Military harasses Fiji union leader

Date: 16 June 2000

Fiji Trade Unions Congress national secretary Felix Anthony was detained and questioned for several hours this morning ( Friday) by the Fiji Military Forces in the Western half of the main island.

The Military spokesperson in the West Captain Haward Politini said Anthony is being questioned about his role in discouraging union members from harvesting and crushing cane.

Anthony is scheduled to lead a union delegation to meet with the military leader of Fiji , Commodore Bainimarama, this afternoon to protest today's arrest.

Felix Anthony - apart from being the National Secretary of the Fiji TUC - is also general secretary of the Fiji Sugar and General Workers Unions which represents almost all sugar mill workers, one of the key export earners for this Pacific Island nation.

The detention of Mr Anthony has meant that a key Fiji union leader who was scheduled to arrive in Australia today , Mr Raj Singh of the Fiji Public Service Association, has cancelled the trip.

Raj Singh - as the leader of one of the biggest unions in Fiji - cancelled, just in case he and his members were needed to take action, the moment he was told of Felix Anthony's arrest.

It is understood Mr Anthony was on his way to speak to the mill workers when he was taken in by the military.

On Thursday Anthony had toured cane growing areas where many farmers are refusing to harvest their cane to show their support for the return of a democratic constitutional government to Fiji.

Anthony had also spoken on Thursday to the management of the sugar mills about their threats to stand down all workers because of the cane harvest boycott.

The military is trying to intimidate the cane farmers into cutting the cane to help the Fijian economy.

But the cane growers have said they are demanding that Mr Mahendra Chaudhry - the democratically elected Fiji PM - and the other hostages should be released from Parliament.

The military has advised union leaders against organising meetings as it contravenes Decree number 4 which states gatherings are not allowed during martial law.

About 500 mill workers have walked off their job at the Rarawai Mill, the biggest sugar mill in the country, because of insufficient cane.

Satendra Singh of the Fiji Sugar Clerks, Supervisors and Millers Association says all crushing has stopped.

For further information

Contact:	Andrew Casey
Union:	Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union
Phone:	9281 9511
Fax:	92821 4480
Email:	Andrewc@lhmu.org.au
WWW:	http://www.lhmu.org.au

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