Suva, Oct 07: Two of Fiji's three convicted traitors have been moved off a prison island near here after they fell out with each other, The Daily Post newspaper said today. The three were convicted of treason following the 2000 coup against former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, which bought down his government.

Alleged coup leader George Speight pleaded guilty to treason and was initially sentenced to death, but was commuted to life imprisonment. Two others, politician Timoci Silatolu and media adviser Josefa Nata, were convicted earlier this year and sentenced to life.

During the trials it appeared there was tension between the three.

The post quoted an unnamed prison official as saying Nata and Silatolu had been moved to the grim Naboro prison outside Suva. Speight has been left on Nukulau Island, which, while isolated, is comfortable and uncrowned.

The newspaper said the three had been quarrelling most of the time.


"The two and Speight seem to have been fighting over the May 2000 coup and the very fact that it went wrong," sources said. A prison department official confirmed the report but would make no other comment.

Bureau Report