Fiji’s Regime Deploys More Personnel To UN Ops Than Aus-NZ

Fiji’s Military Regime Deploys More Personnel To UN Ops Than Australia, Canada, New Zealand Combined

Press Release

www.36th-Parallel.com

July 16 2012

For Immediate Release

36th-Parallel.com Inquiry Shows Fiji’s Military Regime Deploys More Personnel To UN Ops Than Australia, Canada, New Zealand Combined

Since the 2006 Fiji coup Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama’s military-led government has remained fully engaged with the United Nations while incrementally increasing the number of troops and police it contributes to UN peacekeeping operations to record levels.

United Nations records show, that in the past year alone, Fiji has increased by 29 percent the number of Fiji military and police personnel deployed to UN operations. Between April 2011 and May 2012, Fiji also contributed more peacekeepers to UN operations than Australia, Canada and New Zealand combined.

36th Parallel, co-founder and principal, Selwyn Manning said: “The data shows that the governments of Australia and New Zealand have not impeded the participation of Fijian troops in UN peace-keeping operations in spite of their public calls to that effect, and in fact have not impeded a rise in the number of Fiji troops being deployed to United Nations operations since the December 2006 military coup.

“Despite Fiji’s military being warned by the United Nations secretariat in November 2006 that if it conducted a coup, overthrew its government, and installed a military-led regime, then its contribution to UN-led operations would be reduced or suspended, the United Nations increased the number of Fiji personnel deployed in the immediate post-coup period.

“That trend has increased in the six years since,” Selwyn Manning said.

To access this 36th-Parallel.com report, see: http://36th-parallel.com/2012/07/fijis-military-regime-deploys-more-personnel-to-un-ops-than-australia-canada-new-zealand-combined/

36th Parallel Assessments was founded by Paul G. Buchanan and Selwyn Manning. It is a non-governmental, non-partisan New Zealand based political risk and strategic assessment consultancy.

The firm combines open source information sharing with discrete assessments, analysis and forecasts. See also: http://36th-parallel.com/about-us/

ENDS

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