THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 18,333 sq km (11 385 sq mi)
Population: 801,500 (1999)
Capital City: Suva
People: Fijian, Indian, European, other
Pacific Islanders and Chinese
Languages: English (official), Fijian,
Hindu
Religions: Christian, Hindu and Muslim
Currency: Fijian dollar (FJD)
Major Political Parties: Soqosoqo
Duavata ni Lewenivanua (United Fijian
Party) SDL, Fiji Labour Party (FLP),
Conservative Alliance/Matanitu Vanua
(CAMV), New Labour Unity Party
(NLUP), National Federation Party
(NFP), United General Party (UGP)
Government: Fiji has a multi-party
government comprising of the SDL, the
CAMV, NLUP and two independent MPs.
President: Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu
Uluivuda MBE, MF, JP
Prime Minister: Laisenia Qarase
Foreign Minister: Kaliopate Tavola
Membership of international groups/
organisations: Africa, Caribbean and
Pacific Group of States (ACP), Asian
Development Bank (ADB),
Commonwealth, Colombo Plan,
Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group
of 77 at the United Nations (G77),
International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (IBRD), International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO),
International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions, ICRM, International
Development Association, International
Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD), International Finance
Corporation (IFC), IFRCS, International
Hydrographic Organization (IHO),
International Labour Organisation
(ILO), International Monetary Fund
(IMF), International Maritime
Organisation (IMO), International
Telecommunications Satellite
Organization (Intelsat), Interpol,
Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (IOC), International
Standards for Organisation
(subscriber), International
Telecommunication Union (ITU),
Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), South
Pacific Regional Trade and Economic
Co-operation Agreement (SPARTECA),
Pacific Community (SPC), South
Pacific Forum (SPF), United Nations
(UN), United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO),
United Nations Industrial Development
Organisation (UNIDO), Universal Postal
Union (UPU), World Health
Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual
Property Organisation (WIPO), World
Meteorological Organization (WMO),
World Trade Organisation (WTO).
GEOGRAPHY
Fiji lies in the heart of the Pacific
Ocean midway between the Equator
and the South Pole. Fiji's Exclusive
Economic Zone contains approximately
330 islands, of which about one-third
are inhabited. It covers about 1.3m
square kilometres of the South Pacific
Ocean. There are two major islands -
Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Other main
islands are Taveuni, Kadavu, Gau and
Koro. 83% of the land is owned by
indigenous Fijians. Only 16% of Fiji's
landmass is suitable for agriculture.
This is found mainly along the coastal
plains, river deltas, and valleys. Apart
from the Capital, Lautoka is the only
other major city and both are located
on the island of Viti Levu. Of the total
population of 801,500 (1999), 51.1% are
Fijians, 43.6% Indians and 5.3% are of
other races.
Fiji enjoys a tropical South Sea
maritime climate without great
extremes of heat or cold. The islands
lie in area that is occasionally
traversed by tropical cyclones, and
mostly confined between the months of
November to April every year. The
temperature averages 22 degrees
Celsius for the cooler months (May to
October) while November to April
temperatures are higher with heavy
downpours. Fiji's flora and fauna are
relatively few in number but are of
exceptional scientific interest because
of the higher proportion of endemic
forms. 10% of the 476 indigenous Fijian
plant species identified are endemic
with a few rare reptiles and birds.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Longer Historical Perspective
According to Fijian legend, the great
chief Lutunasobasoba led his people
across seas to the new land of Fiji.
Most authorities agree that people
came into the Pacific from South East
Asia via Indonesia. Here the Melanesians
and the Polynesians mixed to create a
highly developed society long before
the arrival of the Europeans. The
European discoveries of the Fiji group
were accidental. The first of these
discoveries was made in 1643 by the
Dutch Explorer, Abel Tasman and
English navigators, including Captain
James Cook who sailed through in
1774, and explored further in the 18th
century. Major credit for the
discovery and recording of the islands
went to Captain William Bligh who sailed
through Fiji after the mutiny on the
Bounty in 1789.
The first Europeans to land and live
among the Fijians were shipwrecked
sailors and runaway convicts from the
Australian penal settlements.
Sandalwood traders and missionaries
came by the mid 19th century.
Cannibalism, practised in Fiji at that
time, quickly disappeared as
missionaries gained influence. When
Ratu (Chief) Seru Cakobau accepted
Christianity in 1854, the rest of the
country soon followed and tribal
warfare came to an end. From 1879 to
1916 Indians entered as indentured
labourers to work on the sugar
plantations. After the indenture system
was abolished, many stayed on as
independent farmers and businessmen.
English is the lingua franca, but Fijian
and Hindi are also taught in schools as
part of the school curriculum.
Indigenous Fijians have their own local
dialects. Indians generally speak a
distinctive Fiji-Hindi dialect.
