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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Fiji suspended from Commonwealth | Fiji suspended from Commonwealth |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The Commonwealth has suspended Fiji's membership in protest at the recent military coup, the fourth in 19 years. | |
| The decision followed a meeting of foreign ministers from Commonwealth countries in London. | |
| The coup, which saw military chief Cmdr Bainimarama oust PM Laisenia Qarase, has already been condemned by the UK, Australia and New Zealand. | |
| It has also failed to win the backing of Fiji's influential Council of Chiefs and religious groups. | It has also failed to win the backing of Fiji's influential Council of Chiefs and religious groups. |
| Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon announced the suspension after an emergency meeting of the Commonwealth's Ministerial Action Group. | |
| "Fiji's military regime should forthwith be suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth pending the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in that country," he said in a statement. | |
| The group "unequivocally condemned" the military take-over, calling it "a serious violation of the Commonwealth's fundamental principles". | |
| This is the third time that Fiji has been suspended from the Commonwealth following coups. | |
| The move means Fiji's military leaders are barred from all inter-governmental Commonwealth meetings. | |
| 'Peaceful campaign' | |
| Cmdr Bainimarama seized power on Tuesday, after a long-standing dispute with the country's democratically-elected leaders. | Cmdr Bainimarama seized power on Tuesday, after a long-standing dispute with the country's democratically-elected leaders. |
| FIJI TENSIONS TIMELINE 2000: Brief coup put down by army chief BainimaramaJuly 2005: Bainimarama warns he will topple government if it pardons jailed coup plottersMay 2006: PM Laisenia Qarase wins re-election31 Oct: Qarase tries - and fails - to replace BainimaramaNovember: Qarase says he will change law offering clemency to coup plotters - Bainimarama warns of coup5 Dec: Military declares coup href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6208980.stm" class="">Fiji voices: Coup impact href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6209620.stm" class="">Fears for future href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6209486.stm" class="">History of coups He had accused the government of corruption and opposed the prime minister's plan to offer amnesties to some of those involved in the racially-motivated coup in 2000. | |
| But key groups have failed to back the take-over. | |
| It has angered the Great Council of Chiefs, a hugely influential body with the power to appoint the president and vice-president, on the advice of the government. | |
| The Associated Press reported that the council would convene a meeting within the next few days to decide on its reaction to the coup. | |
| Fiji's Council of Churches - another key body in Fijian society - has described the coup as the "manifestation of darkness and evil in society". | |
| The ousted prime minister, who has been ordered to his home on a remote Fijian island, has warned that public anger over the military takeover could force the new rulers to step down. | |
| Mr Qarase has pledged a peaceful campaign to restore civilian rule in the Pacific island nation. | |
| "There is only one legal authority in the country at this time and that is the democratically-elected government which I lead," he told local radio. |