Fijian tourists 'safe' despite coup

Tourists in Fiji are safe claims the country's Tourism Action Group (TAG) as the head of the Fijian military staged a coup last night, removing Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase from his position and placing him under house arrest.

Military commander Frank Bainimarama yesterday disarmed local police in the capital Suva and set up roadblocks, effectively putting the city under his control.

Despite the political tensions, there has so far been no violence on the country's largest island and locals claim that visitors remain safe.

Damend Gounder of Fiji's TAG told the New Zealand Herald: "The tourists are fine because they are on one side of the island far away from where the trouble is happening in the capital Suva.

"The resorts are unaffected by roadblocks and there is no military presence here on this side."

TAG was formed in 2000 to help stem the fall in tourist numbers after the coup that year.

This latest coup is now the fourth in 20 years and the Foreign Office is advising against "all but essential travel to Fiji."