A series of events took place in the Pacific republic of Fiji in 2006, involving a public feud between the government and military. Tensions took a dramatic turn for the worse on 11–13 January, with reports of unusual troop and naval deployments, crisis meetings of the National Security Council, and the erection of police roadblocks. Rumours also swept the capital that the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, had been arrested by the police on government orders, but the Military denied this. The crisis came to a head on the 13th, with Bainimarama announcing that he had dismissed the Acting Land Force Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka for insubordination. This event was a precursor to the military coup that finally took place on 5 December 2006.
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces suffered serious and deep divisions when a faction of elite soldiers helped stage a coup on May 19, 2000 and later led a bloody mutiny attempt on November 2 the same year.
The target of the failed mutiny, which left five rebel and three loyalist soldiers dead, was the commander of the RFMF Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama. The mutiny left Bainimarama shaken and deeply suspicious of any of his officer coups who contradicted him.
In the years that followed there were several low-key internal differences in the RFMF over Bainimarama's continued public standoff with the government of Laisenia Qarase. By January 2006, these differences were beginning to spill out into the public domain, most notably with the confrontation between Bainimarama and his second-in-command Lieutenant-Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka over the ongoing public feud.
Overview At first it seemed the military was moving to take over the government between January 11–13, with unusual troop and naval deployments around the capital. Military establishments were barricaded and rumours spread that the military was preparing to seize power. Rumours also swept the capital that the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, had been arrested by the police on government orders, but the military denied this.
In response the government called crisis meetings of the National Security Council and police checkpoints were set up. It was an internal military crisis that began a national concern because for months previously the army's top brass had been hinting at a takeover. The crisis came to a head on the 13th, with Bainimarama announcing that he had dismissed the Acting Land Force Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka for insubordination.
Baledrokadroka later said he had confronted Bainimarama about his continued standoff with the government and had tried to persuade him not to stage a coup. Bainimarama, for his part, accused Baledrokadroka of threatening to stage a mutiny.
The Queen Elizabeth Barracks crisis On the afternoon of the 12th, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, following reports of a "serious situation" at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks earlier in the day. Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes was summoned to the meeting, after which the Prime Minister, accompanied by more than the usual number of body guards, told reporters that the security situation was "under control", and appealed for calm.
The situation at the barracks was said to involve a group of Army officers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka, Bainimarama's second in command, confronting the Commander about his anti-government statements. This was rumoured to have been followed by a meeting between Bainimarama and other officers, in which he was said to have solicited their support. The Fiji Live news service reported that senior officer Colonel Meli Saubulinayau was subsequently called in to mediate between the two factions, and was said to have defused the tension. Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni denied the rumours, claiming that no unscheduled meetings had taken place. However, the gates to the camp were closed and guarded by armed military police, an unusual move.
Captain Leweni denied reports that Commodore Bainimarama had been arrested, and said that he remained in charge of the Military. This was confirmed by Bainimarama himself when he appeared in public at a rugby union training session at Albert Park that evening. There was no instability in the barracks, he insisted. "All the rumours that are going around regarding the meeting and my arrest are all false. None of it is true," Fiji Live quoted him as saying. He insisted that the meetings held that day had been "normal procedure", asking rhetorically, "Would I be here if there was instability between my senior officers and me?" He denied rumours that two senior officers alleged to have confronted him had been detained in a cell at the Nabua barracks on his orders. There was nothing sinister about the closing of the barracks gates, he said. He had been at dinner at the time and had ordered the gates to be closed because he had not wanted to be bothered talking the media, who were outside, he claimed.
Naval and police deployments Unusual naval movements were also reported. In what the Navy described as an exercise to test the ability of its fleet to react to emergencies, three vessels were sent out into Suva Harbour and kept watch over Government House. The naval headquarters was also placed under guard. Naval spokesman Lieutenant Commander Bradley Bower later claimed that the navy had only been conducting "normal routine exercises."
By nightfall, police roadblocks were going up around Suva, ostensibly to maintain law and order. The Police Tactical Response Unit, established to respond quickly to emergencies, was also put on special alert, the Fiji Times reported the next day. Police spokesmen Lemeki Ravai and Jahir Khan denied that the roadblocks were connected with the crisis, however. They were part of Operation Sasamaki, they claimed - a crackdown on road offenders and petty criminals.
There were also reports of increased security at Nadi International Airport.