BBC Monitoring Timeline
POLITICS
Fiji achieved independence as a Realm
within the Commonwealth on 10
October 1970. After a general election
in April 1987, which was won by an
Indo-Fijian dominated coalition, headed
by Dr Bavadra, Lt Col (later Major
General) Sitveni Rabuka led two
military coups that made Fiji a Republic.
Rabuka's government took Fiji out of
the Commonwealth.
Major General Rabuka was appointed
Prime Minister in 1992 following
elections held under a new Constitution
promulgated in 1990. This Constitution
guaranteed indigenous Fijian
paramountcy in the most senior
government and administrative
positions. One of the provisions of the
1990 Constitution was that a review of
Fiji's constitutional arrangements
should take place before mid-1997. A
Constitutional Review Commission was
established in 1995 under the
chairmanship of Sir Paul Reeves, a
former Governor General of New
Zealand. The Reeves Commission
submitted 697 recommendations to
Rabuka's government in September
1996.
After close co-operation between all
of Fiji's political parties, the Joint
Parliamentary Select Committee
(JPSC) set up to consider the Reeves
recommendations reached agreement
in April 1997 on a number of core
issues: the principle of a multi-racial
Cabinet; the distribution of electoral
seats; adoption of a Bill of Rights; and a
Compact protecting all the peoples of
Fiji. The agreement received unanimous
support from both Houses of Fiji's
Parliament and was formally adopted
on 25 July 1997. The constitutional
amendments came into effect on 27
July 1998, creating a newly named
'Republic of the Fiji Islands'. Elections
under the new Constitution held
between 8 and15 May 1999 produced a
surprise landslide victory for the Fiji
Labour Party (FLP) and Fiji's first
Indo-Fijian Prime Minister, Mahendra
Chaudhry.
In mid-1999, after Mr Chaudhry's
election, there was a spate of
bombings in Fiji. Extreme Fijian
nationalists were thought to be
responsible. They claimed that Mr
Chaudhry's policies unfairly favoured
the Indo-Fijian community.
Recent Political Developments
On 19 May 2000, Fiji's first ethnic
Indian Prime Minister, Mahendra
Chaudhry, most of his cabinet, and a
number of MPs were taken hostage in
the parliament building by an armed
group led by George Speight, failed
businessman, son of an Opposition MP
and member of a radical group of
ethnic Fijian nationalists, the Taukei
(the Taukei were also a cross party
group in parliament). Speight was
supported by a number of rebel
soldiers from the elite Meridian
Squadron. Following a wave of rioting
and looting by Speight supporters in
downtown Suva against Indo-Fijian
properties, President Ratu Mara
imposed a state of emergency and a
curfew. After several abortive
attempts to negotiate the release of
the hostages, President Mara dissolved
Chaudhry's government on 28 May.
On 29 May, following the ransacking of
the state TV station by Speight
supporters, (angry at a TV programme
critical of Speight) the commander of
Fiji's military, Commodore Frank
Bainimarama declared martial law. On
30 May President Mara stepped aside
and Commodore Bainimarama
abrogated the 1997 constitution.
On 6 June the Commonwealth
Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) met in
London and issued a statement
suspending Fiji from the Councils of the
Commonwealth (exclusion from all
meetings and bodies of the
Commonwealth, rather than a full
expulsion).
The hostage crisis ended on 13 July
2000, when coup leader George
Speight released the hostages in return
for a number of concessions. Speight,
who was initially granted an amnesty
from prosecution as part of the deal to
free the hostages, used threats to put
pressure on the new President, Ratu
Josefa Iloilo, to include several of his
(Speight's) supporters in the interim
administration. As a result of this
amnesty, in response to the military's
abrogation of the 1997 Constitution and
because of the undemocratic way in
which the interim administration was
formed, the UK announced the
temporary withdrawal of its High
Commissioner to Fiji on 18 July. The UK
subsequently imposed a package of
targeted measures on the Fijian
administration. Speight's amnesty was
later cancelled because he failed to
return the weapons he had seized
from the military. Speight was
convicted of treason on 18 February
2002 and sentenced to life
imprisonment.
On 28 July 2000 the military
transferred power to an unelected
interim administration. President Iloilo
swore in ex-banker, Laisenia Qarase,
as Prime Minister, who in turn
appointed a Cabinet and other
Ministers. The UK's Secretary of State
and the Foreign Office Minister, John
Battle, both issued a series of
statements throughout the summer,
making clear the UK's disapproval of
events in Fiji and calling for a swift
return to democracy. And in July Mr
Battle announced a package of targeted
UK measures, (including the suspension
of Foreign & Commonwealth Office
funded assistance to Fiji's government,
naval visits and joint military
exercises), which were designed to put
pressure on the interim administration
to restore democracy and respect the
rights of all of the people of Fiji.
Following significant pressure from the
international community, the interim
administration committed itself to
holding elections before March 2002.
On 15 November 2000 Justice Anthony
Gates, sitting in the High Court of Fiji,
ruled that the military's abrogation of
the 1997 Constitution was illegal.
