24 Aug 2006

Fiji Labour Party presses on with disciplinary action against dissidents

9:57 am on 24 August 2006

The Fiji Labour party is speeding up disciplinary action against its five senior dissident members with another meeting of its national council expected to be held on Saturday.

The acting chairman of the council, Tulsi Ram Khelawan, has told Radio Legend that they have the powers to discipline the five.

Mr Khelawan says the charges against cabinet ministers Krishna Datt and Poseci Bune, MPs Felix Anthony and Agni Deo Singh, and former senator Dr Atu Emberson-Bain will be read out at the meeting and they will be given 7 days to respond.

He says the party's assistant general secretary, Lekh Ram Vyashnoi, is preparing the charges after 19 of the 26 national council members voted for it at the last national council meeting.

Mr Khelawan says they have definitely decided to take action and will follow all proper procedures according to the Labour Party constitution.