Fiji fires its top cop and scraps a policing agreement with China

Fiji's president connected Friday suspended the commissioner of constabulary pursuing a wide predetermination saw the archetypal alteration successful authorities successful the Pacific land federation successful 16 years, aft the subject earlier warned against "sweeping changes."

President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere said Commissioner of Police Sitiveni Qiliho had been suspended connected the proposal of the Constitutional Offices Commission, "pending probe and referral to and assignment of, a tribunal."

The Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem was besides suspended by the commission, the connection said.

Qiliho declined to remark to section media due to the fact that helium said helium volition look a tribunal implicit his conduct. He was seen arsenic being adjacent to erstwhile premier curate Frank Bainimarama, who led Fiji for 16 years earlier a conjugation of parties narrowly won December's predetermination and installed Sitiveni Rabuka arsenic person of the strategically important Pacific nation.

The time earlier a conjugation statement was struck, Qiliho and Bainimarama called connected the subject to support instrumentality and bid due to the fact that they said the hung predetermination effect had sparked taste tensions, a assertion disputed by the conjugation parties.

The Pacific land nation, which has a past of subject coups, has been pivotal to the region's effect to contention betwixt China and the United States, and struck a woody with Australia successful October for greater defence cooperation.

On Thursday, Fiji Times reported that Rabuka said his authorities would extremity a constabulary grooming and speech statement with China.

"Our strategy of ideology and justness systems are antithetic truthful we volition spell backmost to those that person akin systems with us," the premier curate was quoted arsenic saying, referring to Australia and New Zealand.

The premier minister's bureau did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Major General Jone Kalouniwai earlier this period warned Rabuka's authorities against making "sweeping changes," and has insisted it abide by a 2013 constitution which gives the subject a cardinal role.