Fiji still in crisis - TUC leader

Date: 13 July 2000

The Fiji TUC national secretary has warned tonight that there is still an on-going political crisis in his Pacific Island country.

However at the moment the labour movement of Fiji is tonight quietly celebrating that Mahendra Chaudhry - the Labour Party leader and the legitimate democratically elected PM of Fiji - has finally been released by the terrorists who took him and his colleagues hostage for nearly five weeks.

Mr Felix Anthony is quoted on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation website as saying that: " while people are obviously relieved the hostages have been released, they are still deeply worried about the country's political future.

"I think that there is going to be a fair bit of opposition as to what political decisions are being made now and what will be made in the next couple of days, not only from the Indian community but from the population at large, who cherish democracy and the rule of law," he said.

Mahendra Chaudhry is expected to consult with labour movement colleagues in the near future, possibly tomorrow morning, before making a definitive statement about his future.

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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