Breaking News: Fiji Coup has began.

[brettdale]

Breaking News.

The Fijian Military has just announced it has taken over, this has been rumored for weeks, but there was hopes that talks would advert a coup.

[MADem]

1. There's a load of conflicting info on the 'internets'

Fiji army chief's high noon deadline


Update: 7.30PM Fiji's army commander, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, says he will overthrow the Qarase Government by midday tomorrow unless all his demands are met before then.

He said it was time to end the stand-off between the military and the Government.

"There will be a peaceful transition. We do not expect resistance," he said.

Commodore Bainimarama said the Wellington meeting yesterday had been a total failure and he had not agreed to anything.

He said comments earlier this afternoon by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase that agreement had been reached were all lies......

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=52643

[brettdale]

2. Just thinking the same thing

Its 9pm NewZealand time as I write this, at 6pm we had on our news that there will be no coup and talks were successful, at 830pm we had a breaking news flash that the Military had taken over and just about ten minutes ago they said, there is now a deadline to meet demands.

The strange thing is the talks were held here in NewZealand, we could of arrested this guy, but we just let him go.

[meegbear]

3. The BBC is reporting that only a deadline has been issued ...

Fiji's military chief Cmdr Frank Bainimarama has warned he will overthrow the government on Friday afternoon if his demands are not met.

Cmdr Bainimarama accused Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase of stalling on a pledge to scrap controversial legislation.

Fiji has been tense for weeks amid a stand-off between the two men.

"I think it's about time we end this impasse," Cmdr Bainimarama told a press conference, adding that the "transition" would be "peaceful".

<snip>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6158619.stm

[Poll_Blind]

4. I tracked down his announcement from a few hours ago (in English)

He gave the speech just outside the mess hall (at a military base?) If you choose to listen to the recording, know that there's a false start to the recording, you'll hear the recording repeat after a minute or two. Keep listening, on the second repeat it plays the whole thing.

Recording here. Seems to play in Windows Media Player.

Of note from the recording:
:graybox: Says the government is moving slow on the "cleaning-up" campaign and needs to hurry (mentions Christmas coming up, no shit)
:graybox: "A cleaning-up campaign is to begin".
:graybox: Says there will be a peaceful transition of power if government does not act quickly.
:graybox: Some of his demands are about dropping 3 bills in the Fijiian parliament. Something about land-reclamation.
:graybox: A group said they would cause problems if he overthrew the government, he tells them to go back to their village
:graybox: If the government does not carry out the "cleaning-up" campaign, the military will
:graybox: Says government should get rid of police chief Hughes, talks about too many people going to jail
:graybox: Gives government until "tomorrow afternoon" to move on "clean-up campaign" or face military action

About six minutes into the recording, someone shouts at him from the audience to which there is an uncomfortable Saddam-purge-style silence, then continuation.

PB