Vanuatu’s ‘coup’...

the Melanesian way

Reports by Patrick Decloitre

Saturday 12 October was a very special day in Vanuatu. As Port Vila woke up on this weekend, it found its paramili tary force, the Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF), had staged what seemed like a coup, although they said it wasn’t one.

Effectively, however, in the early hours on Saturday, at around 4am, they went to the president’s house, took him with them, grabbed a pilot along the way and took off for Malekula, some 100 kilometres further north.

Their objective was to meet Deputy Prime Minister Barak Sope (who was acting while Prime Minister Serge Vohor was away in French Polynesia on a state visit). Sope was himself on official business on this northern island.

As tension mounted at Port Vila’s Bauerfield airport, people slowly started to realise what had happened: President Jean-

Marie Leye Lenelgau had effectively been

kidnapped.

They also soon realised that inter national phone links had been cut.

The small Twin Otter came back to Port Vila, and the president was immediate ly released.

Sope, on his way back, had radioed a message to all ministers: they had to get ready for an urgent council of ministers.

Soon after the plane landed in the capital, the council of ministers started to proceed.

Meanwhile top Vanuatu officers, including VMF commander Seule Takal, and Police Commissioner Luke Siba were held prisoners at the officers’ mess, a reli able source in VML said.

At Radio Vanuatu, another com mando took over a studio and made an announcement to reassure the population: the Major Noel Tamata, who seemed to command the whole operation, said his men were now in control of the police and VML.

But Tamata pointed out that it was not a coup - the sole purpose of the swift operation, codenamed “Thunderbolt”, was for the VMF to finally obtain payment of some 110 million vatu ($US980,000) in operations, travelling and subsistence allowances they claimed had been unpaid for three years.

The movement had stepped up in

the preceding three weeks, with the VMF refusing to take any more orders from their commander and the police commissioner (who supervises them), withdrawing their guards from the pres ident and prime minister’s residences, barring access to their Cooks Barracks and closing down the fire station.

The week before, the VMF’s “stand down” movement had forced the cancellation of Constitution Day celebrations.

Tamata called all 600 members of the mobile force and police to join him at the capital’s Independence Park the same after-

A police officer directs traffic in Port Vila. Paramilitary leaders abducted President Leye Lenelgau and Acting Prime Minister Barak Sope on Saturday over disputed outstanding saiariespicture. AP

noon. “I will consider that those who aren’t there do not want to stand by me,” he said.

Two-thirds of the VMF had been refusing to take orders for nearly a month in the dispute and went on strike resulting in the Constitution Day cancellation.

The paramilitary force, which is under the authority of the police commissioner, is responsible for maintaining law and order and co-ordinating fire services and disaster relief.

The council of ministers soon after announced an agreement would be signed later the same day.

Sope, in a radio statement, appealed for calm and denied

rumours that Vanutau would seek help from an “external force”.

It’s a problem we can solve ourselves, we don’t need an exter nal force,” he said.

“The problem will be solved this afternoon.”

President Leye Lenelgau also went on national radio to say he

had “forgiven everything that had happened”.

He said Melanesian custom called for pardons and reconcili ation and urged that a solution be reached through traditional nakamal, which seeks to resolve disputes through consensus.

“Without our customs, we can do nothing,” he said. “Return to the nakamal... If we use other means, we will lose ourselves.”

Later the same day, an agreement was signed at Cooks Barracks between Sope and the stand down movement represen tative, Corporal Samson Kilman, 27.

The accord signed by Sope and Kilman provides for a sus pension of high-ranking officers and settlement of the soldiers’ pay demands. But the demands are to be assessed first by a com mission of enquiry, which is to evaluate the sums to be reim bursed. The commission is also to investigate into possible mal administration by high-ranking administration officers within the force who, Sope said, were in the meantime to be suspended.

According to the agreement, no VMF member will be disci plined for their part in the stand down action.

In return, the soldiers agreed to resume duties and cease acts of insubordination.

“This was something that shouldn’t have happened. But it was necessary so the government would take our demands seri ously, which until now they haven’t,” said Kilman.

During the course of the day, especially on Saturday morning, usually a busy day in downtown Port Vila, business went on as usual; people didn’t seem bothered by what was going on only a few metres away from the main street at the police headquarters, which had been seized by VMF commandos.

The cafes and shops were full of patrons who didn’t betray any sign of panic or worry.

But, on the main street, something else caused a traffic jam it was Vanuatu’s only theatre group. Wan Smol Bag ... shooting a movie.

The day after, everything appeared to be back to normal, as announced, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened ... but a sense of unease pervades the Island state. ■

Sope... abducted