N.Z. caution on armed intervention

Press, 15 May 1987, Page 1

N.Z. caution on armed intervention

Bj

BRENDON BURNS

in Wellington

Military intervention in Fiji by New Zealand was not ruled out by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, yesterday if such assistance is sought by the ousted Bavadra Government. Mr Lange, in a statement to Parliament, had mentioned that the New Zealand frigate Wellington was on patrol > only 400 nautical miles from Fiji. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, asked what this implied. Mr Lange said he hoped the implication was that there were a number of options available to nations in the region which must calculate their response to calls made by “legitimate authorities” in Fiji. They would include Fiji’s Gov-ernor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, whom Mr Lange praised yesterday as a man steeped in constitutional and military tradition. But without such a call there would be no intervention, Mr Lange said. He was, however, unequivocal in denouncing the military coup. He variously said it was deplorable, abhorrent, and repugnant that the democratically elected Government should be ousted in such fashion. Mr Lange spoke yesterday with the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Hawke, and it was a joint view that the coup was deplorable. But Mr Lange said the issue of a combined New ZealandAustralian military operation had not arisen in the talks. He revealed that an Australian naval vessel was in port in Suva, and another at Lautoka. However, Mr Lange said that the two countries did not want to pave the way for suggestions that

they were working like neocolonialist Powers. “Our response, needs to be one of great caution,” he said. But again Mr Lange left open the possibility of a military response. “There again it would be equally tragic if a legitimate call for help in restoring order were let go unheeded to the detriment of the people of Fiji,” Mr Lange said. But there was more likelihood of violence being caused by racial conflict than by the coup itself. The safety of New Zealanders in Fiji was a judgment which people on holiday and living there would be best to make, However, six military aircraft — three Andovers, one Boeing 727, and two Orions — had been put on alert. These would be used for any evacuation which proved necessary. There were normally 1000 to 2000 New Zealanders living in Fiji, he said.