Fiji:
A series of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Fiji is one of those places where a lot of people see the inside of the international stopover airport on the island of Vitu Levu, but not a lot of travellers actually explore the archipelago. It's also known as a sort of idyllic south seas paradise, with amazing beaches and coral reefs. Tourism is quite well developed, with full-service resorts in some areas. You can also stay in small guesthouses, which cost considerably less.
If you go to Fiji, you should be aware that tourism is contributing to the death of the coral reefs. On the positive side, there are no tropical diseases in Fiji, including malaria. There have been some reports of violent crimes against tourists, so don't get lulled into a false sense of paradise security.
Tourism dropped off after the 1987 coup that overthrew the democratically elected government. Native Fijians were upset because they were outnumbered by the Indo-Fijians who are the descendants of Indian immigrant workers. About 44 per cent of the population is of Indian ancestry, compared to 51 per cent who are native Fijian.
In May, 2000, there was another coup: this time led by the son of an opposition lawmaker, George Speight. Seven masked men with AK-47 rifles stormed Fiji's parliament and seized the island's Indian prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, and seven Cabinet ministers. Speight said he was revoking the constitution and the powers of the president, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Chaudhry and his supporters were held hostage inside the parliament building for 55 days, released on July 13.
During the hostage episode, the army stepped in and announced it was taking over the government until things could be worked out so that people of Indian descent could no longer be government leaders. On July 1, 2000, the army appointed a temporary government that included no Indians because none wanted to take the risk. So Commodore Bainimarama took over as interim government leader, and said the old Indian-including constitution was no longer valid. Meanwhile, on July 26, 2000, George Speight was arrested by the military for illegally carrying arms, and so were many of his supporters.
If you're about to go to Fiji, it might be a good idea to find out first whether it's safe, with the political situation looking uncertain. The Canadian government, for one, is warning its citizens not to go to Fiji, because the political problems are not confined just to the capital; there have been some incidents of rebels taking over tourist resorts!
This page last updated August 4, 2000.