What happened in 1987, Fiji’s Prime Minister apologized to Indians after 36 years

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitveni Rabuka has apologized for his role in the 1987 coup in the country ahead of the third Forum of India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit. An electoral government of the country’s first Indian prime minister, Timosi Bawdra, was overthrown in a 1987 coup. The coup triggered an exodus of Indian-origin Fijians from the country. Now three decades later, he confessed that his actions had hurt many people, especially those from the Indo-Fijian community.

The coup not only displaced thousands of Indians from the country but also strained bilateral relations decades earlier. On the completion of the year of May 14 incident, he said that we do not blame those who are angry or hate us. I accept my mistake here and apologize to the people. He wrote on Twitter that I make this confession on my own behalf and on behalf of all those who participated with me in the military coup on May 14, 1987. We acknowledge our wrongdoings, and we acknowledge that we have hurt too many of our people in Fiji. , especially to people from the Indo-Fijian community.

What happened in 1987?

Fiji, located in the Pacific Ocean to the far east of India, became a British colony in 1874. Between 1879 and 1916, more than 60,000 people from India were brought there to work in the sugarcane fields. In 1916 the British government stopped bringing people from India and in 1920 the indentured labor agreement with the laborers was abolished. Fiji became independent in 1970 and Ratu Sir Kamisi Mara became the first Prime Minister. In 1987, a government dominated by people of Indian origin came to power. In that period, the population of people of Indian origin i.e. Fiji Indians used to be more than the population of the native people there. At the same time, Lieutenant Colonel Sitiweni Rabuka seized power in a bloodless coup. During this time a large number of Indians migrated to Fiji.