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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SUVA 000538 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2016 
TAGS: PREL MARR ASEC CASC FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI UPDATE 12/5: COUP OR NO COUP? ACTION REQUEST 
 
REF: SUVA 531 
 
Classified By: Amb. Dinger.  Sec. 1.4 (B,D). 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1. (C) Dec. 5 was an "only in Fiji" sort of day.  RFMF 
Commander Bainimarama moved further to force his coup on the 
Qarase Government.  The PM told the media he had heard from 
the President's office that the President had dissolved 
Parliament and given Bainimarama his green light.  Certainly 
it appears Qarase is under house arrest.  But President 
Iloilo issued a statement at mid-afternoon denouncing the 
RFMF's actions as clearly contrary to the Constitution.  The 
Chair of the GCC urged troops to go "back to the barracks." 
At least one senior military officer has resigned.  Based on 
events as of early afternoon, the Australian and New Zealand 
PMs reportedly announced their governments would impose tough 
sanctions on the RFMF.  Australian media reported Qarase 
asked PM Howard for military intervention and received a "no 
can do" response.  Qarase denied he had asked.  Bainimarama 
is to meet the media at 6 p.m., and we hear (per septel) that 
he will announce he is going ahead with the coup, despite the 
President.  We ask Washington to gear up a tough sanction 
announcement to be issued the moment the situation is clear. 
End summary. 
 
RFMF attempting to force its coup 
--------------------------------- 
¶2. (C) As Dec. 5 dawned in Suva, there was further 
confirmation that the RFMF was endeavoring to force its 
"clean up" coup on the Fiji Government.  Overnight, RFMF 
personnel began confiscating Ministers' official vehicles. 
With dawn, military check points were in place at various 
locations in Suva, including on all access streets to the 
PM's office, a block from the Embassy.  The troops were 
letting general traffic through, and Embassy employees had no 
trouble getting to work.  The PM and his Ministers, however, 
were unable to access offices in the main government 
buildings, and the Cabinet session the PM had scheduled for 
the a.m. was put off.  Instead, Qarase met with Ministers at 
his home throughout the day.  At about 11 a.m., RFMF troops 
visited the PM's home and obtained the keys to his official 
vehicles.  They visited again in early afternoon, but did not 
force entry.  They drove the vehicles away. 
 
PM under de facto house arrest 
------------------------------ 
¶3. (C) As the day wore on, additional visitors arrived at the 
PM's home to offer support.  Particularly notable was the 
arrival of three Fiji Labor Party Ministers in the 
multi-party cabinet.  Several Methodist ministers arrived to 
offer prayers and provide moral support.  Reportedly, a 
number of ethnic-Fijian women came, sat in the front entrance 
area, and sang hymns.  In the afternoon, PM Qarase publicly 
acknowledged that he appears to be under house arrest. 
 
PM told by Presidential advisor to give up 
------------------------------------------ 
¶4. (C) In late morning, PM Qarase told media interviewers 
that the President's Official Secretary had told him the 
President wanted him to accept all RFMF demands or resign. 
Qarase said he replied: "I do not agree...I can't do either 
of those."  We are told the PM and his Ministers had decided 
firmly yesterday that resigning and/or asking the President 
to dissolve Parliament were not options.  Qarase said, "There 
is virtually a coup now taking place."  He suggested the 
military had strangled the police force and was now 
strangling the Government.  Qarase told the media he appeared 
to have "few options left."  RFMF Land Forces Commander Driti 
said publicly that Ministers and some CEOs would be arrested 
and taken to Nukulau Island in Suva harbor, where some 
leaders from the 2000 coup are "imprisoned." 
 
But President announces opposition to coup in p.m. 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
¶5. (C) Vice President Madraiwiwi told us at mid-afternoon 
that, indeed, the RFMF was in the process of trying to force 
the Qarase Government out and was attempting to do so "under 
cover of the President."  Bainimarama went to Government 
House in the a.m. to ask the President for a dissolution of 
Parliament.  Madraiwiwi told us he strongly advised against, 
since the President would be acting unconstitutionally. 
Madraiwiwi said he drafted a media statement for the 
President to issue.  He read it to us, and we urged the VP to 
get it out ASAP.  The statement, which finally hit the 
 
SUVA 00000538  002 OF 003 
 
 
streets at 4 p.m., says the President "doesn't condone or 
support" what the RFMF is doing, which is "clearly contrary 
to" the Constitution, democracy, and rule of law.  The 
statement also affirms that the President intends to remain 
in office as Fiji's crisis plays out. 
 
Fiji's constitutional constraints 
--------------------------------- 
¶6. (C) Fiji's Constitution limits the powers of the 
President.  He is Commander in Chief, but he acts on advice 
of the PM.  He can dissolve Parliament, thereby removing a 
government, only on advice of the Prime Minister or if 
Parliament fails to pass a major bill, such as the budget, or 
if the PM clearly has lost the confidence of Parliament. 
Parliament passed the budget handily a few weeks ago, and 
Qarase retains firm loyalty of his majority.  Reportedly, 
Bainimarama has proposed to invoke "the doctrine of 
necessity," borrowed from Pakistan and utilized during the 
2000 coup when the then PM and most of Parliament were 
detained by George Speight and his cronies.  Fiji courts 
later accepted that the doctrine of necessity was acceptably 
invoked for a limited period in the circumstances of 2000. 
The current crisis, fomented and triggered by the RFMF, in 
our view could not possibly be legally utilized, even by the 
President, to allow that same RFMF to seize power.  We hear 
that was the view of RFMF legal advisor LtCol. Caucau, too, 
which is why Bainimarama sent him on indefinite leave some 
weeks ago.  Eminent Fiji lawyers and judges have confirmed 
our legal understanding. 
 
