Word: fiji
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Evanson had invited to the island. Evanson, a former bond trader in the U.S., denies there was any attempt to influence Bainimarama through the provision of a holiday. He invites people like Bainimarama to his island "because I'm trying to promote good relationship with the people who run Fiji," he says. "I had no lengthy private conversations with the commander on the island. [Bainimarama and McCain] were on holiday but they did meet lots of times. We are set up at the island [so that] all the guests eat at the same table for breakfast, lunch and dinner...
Since overthrowing Fiji's government earlier this month, Military Commander Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama has made few public comments on how he came by the political opinions that motivated his actions. Over the past year Bainimarama has regularly complained about new laws proposed by the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, justifying the Dec. 5 coup by referring to the need to stop some of them from being passed. One of these was the Qoliqoli Bill ? controversial legislation designed to hand back control of lagoon, beach and reef access rights to indigenous Fijians...
...Turtle Island - setting for the 1980s Brooke Shields movie Blue Lagoon - is one of Fiji's most exclusive resorts, where guests can rent luxury villas for more than $US2,000 a night. The invitation to holiday on the island came after Bainimarama found himself seated on a September 2005 Sydney to Fiji flight next to Andrew Fairley, an Australian lawyer and board member of Turtle Island. Fairley, a Deakin University Council member and board member of Ecotourism Australia, had been heavily involved with the Fiji Hotels Association in organising a challenge to the bill, and had recently obtained two legal...
...elections in May this year, Evanson backed one of Bainimarama's associates, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, to run for government. Ganilau is a former military commander who successfully recommended Bainimarama to succeed him as head of Fiji's armed forces when he stepped down in 1999. Evanson declines to reveal how much he donated to Ganilau's National Alliance Party to run against the Qarase government, but some observers say it was a substantial sum in Fijian campaign funding. Ganilau's election bid failed, but he has remained influential in military affairs, telling TIME he has recently been advising Bainimarama...
...Earlier this month Ganilau told the Fiji Times that the coup was inspired by the Qarase government's divisive bills, particularly the Qoliqoli Bill and the Lands Tribunal Bill. "The long impasse has propelled the military," he said. "It [the coup] is an illegal act, but the lesser of two evils when you think about the endemic corruption and bad practices that have carried on during the reign of the former administration. I support the cleaning up, but not the means...