Fiji's interim prime minister has hit back at criticism of his rule by the United States, likening his actions to those who fought for American independence.
Commander Frank Bainimarama, who led a coup in December, replied to a rebuke made by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last May.
She had told a meeting of Pacific nations in Washington that democracy should return to Fiji.
But Commodore Bainimarama likened his actions to the strong-arm methods of those who fought in America's revolutionary war against Britain.
He appealed for Fiji to be left alone to sort out its problems.