Wednesday, 12 July, 2000, 11:07 GMT 12:07 UK
Fiji hostages tell of ordeal
Leo Smith receives a hug from a well wisher.
Left: Deo Narayan and wife San Toshi reunited after 54 days. Middle: Anup Kumar
wipes away a tear at a church service. Right: Bill Aull
relieved to be out.
The nine hostages released by Fijian rebels after nearly
two months in captivity have told how they lived in
constant fear during their ordeal.
They were freed from the parliamentary complex on
Wednesday as part of a peace deal agreed between
rebel leader George Speight and the military
authorities.
The remaining 18 hostages,
who include deposed prime
minister, Mahendra
Chaudhry, are expected to
be released shortly.
Deo Narayan, a backbencher
in the ousted government,
said the ordeal had been
traumatic.
"Put anyone in captivity for eight weeks with armed
people and you feel it... the stress and worry,
confinement and fear, constant fear of anything bad
happening," he added.
For Mr Narayan's wife, San
Tosh, it was the end of a
long and anxious wait.
"Today I'm very happy
because my loved one is
home, I'm really very
happy," she said.
At midday, Mr Narayan and
other released hostages
gathered with their families
at an Anglican church in
Suva to pray for the safe
return of their colleagues.
Former attorney general,
Anand Singh, said Mr
Chaudhry was "reasonably
well given the
circumstances".
Anup Kumar, a minister in
the Chaudhry government,
told the congregation he
would not wish their ordeal
on his worst enemy.
He said messages of support sent by his family during
their captivity had been like angels sent to comfort him.
Another hostage, William
Aull, thanked family
relatives who had brought
food packages down to the
parliamentary complex for
them.
"It was extremely hard
going believe you me," he
added. "A bar of chocolate
was like gold to us. A
banana, gee that was
something."
The releases came a day
ahead of Thursday's
meeting of the country's
powerful tribal leaders to appoint a new president and
install an interim government.
Mr Chaudhry, Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister,
and most of his multiracial cabinet were taken captive
on 19 May when armed rebels stormed the
parliamentary complex claiming power for indigenous
Fijians.
The rebels have demanded
that Fiji's large ethnic
Indian population be
stripped of political power.
Mr Speight has said he is
confident his group of
advisors will end up
dominating the new
administration and that he
should be the new prime
minister.
Mr Speight's spokesman Jo
Nata said the remaining 18
hostages would be released
ahead of Thursday's
meeting of the Great Council of Chiefs.
He said they had freed nine captives early as a goodwill
gesture and to prevent a "stampede" if all 27 were
released together.
Pradhuman Raniga, a
backbencher in the former
government, said they were
woken up just before
midnight and told to pack
their bags because they
were being moved.
But they got "an inkling" of
what was happening
because they were told to
leave their mattresses
behind.
Mr Raniga said there were
emotional scenes as they
said good-bye to the
remaining hostages. "I'm
not really happy because
the others are still in," he added.
The other released hostages are former works minister
Shi Sharan Sharma and backbenchers Prince Gopal
Lakshman, Vinod Maharaj and Leo Smith.
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last revision July 13, 2000