FIJI’S RATU MARA SNUBS RABUKA AT MEETING
SUVA, Fiji Islands (April 27, 2000 – Fiji’s Daily Post)---President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara snubbed Great Council of Chiefs chairman Sitiveni Rabuka at the Raffles Tradewinds Convention Center in Lami yesterday.
Ratu Sir Kamisese refused to acknowledge Mr. Rabuka when he arrived at the venue of the Great Council of Chiefs meeting. Those at the scene described the encounter as "icy."
"In the past, the two usually shook hands before Mr. Rabuka escorted the president to his seat, briefing him along the way," one observer said.
Their encounter was the first since the publication of Mr. Rabuka's biography, Rabuka of Fiji, in which he claimed that Ratu Sir Kamisese had prior knowledge of the first military coup on May 14, 1987.
Ratu Sir Kamisese has denied the claim, instituting legal action against Mr. Rabuka, the book's author and its publishers.
After entering the convention center, the two took...