News from Fiji

I've just received a little bit of news from friends in Fiji
First a bit more info on the coup:
It seems the new PM has declared that there will not be new elections for at least 2 years, and a friend tells me he doesn't see this happening for many years without the action of Fijian citizens and international assistance. Dissenters are already being arrested, and the press being censored. As a direct result the economy is already feeling the effect, as the islands' huge tourist industry (400,000 visitors per annum) is a major wage earner.
Another friend has informed me that though he agrees with many of the concerns of the Commander of the Military Forces he recognises that this is definitely not the way to solve any problems. Already the islands are feeling isolation from the international community, with sanctions imposed by New Zealand, and others to follow.
The concerns seem to centre on corruption within the inner circle of the deposed government and the presence of people involved in the last coup (2000) in parliament. These people were still under investigation, and there is the feeling that many of the Bills being proposed followed the demands of these people. Commander Bainimarama had been passively raising these issues for the last few years, but it seems he has now tired of this approach, and taken more direct, and extreme, action.

And secondly an update on Yadua:
So far none of the money has been spent, but the Development Committee hope to be using some of this to set up the lights for the Village Hall and Church before Christmas. An Australian scientist, who has been working on nearby Taba, is due back on the 18th, bringing with him some of the materials needed (the rest can be bought in Fiji). The Environment Committee hope to start their activities next year.
Life on Yadua has continued pretty much unaffected by the coup so far, probably as a result of it's remoteness, and at least some of the National Trust activities are going ahead as normal.

Finally I wish everyone in Fiji well, and hope the problems are solved quickly and peacefully. Best wishes also to my friend at the National Trust, who was recently injured in a car accident, get well soon Jone.

Fijian Military Coup d'Etat

Apologies as it's has been so long since I posted anything here, hopefully I will get round to updating this a bit more regularly. However, in the meantime I wanted to write something briefly on the current events in Fiji.
Under the command of Commodore Frank Bainimarama the Fijian military has deposed the Prime Minister, dissolved parliament and sacked the police chief. These moves have been criticised by the international community, and it is likely that Fiji will, as a result, be suspended from the Commonwealth.
These events are not unsurprising given the racial tensions (50% of the population being ethnic Fijians and 44% ethnic Indians (originally brought to the country to work on the plantations)) and recent history (there was a coup in 2000), but, as with anything of this nature, it will likely have serious implications for the future. Hopefully the transition back to a democratic government will be peaceful and will not take long.
I do not know what effect this may have had on the villagers of Denimanu, or the workers of the National Trust. For now it is most likely that there may be some travel restrictions around the country which would effect the National Trust, but not really Yadua. When I hear news I will post it here, but I am sure everyone there has a bit more on their minds than replying to my emails!
For more information on this I recommend the coverage on the BBC News Website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6212364.stm