Commission of inquiry into terrorist activities of 2000

[posted 19 July 2006,1300]

Labour Parliamentary Leader Mahendra Chaudhry has welcomed the call by Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes for a commission of inquiry into the terrorist takeover of parliament in May 2000.

The Fiji Labour Party has repeatedly called on government to institute a public inquiry to establish the truth of what happened in 2000 and the key players behind the terrorist activities.

“The unlawful takeover of Parliament, the 56-day hostage crisis and the months of violence and mayhem that followed, wrecked the economy, brought untold suffering to thousands of innocent people and led to loss of lives,” Mr Chaudhry said.

“Although some people have been prosecuted and convicted for their part in the coup, a lot still needs to be revealed. We still don’t know who the real instigators were, nor have we tracked down the financiers of the coup.

“As Mr. Hughes has indicated, a truth commission or inquiry is imperative to complete the process. Besides, Fiji cannot hope for meaningful reconciliation and nation building unless the truth is told and all those involved are brought to justice,” the Labour Leader said.

FLP notes that calls for a commission of inquiry have also come from Josefa Nata, one of the key players in the terrorist events of 2000, now serving a life sentence on Nukulau Island.

Nata is prepared to appear before the inquiry and reveal whatever he knows. We also know that former coup-convict Maciu Navakasuasua is also prepared to testify before an inquiry.

The only impediment now to the instigation of an inquiry is the government. There is an urgent need for a change of attitude on the part of the government.

The people of Fiji want an inquiry. Government must take heed of this. It should stop wasting time and money on the controversial PRTU Bill, stop releasing people convicted of coup-related crimes and set up a national inquiry, headed by an eminent jurist, into the events of 2000.

“Only then will Fiji be able to bury the ghosts of the past and move on as a nation,” Mr. Chaudhry said.