Speight of Violence

Book excerpt: Tracks the latest Fiji coup from Chaudhry's election through to the eventual conviction and death sentence passed on George Speight. On 19 May 2000 Speight led 7 armed men into the Fiji Parliament and kidnapped Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and his government. The hostages were held for 56 days, during which the Fiji Military declared martial law and took over Fiji. Speight said he was acting for indigenous Fijians against Indian domination. This is an intimate account by three authors closely involved in the coup. Includes publication of letters between hostages and their families, and extracts from Tupeni Baba's secret diary giving graphic descriptions of what happened inside Parliament. The book also looks at earlier Rabuka coups and examines the way coup culture is now a part of the political scene in Fiji.