(27 May 2000) Voice and effects
XFA
VOICED BY: RICHARD VAUGHAN
Fiji’s president caved in on Saturday to two key demands made by nationalist rebels holding the prime minister and other officials at gunpoint.
He’s agreed to fire the prime minister – a member of Fiji’s ethnic Indian minority – and his cabinet and appoint a new caretaker administration.
There’s been no reaction yet from Speight.
The announcement came several hours after the rebels started a gunfight with Fijian soldiers at a roadblock outside parliament in which two soldiers and a television producer and cameraman were wounded.
VOICE-OVER:
00.01
APTN cameraman Jerry Harmer was shot in the wrist in the gunfight. He explained what happened.
00.07
VOICE-OVER JERRY
"The firing started, whether it was accidental or not, I don’t know. I was standing about ten metres away from one situation where a soldier – or rather one of Speight’s men – was wrestling with a soldier and the soldier was holding his gun and firing his gun into the ground. And then I got struck. I don’t know whether it was a ricochet from that or whether the bullet was from somewhere else. But that’s what happened." (Ends 00.32")
00.33
The shootout happened near the parliament compound where the Fijian government is being held hostage.
00.39
Parliament was stormed by coup leader George Speight and his followers eight days ago.
00.45
Speight blamed the gunfight on soldiers deployed at the roadblock, and demanded that all troops withdraw.
00.52
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We are not at war with anybody and for them to start deploying the army in the public and restricting, I think the main reason is they want to restrict our supplies of food , and rations coming into the site and also to restrict members of the public from coming into the complex."
SUPER CAPTION: George Speight, Coup Leader
01.10
To diffuse the crisis, the President fired the government and agreed to appoint a new one.
01.15
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"This is a move that will release all the ministers who are under arrest from their responsibility and possibly also remove from the ground in which they are being kept hostage. They are no longer ministers".
SUPER CAPTION: Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Fiji President
01.40
He also said Speight may be granted immunity from prosecution.
But he didn’t grant Speight’s third demand — that the President resign.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/887ea78b5e4692bdca9f56999f422c31
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in August 18, 2025, 9:05 am.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
