SUVA, Fiji (23 Mar 2001) -- Fiji's caretaker government has announced that elections will be held from August 25 to September 7. Last May 19, armed rebels led by ultra-nationalist/racist George Speight stormed parliament and toppled Fiji's democratically elected government. The rebels took hostage Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, along with about 40 cabinet ministers. The military finally ended the coup, installed an interim government led by Laisenia Qarase, and arrested Speight on charges of treason. Fiji's High Court, followed by the Court of Appeal, ruled the Qarase-led interim government illegal, but it was reinstated just hours after it stepped down. | | Racist rebel leader George Speight Ethnic Indians make up about 44 percent of Fiji's population and dominate the main sectors of the economy including sugar, garment manufacturing and tourism. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
