6 Nov 2007

Ten Fijians in court over PM assassination plot

Ten Fijians, among them former senior army and intelligence officers, a chief and a former politician, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with plotting to kill the South Pacific island nation's prime minister.

A total of 16 people have been arrested over the assassination plot against Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji's military chief who came to power in a bloodless 2006 coup.

The 10 men appeared in a Suva court on Tuesday to be formally charged with treason, inciting mutiny and conspiracy to murder. The men are expected to enter a plea on Wednesday.

Bainimarama said that if security forces had not uncovered the assassination plot it would have led to "serious unrest, bloodshed, and instability in Fiji", which has been hit by four coups and an army mutiny since 1987.

"I am standing here before you of course happy to be alive," Bainimarama told a news conference on Tuesday.

"I am also able to say with confidence that the plan to kill me and a number of others and thereby also endanger the lives of other innocent citizens of this country has failed," he said.

Ten Fijians in court over PM assassination plot - Reuters

More about Bainimarama's coup in december 2006 on The Christian Science Monitor