Fiji coup leader tightens grip

A soldier shows the media the gates as the army closes down Fiji¿s parliament yesterday to tighten its control over the country after Tuesday¿s bloodless coup. PHOTO: AFP

Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama tightened his grip on power by swearing in his caretaker prime minister, sacking two top law and order officials and briefly rounding up vocal critics of his takeover.

As ousted prime minister Laisenia Qarase, along with New Zealand and Australia, urged Fijians to resist the nation's fourth coup in two decades using peaceful means, Bainimarama made it clear he would brook no such opposition.

"After receiving intelligence reports, there are a number of individuals who are planning disruption to peace and harmony, (and) we have reasonable grounds to believe the life of the state is threatened," he said at a press conference.

"If we are pushed to use force, let me state we will do so very quickly," he warned.

Suva was calm under a tight military presence as Bainimarama pursued his long-threatened "clean-up" of alleged corruption, but many residents headed to work after he urged them to continue life as normal.

The state of emergency authorised the military to throw a tight security cordon around Suva and ordered reservists to report for duty. The military also reserved "the right to enforce curfews if need warrants".

Around 40 troops forced the senate to adjourn, drove out members and took over the parliamentary complex.

Troops also briefly detained Fiji's acting Police Commissioner Moses Driver and his deputy -- who surrendered after soldiers threatened to storm a police complex unless they came out -- and four senior civil servants.