SUVA, Fiji (5 Dec 2006) -- Fiji's elected leader said Tuesday a military takeover was under way in the South Pacific country as armed troops surrounded his house and other government buildings in a lockdown of the capital. "There are some things that aren't clear," Qarase told the Legend network by telephone, when he was asked if he was still in charge. "If the military has completed the takeover, then they are in control. If they have not completed the takeover, then we are still the government of the day." "There is virtually a coup now taking place," Qarase told New Zealand's National Radio earlier on Tuesday. Qarase has refused to meet Bainimarama's demand that he resign, prompting the military chief to order a gradual lockdown of the capital, Suva, since early Monday. Soldiers loyal to Bainimarama on Monday disarmed the police. Bainimarama has been threatening to "clean up" the government for weeks. He said soldiers had emptied two police armories Monday "to ensure that police weapons are not used against the military." Qarase has offered to suspend the contentious bills, but says he cannot agree to any demands that go outside the law. Meanwhile, ministers — some of whom complained that their government vehicles were confiscated by troops overnight — came in small numbers to Qarase house for meetings. The confiscations appeared to be further pressure by the military to force Qarase to resign. Police were patrolling the streets as well. A coup would be the fourth in 19 years for the country. The military twice grabbed power in 1987 to ensure political supremacy for indigenous Fijians among a population that includes a large ethnic Indian minority. Bainimarama issued a deadline of noon last Friday for Qarase to either meet his demands or step down. On Sunday, Bainimarama changed tack slightly and demanded Qarase allow an interim government to be appointed. The raids appeared aimed at pressuring Qarase to voluntarily meet his demands, without the full military takeover that could trigger international censure and the possibility of sanctions. "They are now reaching a point, the military, where they are trying to persuade the prime minister to stand down without actually mounting a coup," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, whose country has been watching developments in nearby Fiji closely, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio in Canberra. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark on Monday said that Bainimarama had been warned that international sanctions would follow if he staged a coup. | 