It was announced that Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola would meet Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi the next morning to discuss the outcome of Madraiwiwi's talks with the Commander earlier in the week. The meeting would decide what disciplinary action, if any, would be taken against the Commander for his frequent outbursts against government policies, it was said. Various news outlets produced conflicting quotes from Commodore Bainimarama, on whether he had, or had not, met with Madraiwiwi on the 11th. On the afternoon of the 12th, however, he told the Fiji Village news service that the meeting had in fact taken place, but declined to reveal any details about what had been discussed.
The dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel Baledrokadroka Fiji Live reported that Commodore Bainimarama had dismissed Baleidrokadroka from his position of Land Force Commander, in the wake of the previous day's altercation. The dismissal was confirmed by Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni and by Baleidrokadroka himself, who told Fiji Television that he was on leave, pending resignation. Bainimarama himself had taken over the command in person, it was reported. On 15 January, he told a press conference that two new Chiefs of Staff - Colonel Pita Driti as Chief of Staff Land Force, based at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks, and Captain Esala Teleni as Chief of Staff Strategic Headquarters in central Suva.
New Zealand's The Sunday Star-Times newspaper reported on 15 January that Baledrokadroka was the brother of Senator Adi Lagamu Vuiyasawa, the common-law wife of Ratu Inoke Takiveikata, the Qaranivalu (Paramount Chief) of Naitasiri, who has been convicted and imprisoned for his role in the mutiny of 2 November 2000. The Sunday Star-Times considered this detail important, and noted that all of Fiji's newspapers had omitted to mention it.
Baledrokadroka's version Baledrokadroka told the Fiji Times on the 14th that he had resigned rather than obey a "treasonous" order of Bainimarama's. "I asked the commander for his resignation on the grounds that it was perfectly clear that he was going to commit treason," he told the Fiji Times. In a further statement the next day, he clarified that at a meeting of senior officers on the 9th, Bainimarama had hinted that he might be arrested and instructed them to come and free him in such an event. He denied claims by unnamed army sources that he had tried to stage a mutiny. "I am a professional soldier and I would not dream of such a thing," he said emphatically.
He told Fiji Live the next day that the crisis for him had begun when he had told a colleagues at a meeting of Commissioned Senior Officers that he was opposed to the Commander's recent antigovernment pronouncements. His motive for opposing the Commander was professional, not political, he claimed, and emphasized that he would not change his stand.
Speaking to the Fiji Sun on the 14th, Baleidrokadroka condemned the Commander for accusing him of threatening to shoot him. "He has lied and he knows that he is lying," Baledrokadroka declared. "... I absolutely deny that I threatened violence against the Commander and I’m deeply shocked at the allegations."
On the 16th, Baledrokadroka denied claims made by the Fiji Labour Party and by Commodore Bainimarama himself that he had colluded with Prime Minister Qarase in an attempt to depose the Commander. "They (the FLP) are still sort of hanging on to that, the victim thesis that they have been the victim of coups in the past and its only fair in their eyes that the Commander do something, whatever it is. At the moment it looks to be extra constitutional," he told Fiji Television. He further claimed that Bainimarama had attempted to trick him into executing a coup. The second paragraph of an order handed to him on 8 January seemed "sinister", he said, and claimed "legal experts" (whom he did not name) concurred with his opinion that it was tantamount to a coup plot.
Bainimarama's version Fiji Village reported on 14 January that at a press conference held that afternoon, Commodore Bainimarama said that Baleidrokadroka had been dismissed for insubordination and for failing the loyalty test of the Military. The command which Baleidrokadroka had refused to obey had been only a test, which he had failed miserably, the Commander claimed. He had been willing to give Baleidrokadroka another chance, he said, but Baleidrokadroka had made matters worse by talking to the media. Baleidrokadroka's dismissal would be a lesson to other potential insubordinates, he said. The message was clear that any acts of insubordination would be dealt with quickly and decisively. "Now soldiers know what will happen if they support JB," Fiji Live reported him as saying. "Obedience is paramount in the army."
Bainimarama was joined by Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni, who revealed that Military Police were now investigating the circumstances surrounding the barracks crisis that led to Baleidrokadroka's resignation, and a Board of Inquiry had been set up. On 16 January, Lieutenant Colonel Etueni Caucau, Bainimarama's legal adviser, told Fiji Live that an inquiry was necessary to prevent a repeat of the 2000 mutiny. A number of "borderline officers" had been identified whose loyalty would be investigated, Caucau said.
Caucau had earlier told Fiji Live on the 14th that Baleidrokadroka had "threatened" the Commander and had been confined to his office by other senior officers to prevent him from carrying out his threat. Baleidrokadroka's claim to have outside support, and his alleged attempts to elicit support from soldiers, was what had prompted the closing and guarding of the barracks' gates, Caucau added.