A MEETING called by the Roko Tui Dreketi, Adi Lady Lala Mara, is
scheduled to take place on Thursday at the Soqosoqo Vakamarama House
in Nabua.
Adi Lady Lala is yet to arrive in Suva after leaving for Lakeba two weeks
ago with her husband, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, the former President. It is
believed the meeting will look at possibilities of resolving the current
political impasse.
From the Parliamentary complex, rebel spokesman Ratu Timoci Silatolu
said they have the support of the 13 out of the 14 tikina in Rewa. Yesterday,
two busloads of people from Noco and the Yavusa Burenivalu paid a visit
to the Parliament.
They were led by Ratu Isoa Damudamu.
Fiji's Daily Post
THE Roko Tui Cakaudrove has denied reports that Cakaudrove supports
the formation of a Tovata government.
"We remain true to the Great Council of Chiefs and we are not diverting
from that," said Ratu Jekesoni Yavalanavanua.
Tomorrow, the masi ni vanua and the Lalagavesi will meet at Somosomo to
discuss the current political impasse.
"There have been a lot of rumours flying around that we want a separate
state, but all that is not true," he said.
Fiji's Daily Post
THE Tappoo Group of Companies are uncertain about whether they will
reopen their Suva store.
Word from Tappoo headoffice in Suva is that the management is
monitoring closely the crisis and has yet to make up its mind about starting
business again.
Suva store director Mahen Tappoo is out of the country and was
unavailable for comment yesterday.
Tappoo was one of the shops looted in Suva after the takeover of
government by George Speight and his group on May 19.
Fiji's Daily Post
PEOPLE must be prepared to forgive and forget past differences to have
peace and prosperity in the coming days, said a student from the
Solomons.
Jayhilly Kenijama, a student at the University of the South Pacific, said this
is his message to everyone here and at home in the Solomons, the two
island nations, where democratically-elected government-members were
overpowered at gunpoint by rebel leaders and still remain is captivity.
Kenijama is one of the 20 Solomon students who consider Fiji safer than
the Solomons.
He said Fiji is safer because people here are a bit disciplined, compared to
the Solomons. "I am planing to stay on here and just wait for the university
to reopen because back home, things seem to be getting out of hand," he
said. "I feel sorry for all those who had left for home but then, they
didn't
know that they will have to face the same situation as what happened in
Fiji." Mr Kenijama said that the two coups staged by the rebels in the
region may be described as "copycat" events but their reasons are
different.
"There is absolutely no similarities - both have their own reasoning for
what has happened ... ours is a tribal war and it's about one tribe taking
revenge on another," he said. Another student, Grammy, said that the only
similarity that the nations share is the collapse of booming economies.
Mr Grammy said that there will be mass job losses, closure of businesses,
loss of investor confidence, which will all contribute to moral decay. "The
problem has been building up from last 18 months and due to this the
economy has been slowly deteriorating. Our oil industry has been closed
for a year now and we expect more damage later in the year," he said.
"Tourism is also badly affected; I can say that Solomons is just relying
on
the tuna industry but then there is no grantee that it will survive for long."
He said that the cost of such political crises is shared by everyone,
irrespective of who they are.
Fiji's Daily Post
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