FIJI UPDATE 1/11/2007: CABINET TO MEET; EMERGENCY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SUVA 000023 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR PHUM PINR CASC ASEC FJ SUBJECT: FIJI UPDATE 1/11/2007: CABINET TO MEET; EMERGENCY REGULATIONS; BAD ECONOMIC NEWS REF: SUVA 22 Classified By: Amb. Dinger. Sec. 1.4 (B,D). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Fiji's interim cabinet is to meet formally next week for the first time. Detailed emergency regulations that curtail constitutional rights have appeared, purportedly signed Dec. 5, but very possibly back-dated. A New Zealand citizen of Fiji origin reportedly was tortured by authorities this week. The Interim AG is looking at RFMF immunity options. Behind the scenes, Fiji economic officials predict a depressing 2007 for the economy and for government finances. The name announced before the coup to be Fiji's new UN PermRep has been withdrawn. Australian conman Peter Foster, supposedly under military custody, may have sailed off to Vanuatu. End summary. Interim Cabinet to meet -------------- ¶2. (U) Interim administration sources report that Interim PM Bainimarama and the interim Ministers will meet formally for the first time next Tuesday, Jan. 16. An early item of business is expected to be a reshuffle of CEOs to realign senior civil servants with the reduction of ministries from 24 to 16. Interim Military Government regulations?? -------------- ¶3. (C) When Bainimarama seized power Dec. 5 he announced he was invoking emergency powers; however, the formally gazetted extraordinary decree at the time was extremely scanty on detail. Today we saw for the first time an extraordinary gazette of Dec. 29, of regulations purportedly signed by Bainimarama on Dec. 5, that go into detail on military and police powers under the emergency decree. The powers are very broad. We suspect, but cannot confirm, that the detailed emergency regulations were put together after activists started questioning unconstitutional human rights abuses, and then were pre-dated to Dec. 5. Abuse of a foreigner -------------- ¶4. (C) Our Kiwi colleagues report that a New Zealand citizen of Indo-Fijian origin was picked up in Sigatoka by several soldiers and a police officer a couple of nights ago, supposedly concerning a land dispute. He was beaten, jumped on, and had his head pushed under water. The New Zealand High Commission has lodged a complaint. Interim AG exploring RFMF immunity options -------------- ¶5. (U) Interim Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum has told the media he is studying various legal options for granting everyone in the RFMF immunity from prosecution for any coup-related crimes. Economic downturn predicted -------------- ¶6. (C) The Suva media have run a succession of stories quoting government and business sources predicting that Fiji's economy, including the tourism sector will rebound rapidly from the coup. We hear Ministry of Finance senior officials are much less optimistic. They predict GDP will decline by between 4 and 9% in 2007. The Reserve Bank reportedly expects the Fiji Government to hit a fiscal wall sometime in the July-September period unless unexpected revenue streams appear. A change in UN Rep -------------- ¶7. (U) The Qarase Government had named Tupeni Baba to replace PermRep Savua in New York. The Interim Government announced Jan. 10 that Baba's appointment is being withdrawn. The mystery of Peter Foster -------------- ¶8. (C) Australian conman Peter Foster, who offered Bainimarama "proof" of fraud in the May 2006 election in exchange for a chance to clear his name (see Suva 18 and previous for details),may have fled Fiji. He reportedly had been staying at Denarau (near Nadi) with his mother under apparently loose military supervision; but Vanuatu SUVA 00000023 002 OF 002 authorities say people saw a person of Foster's description departing from a boat near Port Vila on Jan. 10, and the boat had papers aboard in Foster's name. The RFMF has yet to offer an explanation. DINGER