Fiji troops kill Speight supporter

350 Speight supporters were rounded up last week

Fijian troops have killed a supporter of coup leader George Speight and arrested 37 others.

Ethnic Indians have had their property looted and burnt

The crackdown comes two days before Mr Speight is due to make his first appearance in court.

The nationalist rebels were seized in a raid near Dreketi, on the island of Vanua Levu.

In recent weeks, rebels in the area have terrorised ethnic Indians, subjecting them to beatings, hostage-taking and theft.

Several homes and farm buildings have also been looted and set ablaze.

Military spokesman Major Howard Politini said there were two shootings in Dreketi, one where a rebel was injured fatally and a second where rebels in a vehicle shot a cane labourer in the leg.

Mr Speight is being held in prison

"We have moved into Vanua Levu in force and that should put an end to the disturbances," he added.

"A lot of the rebels responsible [for the attacks] have fled into the bush. The military will continue to seek [them] out," he told independent FM96 radio.

The military would also look for weapons, he said.

Arrests

More than 350 rebels were arrested last week, including Mr Speight, who is being held in a prison on a remote island.

Mr Chaudhry says it will be hard to restore the rights of Indians

Mr Speight and his supporters overthrew the democratically elected government in May, demanding power for indigenous Fijians.

They held Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry and members of his multi-racial government hostage for eight weeks.

The rebels demanded Fiji's large ethnic Indian population be stripped of political power.

Charges

Mr Speight is due to appear in court on Saturday on relatively minor charges, such as unlawful assembly.

However he is still being investigated for treason, which carries a maximum sentence of death.

About 150 of his supporters have also been charged with unlawful assembly, which carries a maximum penalty of one year's jail.

Nationalist agenda

On Thursday, the new interim government ordered ministers in the former cabinet to clear out their offices.

The new Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, has promised to pursue a nationalist agenda and to rewrite the constitution.

Mr Chaudhry said in a recent interview with US magazine Newsweek that he believed Fiji's next constitution would be "racially weighted" against Indians, who make up 44% of Fiji's 814,000-strong population.

"There are elements in our society who do not want to see a multiracial government succeed.

"For the moment, the prospects look bleak," he added.