World Notes FIJI

The first sign that something was afoot came at 4 p.m. last Friday, when armed troops invaded the offices of two newspapers and a commercial radio station in the Fijian capital of Suva. Within an hour, Army Commander Lieut. Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka then confirmed the flying rumors. His forces, he announced over the radio, had "reasserted their authority over the government." It was Rabuka's second coup in four months.

The military strongman seized control hours after Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, who represents Queen Elizabeth II in the former British colony, announced an interim solution to the Pacific island chain's political problems. Ganilau proposed a caretaker government consisting of all major political groups pending new elections. But Rabuka said he would accept nothing less than permanent political control by ethnic Fijians, who constitute 47% of the population while ethnic Indians make up 49%.

After his takeover in May, Rabuka agreed to hand over power to a council of advisers headed by the Governor-General. But tensions remained high, as militant Fijians repeatedly attacked ethnic Indians and burned their shops. Few observers expected Rabuka's latest move to restore tranquillity to the once idyllic land.