SUVA, Fiji (June 13, 2000 - USP Journalism Programme/Pasifik
Nius/Niuswire)---It's an irony of this bizarre insurrection in Fiji, now in
its fourth week, that the country has been "celebrating" two public
holidays
in two successive weeks. Today Fiji, which is on the verge of becoming a
Commonwealth pariah, is celebrating the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, the
Head of the Commonwealth.
The sun is shining and the temperature is up in the late twenties (Celsius)
an appropriate moment for a leisurely look around the ravaged central
business area of Suva. It was burned and looted on the same day that the
first, and I suspect the last, Indo-Fijian Prime Minister was congratulating
himself on the achievements of his Labour coalition government. A few hours
later the same Prime Minister and most of his Cabinet were being held at
gunpoint and still are.
Today Suva is a siege city under army control with a nightly curfew and
gun-toting soldiers at dozens of checkpoints. The common and well-loved Fiji
commodity of smiling is getting harder to find.
Each day newspapers show us yet another picture of a soldier and stories
about rape, arson another or different demand from the self-styled
Parliament of the common man.
Last night a trade union leader had part of his house burned. Accelerants
were found nearby.
Supporters of the terrorists burned a local restaurant to the ground. As I
write the fire brigade has put out another fire in the city.
Suva has always been a port city, but today equipment associated with the
wharf is taking over large areas of the central shopping area. Walked 400
meters and count over twenty huge bright red, blue and gray shipping
containers straddled across shop fronts, to prevent anyone other than
Hercules from entering the damaged shops that lie behind these new metal
walls.
Ignore the burned out rubbish of the Yatu Lau Arcade with sunlight shining
through the sad black eyeholes of burned and twisted metal. Walk over the
warped metal fan at the front of one shop that used to sell poorly made
umbrellas and home handyman tools.
This used to be the scruffiest arcade in Suva, full of bargain stores
selling combs, condoms, cheap shoes, and baby clothes. Spend a dollar and
the shopkeepers were pleased.
Between two containers is a passage with a sign asking customers to "enter
here." It was a supermarket.
A hundred yards down the road is the elite "The Diamond Store." It
had the
reputation of being one of most attractively laid out shops in Suva with
neat window displays and courteous shop assistants.
It looks like a second-hand store, covered with grime from the riots and
barricaded to keep out any new looters who might pass by. A small group of
onlookers stand next to a rubbish truck listening to the sound of glass
being swept up and carried to the waiting truck.
I thought to myself that was it over three weeks since the riots? Why was it
only now that the shop was being cleaned up? I asked someone at the shop,
why the delay? He refused to answer me by turning away.
A Fijian woman muttered to me, "You, why you take photographs of our country
when it like this?" This time I didn't answer and turned away.
Further down the road there is chink of light between two containers. Inside
is a half-empty shoe shop. The shelving is damaged. There is no glass in the
shop window, but it isn't needed anyway. The shipping container offers solid
protection.
This shopkeeper is more responsive than the despondent owner of the diamond
shop was. He talks for several minutes about his losses and how it all
happened so quickly.
He feels lucky as his shop was not burned and he thinks he might be able to
rebuild his business. "People need shoes as well as food. I will make a
small living." I ask about the future of Suva. He shrugs his shoulders
and
does not want to say anything. I press him for a reply.
"I tell you. . . about 20 percent of the shops that were destroyed were
privately owned. The rest are leased. No one wants to pay for the damage -
the insurance companies don't, the city council is quiet and the small
shopkeepers can't pay. That is your answer."
Title -- 2786 FIJI: Bizarre life in a siege city
Date -- 13 June 2000
Byline -- Pat Craddock
Origin -- Pasifik Nius
Source -- Pasifik Nius/USP Journalism Programme, 12/6/00
Copyright -- Pat Craddock/USP Journalism Programme
Status ‹ Unabridged
Email queries: David.Robie@usp.ac.fj
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last revision June 15, 2000