FIJI ISLANDS POLITICAL CRISIS: BACKGROUND, ANALYSIS, AND CHRONOLOGY (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Dec. 11, 2000 |
| Report Number |
RS20690 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Thomas Lum, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
On May 19, 2000, Fijian businessman George Speight and his followers took Prime Minister
Mehendra Chaudhry, an ethnic Indian Fijian, and 30 government and parliamentary officials hostage
in an attempt to return the political system to indigenous Fijian dominance. The Fiji military
appointed an interim civilian government, negotiated the release of the hostages on July 14, 2000,
and then arrested Speight on July 26, 2000. Although the interim civilian government expressed
disapproval of Speight's actions, it also indicated plans to create a new Constitution that bars
Indo-Fijians from the position of Prime Minister. On November 16, 2000, the Fiji High Court found
the formation of the interim government and abrogation of the 1997 Constitution illegal. The United
States has demanded a swift restoration of democratic government in Fiji.
