Police halt Qarase treason probe
Wednesday August 22, 2007

Deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase

Fiji Police says it has put treason investigations against deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase on hold.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Waisea Vakamocea said they are still awaiting a report form INTERPOL on the case.

Vakamocea said he has stressed to INTERPOL the gravity of the investigations and have sent "many reminders" but said he could not impose on INTERPOL to speed up their work.

He also did not know how INTERPOL was prioritising the matter.

Police began the investigation, which was launched after the military alleged that Qarase had requested military intervention from Australia and New Zealand in the lead up to the December 5 coup.

INTERPOL is being asked to gather statements from the Australia and New Zealand Prime Ministers on whether Qarase had asked for foreign military intervention in Fiji before or following the December 5 coup..

Former Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), Josaia Rasiga who began the investigations said under Section 51 of the Penal Code dealt with "instigating invasion and "any person who instigates a foreign intervention into your country is liable for treason, if there is evidence to prove that he did it."

Qarase who plans to come back to Suva from Lau on August 27 has categorically denied asking armed assistance.

However, this is despite Howard acknowledging receiving a "last minute" call from Qarase requesting "military intervention".

"To respond to a request for military intervention in a situation like Fiji, it is something that would have been carefully planned," Howard told Melbourne's Radio 3AW on December 8.

"I mean I got this request right at the last minute from the Prime Minister (Qarase). Now I understand his position and I have a lot of regard and respect for him."

"I never issued an invitation to either country for military intervention," Qarase had said when the treason investigations on him were announced in February.

"Cabinet is the decision making body especially in an important issue like that and the question of inviting the intervention from either Australia or New Zealand was never discussed in cabinet, neither was it discussed in the National Security Council."

Qarase had convened an emergency meeting of the National Council minus its military representatives in the hours leading up to the coup.

But he said he made some "inquires" on whether the assistance Australia and New Zealand could offer Fiji "would include military assistance".

"As Prime Minister of the day I had to be sure that all the options available to me, were known to me, because of the very serious situation and the threat of a military takeover from our own military.

"And that was all I did," Qarase said.

Howard said he did not send any troops to Fiji "because he did not want "the horror of Australian and Fijian troops firing at each other in the streets of Suva".

"The Fijian military is quite well trained, it's some thousands strong."

"From a logistic point of view to have mounted some kind of military operation against a resistant Fijian military, and we never contemplated doing that I want to make that very clear; but I just want to extend my answer to deal with the logistic difficulties."

Howard had said a last minute military intervention "without preparation would have guaranteed very significant Australian causalities" and he was "not prepared to risk the lives of Australian men and women needlessly".