Fiji begins round-up of coup opponents

SUVA, Dec 6 (Reuters) Deposed Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, escorted by armed soldiers, was flown out of the capital Suva to his home island today, a day after the South Pacific nation's fourth coup in 20 years.

Soldiers also started to round up people they thought might oppose them, including the speaker of parliament and Fiji's acting police commissioner, and took them to the country's main military barracks in the capital Suva.

Qarase has called on Fijians to stand up for democracy.

The international community has condemned the coup, with New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark calling for Fijians and those inside the military to oppose Commander Frank Bainimarama.

''Our message to those around him is you owe it to your oath of allegiance to the Fiji constitution to act to stop this act of mutiny,'' Ms Clark told Radio New Zealand.

Fiji Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes has said the military does not have the backing of the Fijian people and that the coup might spark a popular uprising in support of Qarase.

Australia and New Zealand imposed sanctions on Fiji's military and the United States suspended aid.

Bainimarama staged a bloodless coup yesterday after a year-long power struggle with Qarase, whom he accuses of being too soft on those behind Fiji's last coup in 2000.

The military chief has appointed a caretaker prime minister and said an interim administration would prepare Fiji for fresh elections, but has given no timetable.

Senators in the Fijian parliament moved a motion today condemning the coup but before they could vote the sitting was interrupted by soldiers and the Senate adjourned.

''COUP CULTURE'' ''There is a coup culture which pervades this land,'' said Senator Tupeni Baba in moving the motion.

Baba, deputy prime minister in the Fijian government toppled in 2000, said there was a ''belief that we can solve our problems through the barrel of the gun, rather than through our intelligence and courage''.

Despite a military crackdown on media reporting, other leading politicians condemned the coup in news reports, including Fiji's first Indian prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, who was held hostage for 56 days in the 2000 coup.

''We just can't get out of the coup culture. We can't support the takeover and we hope that commander will quickly restore democracy in the country,'' Mr Chaudhry told the Fiji Post newspaper.

Opposition leader Mick Beddoes also condemned the coup.

Public opinion on the streets of the capital Suva remained firmly in support of Qarase and opposed to Bainimarama.

''I will just listen to Qarase because he is the prime minister of Fiji,'' said a Fijian man, who asked not to be identified, in central Suva.

A defiant Qarase and his wife Leba were taken from his Suva residence before sunrise today and flown to the island of Vanua Balavu to the east of the main island, government and airport sources told Reuters. The airport source said soldiers escorted Qarase to the aircraft and then boarded the plane.

Hundreds of Fijians rallied outside Qarase's Suva home after the coup yesterday to show their support for the prime minister, but there were no signs of public gatherings on Wednesday.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today that Bainimarama's actions appeared in part to have been linked to a demand that police drop an investigation into the beating and murder of five Fiji soldiers following a 2000 mutiny.

''That is, in other words, demanding that the police act outside of the law,'' he told Australian radio.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon told Australian radio that foreign ministers from the 53-nation organisation were likely to suspend Fiji on Friday.

Reuters SRS VP0750