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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Heritage Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Fiji under siege
MOBS erupted in violence in the Fijian capital of Suva over the weekend, killing one policeman and injuring two soldiers and a journalist. After considerable confusion as to who is in control of the South Pacific island, Army Chief Frank Bainimarama announced on Monday that he was imposing martial law and declared himself head of government.The move comes in the wake of a coup led by businessman and rebel leader George Speight, which saw the nation's parliament and Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry taken hostage on 19 May.
Speight and his supporters are calling for a change in the constitution that would limit ministerial posts and the presidency to native Fijians -- a bid to contain the power of the nation's ethnic Indians, who make up 44 per cent of the population. Chaudhry is Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister.
At a meeting last week of the influential, but predominantly honourary Great Council of Chiefs, the panel of hereditary chiefs condemned Speight's actions and expressed support for President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. However, they did not fail to mention that they sympathised with Speight's agenda.
The United Nations and several countries have threatened sanctions on Fiji if its democratically elected government is deposed.
Autocracy looms
TENS of thousands of supporters of oppositional candidate Alejandro Toledo gathered in Peru's capital Lima on Sunday to peacefully protest the outcome of the nation's imminent re-election of President Alberto Fujimori.The election has been fraught with accusations of tampering and fraud since the first round of voting on 9 April. Foreign monitors withdrew before the run-off round on Sunday, warning that a fair vote could hardly be assured.
Although Toledo officially pulled out 10 days ago, his name was still on the ballot. He urged people to nullify their votes by writing "no to fraud" on their ballots.
Fujimori did not make a public appearance after the voting ended, but Toledo was out in force, rallying battle cries. "Fujimori has taken off his mask and killed democracy in Peru!" Toledo told his supporters. By Monday, votes counted showed Fujimori with more than 50 per cent and Toledo at roughly 16 per cent.
Fujimori might have needlessly wound himself up in scandal. A poll conducted by Datum Internacional early last week showed that 55 per cent of voters disapproved of Toledo's decision to drop out and gave Fujimori a lead of 54 to 46 per cent, The New York Times reported Monday.
Insult to injury
IN what looks like a replay of events leading to the dismal demise of former Indonesian ruler Ahmed Sukarno, state prosecutors announced that former President Suharto has been placed under house arrest in Jakarta and will be charged with the embezzlement of several million dollars in the coming months.Suharto was forced out of office two years ago after a powerful wave of pro-democracy protests, leaving behind a trail of corruption and cronyism that has left the troubled nation awash with resentment. Reformist President Abdurrahman Wahid has indicated that should Suharto be convicted, Wahid would pardon him, providing he agrees to return the money he has allegedly stolen.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, religious tensions were again highlighted by a new bomb attack in the western city of Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, which has one of the largest Christian populations in predominantly Muslim Indonesia. Reports of more sectarian killings on the island of Sulawesi were also reported.
According to the state order, the 78-year-old Suharto will not be allowed to leave his house for two weeks.
Tug of war
Rwandan and Ugandan troops began to withdraw this week from the town of Kisangani in Congo in order to clear the way for the creation of the first "demilitarised city" in warring Congo.Rwanda and Uganda both charge that Congo President Laurent Kabila has harboured enemies, most notably Rwandan Hutu militiamen and Sudan-backed Ugandan rebels, but the two governments support rival opposition groups fighting Kabila.
Testimonies from UN observers indicate that violence flared up again this month in Kisangani when Uganda brought in reinforcements from northern Congo to expel Rwandan units. Kisangani will now come under the control of the United Nations, who has promised to boost the 100 military observers in Congo with a 5,537-strong UN force. Purportedly, the force will oversee the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Congo.
Unfriendly relations
INDICATING further that arms will play a significant factor in this year's US presidential race, Defence Secretary Bill Cohen has offered to provide Republican candidate George Bush with a briefing by top military brass in order to convince him that significant cuts in the nation's nuclear arms arsenal could snowball into what he called a "tyranny of numbers," and would inevitably force the US into making decisions that would ultimately harm state defence.In recent weeks, Bush has claimed that US nuclear weapons could be reduced more than what has been agreed under the START II arms treaty. Bush has also accused the Clinton administration of dragging its feet on developing its controversial missile defence system, going so far as to claim that withdrawing from the ABM (anti-ballistic missile) treaty should not be an obstacle.
The US has been trying to convince Russia to alter the ABM treaty in order to allow the US to develop a highly-advanced anti-missile defence system that has come under fire both internally and abroad. National Security Advisor Samuel Berger announced that Clinton, who is travelling to Russia this week to discuss the matter with Russian President Vladamir Putin, would make the decision this year whether or not to go ahead with the programme.
Compiled by Nyier Abdou
