Rebel leader alleges 'murder plot'

A soldier on duty outside parliament, now sealed off

The leader of a rebel group holding more than 30 hostages inside the Fijian parliament says there is a sinister military plot to kill him.

George Speight's claims follow an incident in which government soldiers opened fire on his car on Monday.

The army has apologised for a serious lack of discipline among the troops involved and said Mr Speight was not targeted deliberately.

But it said that his car had failed to stop at a checkpoint.

This is denied by the rebel leader who claims he heard troops shouting in Fijian "It's him, it's George, let's get him."

George Speight: His car failed to stop at checkpoint

He says there were no warning shots before his vehicle and a second one it was in convoy with were attacked.

In what was a thinly veiled threat to Fiji's military regime, Mr Speight said if he had been killed, the country would have witnessed social and civil unrest on a scale never seen before.

An army spokesman said the soldiers involved had broken the rules of engagement and disciplinary action could well be taken after an investigation was completed.

More troops are now in position on all the approaches to the parliament compound.

Mr Speight said he had cancelled all meetings outside the complex until further notice.

March prevented

The military authorities on Monday prevented a planned march by relatives of the hostages - who include Mahendra Chaudhry, the country's first ethnic Indian prime minister.

Organiser Ben Padarath, the son of one of the captives, was taken to a police station before the protest could begin in the western town of Lautoka, more than 300km (180 miles) from Suva.

Joanna Bali prays for her husband's release

The march was abandoned after the army said it could not guarantee security for the protesters, and Mr Padarath was later released.

As well as families of the captives, it was to have included factory workers laid off as a result of a trade ban imposed by Australian trade unions, and schoolchildren still locked out of classes due to the crisis.

The organisers were intending to ignore a ban on public gatherings and hold a non-political, cross-cultural event to show Mr Speight that he did not speak for the silent majority of Fijians.

Mr Speight has demanded that the government resign and allow indigenous Fijians to rule.

Hostages 'in good health'

Earlier, army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini visited the hostages and reported that they were in good health.

Talks between Mr Speight's group and the country's military leaders broke down almost a week ago.

The Suva hostages are divided along racial lines, according to Colonel Tarakinikini, who said he had seen all 31.

"By all indications they were all in good health," he said.

He managed to speak to the 15 ethnic Indian captives, but not to the 16 native Fijians, who were holding a church service inside the main debating chamber, which has been their prison.

A delegation of foreign ministers from the Commonwealth is due to arrive in Fiji later this week.