st, 2001 |

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A month after a coup attempt and hostage taking led by an indigenous Fijian businessman, the crisis remains unresolved. Martial law is in place and an overnight curfew is in effect on the eastern side of Viti Levu, the main island. The crisis has brought tourism to a standstill, but the only flashpoint is the [read more]

Fiji: Coup Threat

Date: August 3rd, 2005 |

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The army has threatened a coup if a controversial bill is passed granting amnesty to those involved in a coup in 2000 that overthrew the government of Fiji�s first ethnically Indian prime minister. George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup, is serving a life sentence and other key plotters are also in jail. Army [read more]

Fiji

Date: February 12th, 2002 |

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A constitutional challenge is being heard by the Fiji Court of Appeals to determine if decisions made by the current government are unconstitutional, a finding that could force a restructuring of the cabinet and create significant unrest in Suva, Fiji’s capital. Officials established a security cordon around the High Court building. Trouble in Suva would [read more]

Fiji

Date: September 18th, 2001 |

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The recent election of a new government, which had promised to help mend the ethnic rift that led to the overthrow of the previous government in a coup last year, has produced more dissention among ethnic Indians and native Fijians. The new prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, defied the constitution by naming no ethnic Indians to [read more]

Fiji

Date: August 1st, 2001 |

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An attempted coup that lacks the support of the military provoked a hostage crisis and riots in the capital city of Suva May 19. A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed. At the heart of the crisis is indigenous Fijian discontent with the growing influence of Fijians of Indian descent. The prime minister, an ethnic Indian, was [read more]

Fiji

Date: July 31st, 2001 |

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The national state of emergency that was prompted by the May 2000 seizure of parliament by George Speight remains in place, but the current situation in Fiji is calm. Parliamentary elections, however, will take place Aug. 25 through Sept. 1, and the trial of George Speight will continue at the same time. Significant unrest has [read more]