24 Aug 2006

Fiji PM rejects commission of inquiry into 2000 coup

10:01 am on 24 August 2006

Fiji's prime minister says he does not see any reason at this stage to have a commission of inquiry into the May 2000 coup.

Radio Legend says Laisenia Qarase was responding to the police commissioner, Andrew Hughes, who made such a call yesterday saying the truth needs to be revealed about the coup before there can be reconciliation and unity.

Mr Hughes said there is so much knowledge and information out there that will simply not get captured by the criminal justice process that the public have the right to know.

But Mr Qarase says police had been advising the government that their investigations into the coup were progressing well and that they were coming to a close.

He says he is surprised that there is now a call now for a commission of inquiry.

Mr Qarase says the new Reconciliation and Unity Bill will assist the police because under that legislation "there is provision for an inquiry of some type."

He says there was a lot of objection to the Bill but it is being refined now and "hopefully when it is introduced the next time it will be fairly acceptable to all."