Fiji Govt on coup watch: report
Fiji's Home Affairs Ministry is keeping a close watch on the military to ensure recent promotions and reports of high-level meetings are not a threat to national security, the Fiji Times has reported. The military scrutiny follows unsubstantiated reports that military commander Commodore Voque Bainimarama has been meeting senior officers and demanding their allegiance. Principal assistant secretary of defence, Peni Lomaloma, said that after being told of a meeting between the commander and his senior officials, the ministry has been keep an eye on developments to ensure "it does not threaten national security".
Personally, I'd say having the Commodore demanding the loyalty of groups of officers exudes an odor of fine antique mackerel... | "The talk is that some officers cannot see eye to eye with him," Mr Lamaloma said. Mr Bainimarama would neither confirm nor deny a special meeting, but said he met with senior officers every week. "The Ministry probably picked that information from the roadside," he said. "What is confidential to us cannot be released to the media."
"We wuz talkin' about things. Important things. Things youse wouldn't understand." |
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2004-01-13 |