Fiji has long sought the world's attention as a vacation getaway. It has won the headlines in recent months, but for the wrong reasons. Fiji is in the midst of political turmoil that threatens to divide the country, uproot the rule of law and damage relations with neighbors and friends.
Fiji's political upheaval is the product of simmering ethnic tensions between indigenous Fijians and Indians. The Indians were brought to the islands by British colonizers to work the sugar-cane fields in the 19th century. They now represent 44 percent of Fiji's 800,000 people. In a strange irony of history, the Indians dominate the sugar-cane industry that is, along with tourism, one of the pillars of Fiji's economy.
The recent troubles erupted May 19, when indigenous rebels led by Mr. George Speight, a failed businessman, seized the Parliament building in Suva and took 27 hostages, including Fiji's first Indian prime minister, Mr. Mahendra Chaudhry, and a number of his ministers. They were released 56 days later after lengthy negotiations with the military over the establishment of a government to Mr. Speight's liking. In addition, he demanded that the country's multiracial constitution be revoked and power reserved for native Fijians.