Speight stands idle as rebels bash up officer

By EUGENE BINGHAM in Suva

When it comes, violence in Fiji's parliamentary complex is swift and brutal. One minute, gunmen who guard the gate are exchanging friendly greetings with visitors. The next, a man is being kicked in the head and dragged inside for more beatings.

Supporters of George Speight turned on a policeman yesterday, kicking him to the ground and stomping on him.

Speight himself and armed men who guard the entrance stood by as about a dozen followers rounded on the officer outside the gates and took turns to kick him in the head.

Witnesses said the man was then dragged through the gates, still being kicked and punched as he was pulled into the complex. A Fiji-Indian taxi driver who intervened was also attacked as photographers at the scene were pushed away.

When the Herald arrived just minutes after the beating, the policeman was inside the guardhouse and the taxi driver was sitting injured on the footpath.

Rebels warned a Herald photographer not to take pictures as the driver was bundled into his taxi and driven off. A television crew also on the scene had a firearm pointed at them and told not to film either. The policeman was marched inside the complex by two gunmen and detained for about an hour.

Eventually, two Army officers drove up to the gate and asked for the return of the policeman. Soldiers in a patrol vehicle sat down the road from the complex with a rifle trained on the gates.

An Army spokesman, Captain Howard Politini, said the beaten officer's head injuries were not serious.

"He had gone there with a partner to retrieve one of the stolen taxis after the people inside had said they could do so," said Captain Politini. "When the two policemen arrived they were set upon. One of the policemen managed to get into the vehicle and escape."

Speight's initial reaction to the attack was: "Oh, well, all part and parcel ... We're in a coup situation, don't forget ... We are in a situation of stress."

George Speight talks to IRN's Barry Soper

(10 min).