Pacific

Fiji hardliner says coup investigations should stop and prisoners be released

20:17 pm on 3 July 2006

There's been a call on Fiji's multi-party cabinet to stop all coup investigations, terminate pending cases and release all prisoners jailed for coup related offences.

It comes just as the police commissioner, Andrew Hughes, has said that police have made major breakthroughs in their investigations in recent months and files on major players in the coup have gone to director of public prosecutions.

The Fiji Sun reports that the call has come from the interim secretary of the pro-coup Conservative Alliance Matanitu Party, Ropate Sivo.

Mr Sivo, who is reviving the Conservative Alliance, says the Qarase government should make an immediate decision to terminate coup cases and release prisoners rather than relying on the passing of the Reconciliation and Unity Bill.

Mr Sivo says Fiji has capable leaders who could help to avoid any sort of confrontation if the decision is made to free all coup prisoners.