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Fiji's military chief has declared a state of emergency, shut down the senate and briefly rounded up opponents a day after seizing power in a bloodless coup that sparked global outrage.
As Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama tightened his grip on power, deposed prime minister Laisenia Qarase flew out of the capital Suva after being ordered out of his former official residence, claiming he was still Fiji's legal ruler.
Bainimarama declared a state of emergency and announced he was throwing a tight security cordon around Suva to control access to the city. He also called up military reservists.
Bainimarama said his forces reserved “the right to enforce curfews if need warrants” in what he termed his fight against corruption.
Troops briefly detained six top police officials and civil servants and forced the country's senate to shut down, a day after sending troops into newsrooms to censor the media.
Acting police commissioner Moses Driver, who called the coup illegal and unconstitutional, was taken away with his deputy after the military threatened to storm the building unless they surrendered.
They were released several hours later.
Driver had vowed that police would not support the new military regime following Fiji's fourth coup in 20 years.
Four officials were also briefly held, including a top civil servant, Qarase's permanent secretary Jioji Kotobalavu, parliamentary speaker Pita Nacuva, Solicitor-General Nainendra Nand and Public Service Commission chairman Stuart Huggett, local media said.
No information as to why they were detained was immediately available.
Around 40 troops also forced the senate to adjourn, drove out its members and took over the parliamentary complex as the house debated the budget.
As the military prepared to swear in an interim prime minister, Qarase was defiant over his ouster.
“I have not resigned, I will not resign and legally I am still the prime minister,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) amid a chrous of international condemnation of the coup.
Qarase, who urged Fijians to stand up and “fight for our democracy” through peaceful means, said he believed they would heed his call.
“I believe there will be a peaceful reaction by thousands and thousands in the next few days and I believe that may change things,” said the prime minister, who headed to his island home.
Suva was calm under a tight military presence. Many residents headed to work after Bainimarama urged Fijians to continue life as normal.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer condemned the “disgraceful” military action and warned that Fiji would be shunned by the world community and that its economy would suffer.
“The Fiji military commander and his supporters should be in no doubt that their coup will bring a prompt and sharp international reaction,” he said.
Australia and New Zealand have already announced sanctions, including a halt to defence cooperation and a travel ban on Bainimarama and other military officers.
“We are going to be very tough on these people,” Downer told ABC. “This is simply a disgraceful thing that has been done by Commodore Bainimarama.”
Downer said Australia supported efforts to suspend Fiji from the Commonwealth, a move expected Friday.
The United States suspended aid while UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the European Union and countries including Britain, Japan and France decried the coup and called for Qarase's reinstatement.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark called on military officers to defy Bainimarama.
“I think the fate of Fiji now is very much in the hands of the Fiji people,” she said.
The leader of the Fiji Labour Party, Mahendra Chaudhry, deposed as Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister in a 2000 coup and held hostage for 56 days, said the military takeover was a sad day for Fiji.
“We just can't get out of the coup culture,” he told the Daily Post.
