Police Commissioner issues stern warning
Police Commissioner BrigadierGeneral Sitiveni Qiliho says there will not be a repeat of the events that occurred during a protest march in 2000 which was used to topple the Chaudhry Government.
That year, amidst a nationalist protest march, a group of heavily-armed men invaded parliament and held the government side, including all its cabinet ministers captive for 56 days.
The Fiji Trades Union Congress is organising today’s march in support of some Air Terminal Services workers embroiled in near month-long standoff with management.
“I will not allow and, I repeat, I will not allow anything similar to the events of 2000 to happen under my watch,” Brigadier-General Qiliho said.
“It will be very stupid for anyone to try it after what transpired back in 2000. We are working closely with the military and will deal with any issues decisively.” Shops were looted and public property vandalised as so-called aggressors ransacked the capital city during the period of civil unrest in 2000.
The violent uprising was touted as a nationalist push for indigenous political control, led by businessman George Speight. For his roles in the turmoil, Speight was jailed for life.
FTUC president Felix Anthony said he did not anticipate any incidents and generally believed the march would be peaceful, like the workers’ rights march in Suva last October.
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces intervened in 2000 and suspended the constitution, installing an interim Government with Laisenia Qarase as its head. Brigadier-General Qiliho confirmed that the military’s assistance had been enlisted for the march as a “strategic reserve” and would be deployed if the need arose.
“I have great confidence in my officers in the West and their commander, Divisional Police Commander (Senior Superintendent of Police) Abdul Khan,” Brigadier-General Qiliho said.
“I have been briefed and endorsed the concept of operations. I have told him (DPC West) of Police reserves that will be making preliminary moves that are available should he need assistance.
“It is a concept involving a conglomerate of activities involving both overt and covert activities with an injection of technology to assist my men in the west.”