FORMER FIJI PM RABUKA ARRESTED ON 2000 MUTINY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SUVA 000201 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2016 TAGS: PINS CJAN PREL MARR PGOV PINR FJ SUBJECT: FORMER FIJI PM RABUKA ARRESTED ON 2000 MUTINY CHARGES Classified By: Amb. Dinger. Section 1.4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) Summary: Former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has been arrested in Fiji and charged with inciting the military mutiny that took place in November 2000. Rabuka has been released on bail and his case has been transferred to the High Court, where a preliminary hearing will take place June ¶30. The arrest was the culmination of a long-running investigation by the police and the Department of Public Prosecutions. Opposition leader Chaudhry told us the arrest sent a much-needed signal that actions taken against lawfully elected governments will not be tolerated in Fiji. End summary. Rabuka Arrested, Released on Bail -------------- ¶2. (C) Sitiveni Rabuka was arrested on the evening of May 11 after his return to Fiji from medical treatment in India. He appeared in court on the morning of May 12 and was charged with fomenting the mutiny that took place at the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) headquarters in November 2000. No plea was taken. Rabuka was released on FJ$1,000 bail (about USD$580). Rabuka was ordered to surrender his passport and report to his local police station twice a week. A preliminary hearing will take place June 30 at Fiji's High Court. Chaudhry Hails Arrest -------------- ¶3. (C) Opposition leader Chaudhry told us May 12 that he was pleased with the arrest, which will send a strong signal to anyone contemplating taking action against the newly elected government. The timing of the arrest, he concluded, could not have been better. The ruling SDL party has made no comment yet on the arrest. The Rabuka Saga -------------- ¶4. (C) Rabuka led two military coups in 1987 and later served as Prime Minister until his SVT party lost the 1999 general elections. In the mid-1990s, he moderated his nationalist-Fijian views and collaborated with then-Opposition Leader Reddy to create Fiji's rather liberal, multi-cultural-oriented 1997 Constitution. Such cooperation, which alienated an important part of Rabuka's ethnic-Fijian base, led to the smashing defeat of the SVT in 1999. Rumors have suggested that Rabuka was involved behind the scenes in the 2000 ethnic-Fijian-led coup which removed then-PM Chaudhry and then-President Mara from office. 
A Long-Running Investigation -------------- ¶5. (C) Senior police sources told us many months ago that a long-running investigation into the events of 2000 pointed toward Rabuka playing rolls in both the initial coup and the military mutiny which followed six months later. That knowledge contributed to the U.S. declining to provide agrement in 2005 for the Fiji Government's proposal to send Rabuka as Ambassador to Washington. (Note: PM Qarase has appointed several figures rumored to have been involved negatively in the events of 2000 to diplomatic postings abroad, notably UN PermRep Savua, High Commissioner to Malaysia Adi Samanumu Cakabau, and former High Commissioner to PNG, now to Tokyo, Ratu Inoke Kabuabola.) ¶6. (C) The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) confirmed to us several weeks ago that he was prepared to indict Rabuka on 2000-related charges, but that Rabuka had headed off to India for knee-replacement surgery. The DPP speculated that Rabuka might stay away indefinitely, being aware the indictment was approaching. We note that DPP decision-making regarding the case was slow. Police sources had indicated privately many months ago that they had a good case against Rabuka that only awaited DPP endorsement. Bainimarama Vindicated? -------------- ¶7. (C) RFMF Commander Bainimarama was badly shaken by the SUVA 00000201 002 OF 002 November 2000 mutiny, which was engineered by elements of the Counter-Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) unit that Rabuka had established within the RFMF after 1987. Mutineers came close to killing Bainimarama at the time. Rumor has it that Rabuka was at the barracks that day, in his old uniform. Having the prosecutorial system pursue the mutiny perpetrators has been a key Bainimarama demand ever since. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) The indictment in the midst of Fiji's national elections might suggest some sort of political calculation. Could the Qarase Government, wanting to energize its ethnic-Fijian base, see Rabuka's 2000-related arrest as a way to inflame passions and get ethnic-Fijian folks to the polls to endorse Qarase's SDL party which has, despite protestations to the contrary, taken a rather soft approach toward some other highly placed Fijians involved in 2000? Or is the timing simply triggered by Rabuka's return, with an arrest order waiting? We would not be surprised if the earlier delay in indicting Rabuka had a political tinge; however, our initial impression is that the timing of last night's arrest is explained by Rabuka's flight schedule home. DINGER