Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Fiji emergency regulations to be lifted

Posted at 07:30 on 31 May, 2007 UTC

The Public Emergency Regulations in force in Fiji since the December military takeover will be lifted at midnight.

The interim prime minister and military commander, Commodore Bainimarama, made the announcement in a broadcast on Thursday.

The lifting of the emergency provisions follows an undertaking by the military regime given to the European Union to do so by the end of May.

Fiji stood to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over the next years if it reneged on the promises made in Brussels in March.

Commodore Bainimarama said the emergency regulations had been put in place to provide safety and security for the people and to protect property.

Commodore Bainimarama said the regulations were being lifted from midnight after a security assessment by the police, the military and the ministry of home affairs.

But to all the people who had wanted the emergency regulations to remain, Commodore Bainimarama stressed that the Public Order Act and its provisions will remain in place and will be strictly enforced.

He said that under this Act, should any person incite violence and disobedience of the law, or incite racial antagonism, disturb the public peace, or call public gatherings without a permit will face action by the authorities.