Bavadra group joins Ganilau committee

Press, 14 July 1987, Page 8

Bavadra group joins Ganilau committee

By

James Shrimpton

of AAP (through NZPA) Suva Hopes for a peaceful solution to Fiji’s post-coup crisis improved yesterday when the four nominees from the dismissed Coalition Government attended a meeting of the constitutional review committee for the first time. The committee’s chairman, Sir John Falvey, said the Coalition representatives were cordially received and took part in very constructive talks. There had been no hint of any opposition to the plan of Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, to return Fiji to parliamentary democracy. The four nominees are three members of the deposed Bavadra Government, Jai Ram Reddy (At-torney-General), Krishna Datt (Foreign Minister) and Dr Tupeni Baba (Minister of Education), plus a high-ranking Fijian chief, Ratu Mosese Tuisawau.

The Coalition issued no immediate statement after the meeting. A Government House statement said the 16member committee would hold hearings in the provincial towns of Lautoka, Ba and Labasa later this week to give the public every opportunity to make representations. The committee then will meet in Suva next week, and receive written submissions with an extended deadline of Friday, July 24. The Governor-General and officials of his interim government were believed to have viewed with considerable relief the attendance of the Coalition quartet at yesterday’s third meeting of the committee. They had boycotted the earlier two. The 24-hour detention of Mr Datt by security forces over the week-end had thrown doubt upon whether they would appear as promised. Mr Datt was held at the Army barracks in Suva

after being arrested by armed soldiers at his home late on Saturday night. The Army said yesterday that while in Australia and New Zealand recently, Mr Datt had concocted stories which painted a grim picture of the Army in particular and the country as a whole.

He had warned of multiple rapes and murders committed by soldiers which had badly damaged Fiji’s image and its tourist industry. Mr Datt said no-one had questioned him about his statements during his detention in the barracks guard room. Mr Datt said he had not been physically molested, had been allowed meals and medication for his high blood pressure, and had been treated “kindly” by the soldiers. The Governor-General announced yesterday that procedures for public and group meetings had been relaxed under the emergency regulations to allow full discussion of the constitutional review. On Friday, Ratu Sir Ganilau ordered the forces to respect civil rights and act with caution when dealing with meetings. The warning followed the arrest of six leading trade unionists discussing Australian and New Zealand union trade bans on Fiji.