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http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3847484a10,00.html

Kiwis ready to flee Fiji
02 November 2006
By MARTIN KAY and MICHAEL FIELD

UPDATED REPORT - 10.15am
New Zealand military personnel are preparing to evacuate Kiwis from Fiji if needed as tension between the Fijian military and its government increases.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand would be ready for "every contingency" should the situation become worse after repeated threats of a coup.

"We have prepared, and are prepared for every contingency that we could possibly use to secure the safety of ... between 3500 and 7000 New Zealand tourists in Fiji on any given day," Mr Peters said.

Mr Peters' announcement followed rising tension in Fiji, including a defiant Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase last night angrily defying Fiji's military chiefs by insisting he would remain in office. Mr Qarase said he had international support – including from New Zealand – to remain.

His broadcast to the nation signalled a worsening in his battle with Republic of Fiji Military Forces chief Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who is demanding the prime minister's resignation.

"I declare emphatically that there is absolutely no question of me resigning in response to the current situation, or of my government stepping down," Mr Qarase said.

He said the government had the constitutional authority and the support of the people "to rule now and for the next five years".

Mr Qarase said he had received messages of support from New Zealand, Australia and the US, which had called on the military to respect democracy and the rule of law.

Hours earlier, Mr Peters said New Zealand was liaising closely with Australia, which reportedly has warships on standby in case it needs to evacuate up to 7000 of its nationals, but was wary of preparations being misconstrued in Fiji.

"There should be no opportunity provided to anyone in Fiji to pretend this is anything other than a peaceful operation to secure the safety of Australasians (if needed)," Mr Peters said, describing New Zealand's interest as that of a "long-term good friend".

New Zealand issued a low-level travel warning for Fiji, urging travellers to monitor the media and stay away from crowds and other potentially volatile situations.

The preparations came as Commodore Bainimarama fended off high- level bids to fire him and continued to demand the immediate removal of Mr Qarase. As well, the military defied Fijian police and removed a 7.5-tonne shipment of ammunition from Suva's wharves.

Mr Peters' stance that Kiwis could be evacuated if the need arose is in contrast to the Fiji coups of 1987 and 2000 and the Solomons coup of 2000 when New Zealand did not act to help nationals caught in the crises.

Military sources said last night that the New Zealand Navy has no readiness to evacuate civilians from Fiji and any operation would be dependant on getting into Nadi International Airport. Sources say it would be easier simply to use commercial operators who operate numerous flights each day.

While Fiji was calm yesterday, Commodore Bainimarama – who is currently in Iraq, but due home over the weekend – stepped up his threats.

"I'll be back to see that Qarase and his cronies step down," he told yesterday's Fiji Sun newspaper.

The military chief's comments came a day after Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo's order for Commodore Bainimarama's resignation was thwarted when the military refused to accept Colonel Ratu Meli Saubulinayau as his successor.

Sources close to the military said the 3500 strong Republic of Fiji Military Force appeared ethnically split, just as it was in November 2000 when a mutiny broke out, leaving eight dead.

Prime Minister Helen Clark called on Commodore Bainimarama to step aside yesterday, and Mr Peters said he had massively overstepped his authority.

"The strong advice we have is the commander must himself follow the Fiji constitution," Miss Clark said. "One would have thought that if the president seeks to suspend him then those orders from a legitimate government should be followed."

Mr Peters said the commodore – whom he has known for many years – had over-reached his authority, but he was reluctant to call him personally and ask him to back down unless there was some sign he would have an effect.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said it was looking at the capacity to look after Australians in Fiji, but there were no plans for Australian military intervention.

Fiji military spokesman Major Neumi Leweni said Commodore Bainimarama was expected to return to Fiji on Sunday or early next week.

The situation between the government and military was unchanged.

"The Prime Minister did address the nation yesterday and indicated his willingness to sit down and discuss with the commander the issues that we've raised and hopefully they will come to some solution," Maj Leweni told NZPA.

He denied reports that the military illegally seized a container, carrying ammunition, from Suva's wharf yesterday or that police on the wharf were threatened.

"We did send out all the necessary documents and we had all the documents necessary to remove the ammunition from the wharf," he said.

"There were no threats."

- With NZPA


READY FOR ACTION: Fiji police's Tacital Response Unit provides extra security for the prime minister and cabinet ministers before and after meetings in Suva.