Man Gets On Bus
April 16, 2009 5:35 PM Subscribe
Commodore Frank Bainimarama has engineered a coup on top of a coup in sacking the judiciary, suspending the constitution, controlling the press, quashing dissent and taking over the central bank pdf press release.
With no reportage of the takeover or criticism of the junta allowed, and with local journalists arrested and foreign correspondents expelled, how is the Fiji’s story being told? Bloggers have taken to the task, but are undertaking huge risks.
God damn you both.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:24 PM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:24 PM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]
Alright, someone at least parodize this guy into the lyrics for "Venus".
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:25 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:25 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Ah, you all beat me to it.
posted by cmgonzalez at 6:40 PM on April 16, 2009
posted by cmgonzalez at 6:40 PM on April 16, 2009
Surely there's still a Commodore joke to be made.
posted by box at 6:42 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 6:42 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Dammit. I provided the setup, and mattdidthat gets all the favorites.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:44 PM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:44 PM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]
Yeah, you know how it is for a straight man on Metafilter.
posted by box at 6:45 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 6:45 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Surely there's still a Commodore joke to be made.
I wonder if Mr. Bananrama is planning on building any brick houses.
posted by cmgonzalez at 6:48 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
I wonder if Mr. Bananrama is planning on building any brick houses.
posted by cmgonzalez at 6:48 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Also, holy crap. Fiji's been in a perpetual state of coup since as long as I can remember.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:53 PM on April 16, 2009
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:53 PM on April 16, 2009
Thank god the guy has a slightly comedic name, otherwise it would be a total downer.
posted by mattoxic at 6:56 PM on April 16, 2009 [7 favorites]
posted by mattoxic at 6:56 PM on April 16, 2009 [7 favorites]
Hey guys, that commodore's last name is wacky!
posted by TwelveTwo at 7:01 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by TwelveTwo at 7:01 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Since it's independence since 1970, Fiji has had four previous coups. Reading about the 2006 coup alone is like something out of Cardinal Guzman. The EU has stopped sending aid and tourism is dying there, but where can it go from here? I don't hear a lot about what's going on in the South Pacific. But it would seem the internet traffic would be a relatively easy thing for the military their to monitor. They've already disconnected a lot of phone lines and are probably tapping more of them.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 7:21 PM on April 16, 2009
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 7:21 PM on April 16, 2009
Wait till the Fijians learn about Twitter and Facebook.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:09 PM on April 16, 2009
posted by KokuRyu at 8:09 PM on April 16, 2009
I guess I'm not going to buy meself a little farm on Fiji.
I suppose that's okay: I couldn't manage to fit waterwings on my sheep.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:30 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
I suppose that's okay: I couldn't manage to fit waterwings on my sheep.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:30 PM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Excellent post.
Disappointing thread.
posted by merelyglib at 8:51 PM on April 16, 2009 [5 favorites]
Disappointing thread.
posted by merelyglib at 8:51 PM on April 16, 2009 [5 favorites]
Terrible, but at least the paint is dry, a man went out and someone cleaned their teeth.
posted by scodger at 9:12 PM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by scodger at 9:12 PM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]
Here's another blog - discombobulated. Thanks for posting this mattoxic.
posted by tellurian at 9:16 PM on April 16, 2009
posted by tellurian at 9:16 PM on April 16, 2009
Terrible, but at least the paint is dry, a man went out and someone cleaned their teeth.
Well, it's more useful than what the NYT was printing in the run-up to the Iraq war. I smell Pulitzer!
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:26 PM on April 16, 2009
Well, it's more useful than what the NYT was printing in the run-up to the Iraq war. I smell Pulitzer!
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:26 PM on April 16, 2009
Would it be bad if I said...
LOAD "COUP",8,1
?
posted by Samizdata at 3:23 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
LOAD "COUP",8,1
?
posted by Samizdata at 3:23 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
Great post, mattoxic, I've been following the Fiji coup news somewhat closely (I do research in the area and have some Fijian ex-pat friends who are keeping me posted) and your links directed me to some new stuff. If anyone is more interested in further Fiji news and blog links rather than just HURF DURF FUNNY NAMES, here are a few I would recommend:
discombobulated bubu
Talking Fiji
FijiFreeSpeech
posted by barnacles at 7:00 AM on April 17, 2009 [2 favorites]
discombobulated bubu
Talking Fiji
FijiFreeSpeech
posted by barnacles at 7:00 AM on April 17, 2009 [2 favorites]
Would it be bad if I said...
LOAD "COUP",8,1
?
It wouldn't be bad, but it would mean fuck all.
posted by tellurian at 8:46 AM on April 17, 2009
LOAD "COUP",8,1
?
It wouldn't be bad, but it would mean fuck all.
posted by tellurian at 8:46 AM on April 17, 2009
Thanks, mattoxic and others, for all those links. It's a grim time for Fiji.
posted by rory at 8:58 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by rory at 8:58 AM on April 17, 2009
It's such a disaster, Fiji's economy is fragile anyway, with the country relying on the garment trade, sugar and tourism. The world bank is going to withdraw support for new sugar refining infrastructure, the GFC has pretty much decimated the garment industry and tourism, Fiji will have precious else. The junta desperate for cash will sell Fiji's forests to logging companies at bargain prices.
I'm not much of a believer in interventions, but Australia and New Zealand should act before its too late. Bainimarama should be in a cell in the Hague.
posted by mattoxic at 5:44 PM on April 17, 2009
I'm not much of a believer in interventions, but Australia and New Zealand should act before its too late. Bainimarama should be in a cell in the Hague.
posted by mattoxic at 5:44 PM on April 17, 2009
Excellent post.
Disappointing thread.
You must become the change you seek.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:38 PM on April 18, 2009
Disappointing thread.
You must become the change you seek.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:38 PM on April 18, 2009
« Older Deaths of Children and Noncombatants in Iraq... | Apocalypse Now Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:40 PM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]