Fiji troops defect to coup leader

The defections are the first split in the military

Fifteen soldiers and two of their officers have defected to the gunmen who are holding Fiji's prime minister hostage in the parliament building.

This followed a tense confrontation between rebels and troops outside the complex as the leader of the coup, George Speight, came out to greet the commander of the defectors.

"[I joined] because I am a Fijian - I want a future for my children"

Major Joe Savua

Troops loyal to the President, Ratu Mara, stepped in. The two sides pointed guns at each other and shouted threats, but no shots were fired.

The commander of the defectors is Major Joe Savua, the brother of the local police commissioner.

There were scuffles outside the compound

The BBC correspondent in the capital, Suva, says Mr Speight now has a formidable private army, inside the compound, which appears increasingly agitated.

It is the first split in the military since last Friday, when Mr Speight stormed the parliament in the name of indigenous Fijians.

About 60 gunmen are holding the country's ethnic Indian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and another 30 people hostage inside the building.

Peace plan

The defections came a day after Mr Speight rejected a peace deal drawn up by Fiji's powerful tribal chiefs.

Main points of Chiefs' plan

Replacing the elected PM with interim government

Pardon for coup leader and associates

Amendments to constitution to give top political positions to indigenous Fijians

The rebels issued a new set of conditions and warned that no hostages would be released until they had been met.

Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs had proposed replacing the democratically elected premier with an interim government.

The proposals sparked international condemnation, and warnings that Fiji could face sanctions and removal from the Commonwealth.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the council had gone "well beyond the scope of [its] powers".

Countries including the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom also criticised the move.

Correspondents say the chiefs' proposals were an "extraordinary capitulation" to the gunmen.

Pardon

The chiefs also recommended Mr Speight be given a pardon after facing charges.

And they said those involved in the coup could be allowed places in the new government.

Mr Speight: Power for indigenous Fijians

But Mr Speight is demanding a complete amnesty, the replacement of President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and the repeal of the 1997 constitution allowing rights for Fiji's Indian minority.

He wants a new policy which would give all top political positions to indigenous Fijians.

A delegation from the Council of Chiefs met Mr Speight late on Friday, but refused to comment on the hour-long talks.

Mr Chaudhry is Fiji's first prime minister to come from the country's ethnic Indian community, which makes up about 44% of the population and dominates the economy.

The tribal chiefs, leaders of Fiji's 14 provinces, had earlier condemned the coup, but said they were sympathetic to Mr Speight's cause.