Fiji coup leader Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama – who yesterday threatened to retaliate against New Zealanders for sanctions against his administration – has separately promised his Government will respect human rights. He also claimed the military-backed Government was making serious efforts to deal with complaints that had been lodged against "alleged military interrogation tactics". Soldiers have been beating and humiliating some critics of the coup who have been taken military headquarters for interrogation, and one man is reported to have died after being picked up by the military in unexplained circumstances.
At Christmas, six pro-democracy activists complained of being beaten at the barracks, with a group of men and women forced to run around the barracks parade ground in their underwear. Yesterday Cdre Bainimarama said that questioning people at the military camp had always been the last resort. "People who were taken in for questioning were people who repeatedly defied warnings," he said in a statement. "There was a need to take people in for questioning to suppress any disruptive intentions by individuals and groups so as to contain the peaceful transition required in the military's clean-up campaign".