Fiji senator jailed for coup role

A Fiji government senator has been jailed for eight months for his role in the Pacific nation's 2000 coup.

The Lautoka High Court today gave prison terms to Apisai Tora, 71, and 12 indigenous Fijian villagers after convicting them of unlawful assembly last week, the news website Fijilive reported.

Tora and the villagers took over a military checkpoint in the final days of the two month crisis.

He told the court yesterday their action had been staged to help persuade Fiji's indigenous chiefs to appoint Ratu Josefa Iloilo president and not in support of coup frontman George Speight.

Convicted traitor Speight and rebel soldiers overthrew a multiracial government in 2000 by holding its members hostage until the military appointed an interim administration.

Iloilo was appointed president and Tora became a member of the interim government.

Tora's plea for the court not to jail the villagers who followed him went unheeded -- Justice John Connors gave four month prison terms to the 11 men and one woman, aged between 27 and 71.

All 13 had their acquittals by a magistrates court last year reversed on appeal last week.

The nationalist senator is the latest member of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's government to be jailed for a coup offence.

Two ministers and a senator received jail terms but served most of their sentences in the community while another senator is serving a life term.

Qarase is seeking to pass legislation allowing individual amnesties for coup convicts and suspects.

- AAP