Calls for "back to barracks" 
---------------------------- 
¶7. (C) A diplomatic colleague has heard that the VP has urged 
the President to issue an order, as Commander in Chief, for 
the RFMF to return to the barracks.  We cannot confirm that 
as yet.  The Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC), 
Ratu Ovini Bokini, told the media he has appealed to the Army 
to return to the barracks and not to arrest the PM.  He said 
the military's actions had "ignored the wisdom" of the GCC 
and would lead the country to a path of suffering that would 
affect thousands of families. 
 
Navy Deputy Commander resigns 
----------------------------- 
¶8. (C) LtCdr Brad Bowers, Operations Officer (number two 
position) in the Fiji Navy, told the Embassy DATT today he 
has resigned because he cannot participate in the RFMF's 
illegal coup.  Other RFMF officers have told us in recent 
weeks that, if the RFMF mounts a coup, they will also resign. 
 
Australia and New Zealand weigh in 
---------------------------------- 
¶9. (SBU) New Zealand PM Clark hit out at both Bainimarama and 
President Iloilo in public remarks (before the President 
issued his statement).  Clark said New Zealand would invoke 
sanctions against the RFMF immediately.  Australian PM Howard 
condemned Bainimarama's actions, said Australia would also 
invoke sanctions, and added that Australia would impose 
travel restrictions, not just on RFMF coup leaders but also 
on any Fiji citizens who take roles in an interim government. 
 
Request for Australian intervention? 
------------------------------------ 
¶10. (U) According to Australian media reports, PM Qarase 
asked PM Howard today for Australian military intervention to 
reverse Bainimarama's coup, and PM Howard declined.  Qarase 
told the Fiji media that the report was "merely speculation." 
 Qarase said he did not ask for Australia to intervene 
militarily. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶11. (C) We were told last evening that Bainimarama had a 
two-page statement ready to deliver at a press conference. 
Instead, the Commodore appeared only briefly, looked 
stressed, and confined his comments to a defense of the 
RFMF's confiscation of police weapons.  The context suggested 
that something behind the scenes was not going quite 
according to plan.  There are rumors, as yet unconfirmed, 
that a portion of the RFMF is not prepared to pull the 
trigger on a clear-cut coup.  The resignation of the Navy 
Deputy Commander confirms at least some dissent.  That could 
explain why Bainimarama has been anxious to have the 
President on board.  A green light would give an illusion of 
legitimacy, even though the President quite clearly under 
Fiji's Constitution has no power to remove the PM in the 
 
SUVA 00000538  003 OF 003 
 
 
present circumstances. 
 
¶12. (C) The President's public announcement of disapproval 
today could rock the RFMF, as might the hard-hitting 
statement from the GCC Chair and the more and more visible 
expressions of dismay from many in the broader public, most 
particularly within the ethnic-Fijian communities.  To this 
point, though, the troops seem to have followed the 
Commodore's orders.  Australia's notice that it will impose 
travel restrictions on any who take up responsibilities in an 
interim government could well cause some to reconsider 
offers.  We noted media reports today that Ratu Epeli Ganilau 
(a former Commander of the RFMF and former Chair of the GCC) 
and Felipe Bole (former Foreign Minister in the Rabuka 
Government) both danced around questions whether they would 
accept interim-government responsibilities.  FLP leader and 
former PM Chaudhry said again that he would not serve in any 
government that is not legally established, though plenty of 
rumors have him on Bainimarama's list for a ministry. 
 
¶13. (C) Reportedly the RFMF is at the Government Printing 
Office at work on an announcement.  Bainimarama is to hold a 
media conference this evening.  He just met with DATTs and 
told them, in brief, that Fiji's situation simply requires 
him to act, even if without the President's backing (see 
septel). 
 
Action request 
-------------- 
¶14. (C) If it becomes quite clear that Bainimarama has taken 
control and has removed PM Qarase from power, we hope 
Washington will be ready immediately to announce U.S. 
sanctions.  Obviously, the mandatory Leahy Amendment 
sanctions re FMF, IMET, GPOI, ESF, etc. must be invoked.  We 
also encourage consideration of penalizing the RFMF in the 
PKO field, to the extent our interests in the Middle East can 
bear that.  We acknowledge that the issue is between major 
realist interests in Middle East -- the RFMF has provided 
excellent PKO service in Lebanon, the Sinai, and Iraq -- and 
support of democracy in Fiji.  If we opted to squeeze RFMF 
PKO interests, we would have an impact here.  The RFMF has 
hundreds of troops with both MFO Sinai and UNAMI in Iraq. 
Bainimarama has expressed strong interest in the past in 
having the RFMF join MNFI as well.  Remittances from troops 
abroad are a major RFMF source of income.  Bainimarama 
recently said publicly that, as was the case after the 1987 
and 2000 coups, Fiji PKO opportunities surely will be 
unaffected by a coup in 2006.  If we proved that wrong, the 
RFMF leadership (below Bainimarama at least) might reconsider 
options. 
 
¶15. (C) We also encourage the USG to join New Zealand and 
Australia in imposing travel restrictions against RFMF senior 
leaders and civilians involved in fomenting and leading the 
coup, and against those who agree to take up roles in 
Bainimarama's interim government.  Fiji is in a remote part 
of the world.  If routes to Australia, New Zealand, and the 
U.S. are severed, coup leaders and supporters will quickly 
feel it. 
DINGER