Three soldiers who had rallied their support behind George Speight have returned
back to the Queen Elizabeth Barracks. They were responding to a call from Commodore
Frank Bainimarama. Today he gave military personnel supporting Speight a deadline
of 3pm. Any soldier who left before that deadline were not going to be de-commissioned.
This means all soldiers who remain at Parliament lose their military status
and are now ordinary citizens.
Military spokes-person, Captain Eroni Volavola confirmed the three were Leiutenant
Colonel Viliame Volavola and two others who were part of the Engineering unit.
The later were part of the group led by Major Josefa Savua that defected from
the military and joined Speight's group three days after the coup.
Captain Volavola says the three are being questioned by the Operations centre. He refused to elaborate.
The call by Fiji Trade Union Congress for a national strike would not be successful
at this time, says the Fiji Employers Federation.
Chief Executive Ken Roberts says most workers lucky enough to still have their
jobs will be concerned about preserving those jobs for the longest possible
time. Mr Roberts asked whether the FTUC is more interested in combating the
immediate effects of the Speight coup or in bringing the economy to its knees
in the name of democracy.
Following a meeting of the board of the Fiji Employers Federation this morning,
they requestd the FTUC to call off plans for a national strike and to ask the
Australian trade unions to lift the trade bans which would hurt so many of Fiji's
innocent people.
A delegation from the Military Council led by Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini are
meeting representatives of the UNDP . This is to inform them of options open
to the military now that talks have deadlocked with Speight.
Meanwhile George Speight's group is sending out its version of the breakdown
in talks to the 14 provinces.
The Roko Tuis' at each Province will converge at the Fiji Military Barracks
at 3pm today for a meeting with the Military Council.
The meeting is to address the break-down in talks with George Speight's group
. The Roko Tuis are expected to brief the chiefs.
The meeting was called by the Commander and Head of the Interim Military Government
Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
As the hostage situation enters it's 18th day, hundreds of workers are being
sent home by their employers due to the crisis.
The President of the Fiji Australia Business Council, Mark Halabe has blamed
the Fiji Trades Union Congress for the current mass lay off of workers in the
garment and footwear industry.
However FTUC's General Secretary, Felix Anthony claims Halabe is just thinking
of his business and not the democracy in the country.
Halabe says due to the FTUC's request for the trade ban, 15 thousand jobs are
at risk in the next few weeks. He says the lay offs start today as United
Apparrel lays of more than 300 garment workers.
And as the FTUC's request of a trade ban is considered by the New Zealand Unions,
consultant for the Fiji Master Butchers Association, Graham Byron says meat
supply will greatly be affected if New Zealand goes ahead with the ban.
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