SUVA (Pacnews) — The continuing cases of harassment and mistreatment of civilians were submitted before a four-member team in Fiji in a fact-finding mission following the Dec. 5 coup that ousted the government of Laisenia Qarase.
The team was selected by the Pacific Islands Forum which included Australia and New Zealand as members to look into the causes of the coup de’tat and suggest possible assistance in returning the island to parliamentary rule.
Its being led by Vanuatu’s deputy prime minister, Sato Kilman, and included the retired head of the Australian Defense Force, Peter Cosgrove, Samoa’s Environment Minister Faumuiana Luiga and Papua New Guinea’s retired Chief Justice Sir Arnold Amet.
“The continued human right abuses inflicted on civilians including pro-democracy activists was singled out as an obstacle towards returning the country to democratic rule,” a member of the local NGO collective who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals from the authorities told Pacnews.
“We told the (Eminent Persons Group) that Fiji can’t just return to normality until these harsh treatments by soldiers continue.”
Another submitee to the EPG said the lack of a clear roadmap towards democratic rule was also raised before members of the EPG.
The tentative timeframe of five years the head of the interim regime kept talking about is deemed far too long, the submitee said.
“There needs to be some clarity on the timeframe of the roadmap that will take the country back to democratic rule. The non-compliance by the regime of provisions of the country’s 1997 constitution was also raised as another obstacle.”
Coup leader and now interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama told members of the EPG at their meeting here on Monday that an election could only be held once important legislative and capacity building work had been completed.