Military to Appoint Government as Deadline Passes for Fiji Pact

Defying hostage-takers, Fiji’s military rulers said today that they would appoint a civilian government without consulting further with the gunmen.

The indigenous Fijian rebels holding the government hostage since May 19 have demanded a presence in the interim government before releasing their prisoners, who include deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, an ethnic Indian.

The announcement came a day after a rebel leader, once an officer in an elite British anti-terrorism unit, warned that the captives will die if the army tries to rescue them.

“We will die with the hostages,” Maj. Ilisoni Ligairi said Tuesday in an interview inside the parliamentary compound where 27 members of the ousted government are being held. “Blood will be shed” in any rescue attempt, he said.

Many Fijians believe that Ligairi is as powerful, or even more so, than businessman George Speight, who has dominated headlines in recent weeks as the gunmen’s leader.

Ligairi’s tough talk came as Fiji’s army issued an ultimatum late Tuesday giving Speight 24 hours to agree to sign an accord that would pave the way for the hostages’ release and that outlined procedures to appoint the new government.

But Speight quickly rejected the military’s ultimatum, saying any attempt to appoint a new government without the rebels’ input “will invite the wrath of the people.”

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Filipo Tarakinikini said today that the deadline had passed without a positive response from the rebels and that the army would proceed to name the new government.

He gave no further details, saying the army’s position would be outlined later today.

Talks between the gunmen and the military broke down over the weekend after Speight refused to sign the accord despite saying earlier that he would do so.