4 Mar 2008

Indigenous Fijians plan rally this weekend to discuss the impact of the 2006 coup on youth

3:08 pm on 4 March 2008

Young indigenous Fijians are planning a rally on Saturday to call on the interim Government to allow greater political participation.

The rally, which is being organised by the Young People's Concerned Network and the Provincial Youth Forum of the Fiji Islands, will take place in a hall in Kalabu village on Saturday morning.

The Youth Forum's Jone Ryder says since the military takeover, indigenous Fijian youth have suffered job and scholarship losses, and human rights abuses.

Mr Ryder says the interim regime has failed to consult indigenous youth on many issues and that's why they're planning the gathering.

"The Young People Concerned Network and the Provincial Youth Forum are planning to have an indigenous young people's rally, whereby the indigenous Fijians in the greater Suva and Nausori area can come together and discuss issues that are facing them caused by the recent political climate that we have been going through."

Jone Ryder says they've invited the interim regime to take part in the discussions.