Justice Gates also found that Ratu
Mara remained the legitimate President
of Fiji and called on him to recall
parliament and appoint a new
government. After consulting with Fiji's
Great Council of Chiefs, President Iloilo
was able to engineer the
re-appointment of Qarase and his
interim administration as a caretaker
government in order to lead Fiji to
elections.
These elections took place from 25
August to 1 September 2001 and were
found to have been mostly free and
fair by Commonwealth and UN
Observers. The electorate voted
mainly along ethnic lines and most of
the middle-ground, multiethnic and
moderate parties were all but wiped
out.
The SDL party of former interim
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase won
the most seats (31) in the 71 seat
parliament, with the deposed Prime
Minister's Fiji Labour Party coming in
second with 27 seats. Mr Qarase
looked the most able to form a coalition
and was sworn-in as Fiji's new Prime
Minister on 10 September. However,
Fiji's Chief Justice and others
expressed concerns over the
constitutional legitimacy of Mr Qarase's
failure to include members of the Fiji
Labour Party in the Cabinet that he
announced on 12 September. Under
Fiji's 'rainbow' constitution, all parties
who win over 10% of the vote in an
election are entitled to a number of
Cabinet positions proportionate to their
share of the vote. Former Prime
Minister Chaudhry launched a legal
challenge to the FLP's exclusion. The
case was heard by Fiji's Appeal Court
in February 2002. The Court decided
that, according to the country's 1997
Constitution, the Fiji Labour Party was
entitled to seats in the Cabinet. But
they passed the case to the High Court
for a ruling. The High Court found in
favour of Chaudhry in April. Qarase
appealed unsuccessfully against this
decision and the case moved to the
Supreme Court. They are duto hear
the case on 18 & 19 June 2003.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action
Group decided on 20 December 2001
that, in recognition of the broadly free
and fair elections and the fact that the
government were approaching the
question mark over their own
legitimacy in a manner in keeping with
the constitution, Fiji's suspension from
the Councils of the Commonwealth
should be lifted. The UK lifted its
targeted package of measures on 21
December.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
Fiji's economy continues to grow
modestly at above 5% but various
sectors show mixed performances.
Cane and sugar output declined
significantly in the 2001 and 2002
seasons when compared to the 2000
season. The performance of the
garment industry continues to be
affected by factory closures. On a
positive note, the tourism industry
continues to hold up reasonably well,
although May 2003 figures showed a
small decline. Recent setbacks have
arisen from the 11 September attacks
on the US and the Bali bomb. Other
sectors such as retail, gold,
agriculture, timber and fisheries are
showing strong growth. Looking ahead,
weaker global prospects could dampen
Fiji's economic activity and growth to
some extent. The impetus for growth
is expected to come primarily from
domestic sources until the
constitutional problem is solved. Only
then can Fiji expect to benefit from a
rise in FDI.
GDP per head: US$ 4043 (2000 est.)
Annual Growth: 2.9%
Inflation: 4.9% (to March 2001)
Major Industries: Sugar, tourism, gold,
fish, lumber and clothing
Major Trading Partners: Australia,
Japan and New Zealand
Exchange rate: £1 - F$ 3.20 Trade
Partners UK Country Profile: Fiji
Trade and Investment with the UK:
The UK's Tate & Lyle sugar refiners
are major purchasers of unrefined
sugar from Fiji. The British furniture
retailers, Courts, are also well
represented in Fiji.
Aid & Development:
Fiji receives development assistance
from Australia, New Zealand and the
European Union. A large part of the
European Union's programme is on hold
pending the resolution of the
constitutional issue (see above).
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Fiji's Relations with its Neighbours
Fiji is an active member of the Pacific
Islands Forum, whose Annual Meeting it
hosted in 2002. Fiji has close relations
with Australia and New Zealand, which
are its principal export markets and
main source of tourist revenues.
Fiji's Relations with the International
Community
Fiji is a member of the UN, and
supplies troops to take part in
peacekeeping operations world-wide
(including East Timor). Fiji's suspension
from the Councils of the
Commonwealth was lifted on 21
December 2001. Fiji is a member of the
ACP (Africa, Caribbean & Pacific)
grouping, and currently (from July
2002) holds the Presidency of the
organisation. Under the Cotonou
Agreement, Fiji is eligible for
development assistance from the
European Union. A significant part of
this is currently suspended because of
doubts about the constitutionality of
Fiji's cabinet.
FIJI'S RELATIONS WITH THE UK
Relations with the UK are generally
good. The UK provided a package of
£100,000 of assistance for the holding
of Fiji's elections and with voter
education. A number of students are
selected each year to pursue
post-graduate education in the UK
under the Chevening Scholarship
scheme. The UK also funded a £15,000
project to create a website for the Fiji
Parliament.
UK Military Assistance
Military links are close, with a number
of Fijian cadets training each year at
the UK's Royal Military Academy at
Sandhurst. A large number of Fijians
exercise their right as Commonwealth
citizens to join the British Army.
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