Posted at 7:51 a.m., Monday, March 12, 2007
Ousted Fiji premier under investigation for treason
Associated Press
SUVA, Fiji — Fiji's ousted prime minister said today police were investigating him for treason because he inquired about help from Australia and New Zealand to prevent the coup that ended his rule.Laisenia Qarase called his then Australian counterpart John Howard and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark last December as Fiji's fourth coup in 20 years unfolded, and military leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power.
Howard said at the time Qarase had asked Australia to send troops, but that he had refused. Qarase said he asked only for a detailed explanation about the kind of Australian assistance available, not for military intervention.
Under Fiji law, any person who instigates a foreign invasion can be charged with treason. It carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Qarase said he would cooperate fully with police who informed him they were coming to his home village on the remote island of Vanuabalavu, where he has been banished since the Dec. 5 takeover.
"I am ready to be interviewed by them and there is nothing to hide," Qarase said by telephone.
Clark told reporters the situation was strange.
"This is a bizarre turn of events," she said. "It's extraordinary to me that a government that has installed itself by military coup, which is a seditious and treasonable act in itself, is now accusing a democratically elected prime minister of asking for (foreign) support."
