Suva - At least four of the hostages held in Fiji's parliament for five weeks appeared on television yesterday and seemed in reasonable health. Gunmen intent on destroying the political power of Fiji's large ethnic Indian minority have been holding deposed the prime minister, Mr Mahendra Chaudhry, and 26 members of his coalition government since May 19th. Mr Chaudhry did not appear in the footage, which lasted about two minutes.
The scenes are the first of the hostages since shortly after the complex was stormed by Mr George Speight and a handful of gunmen. Mr Speight on Sunday released four women who were among the captives as a sign of goodwill but said no more hostages would be freed until rebel demands for a civilian government were met in full.