Blackwell Reference Online

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Lieutenant Colonel Rabuka, the Fijian military commander who led the May 14, 1987 effort which brought down the government of Dr. Timoci Bavadra, staged a second coup on september 25, 1987, resulting in Fiji becoming a republic the following year. Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka was born september 13, 1948, at Nakobo, on the island of Vanua Levi, Fiji, the son of Kolinio Epeli Vanuacicila Rabuka and salote Lomaloma. He was educated at Provincial school Northern, Queen Victoria school in New Zealand, and New Zealand army schools, and completed postgraduate work at the Indian Defence services staff College until 1979, and the Australian Joint services staff College until 1982. He then joined the Fijian military. He served with the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) where he was senior Operational Plans Officer from 1980 to 1981. Returning to Fiji in July 1981, he was appointed chief of staff, a position he held for several months. He was then sO1 for operations and training from 1982 to 1983, and again from 1985 to 1987, spending the intervening period as commander of the Fiji Battalion in sinai. Rabuka was clearly angered by the election in April 1987 of the coalition government of Dr. Timoci Bavadra. This led him to stage the coup on May 14, overthrowing the Bavadra government. His coup d'état was well-planned and bloodless. He then started running Fiji, championing ... log in or subscribe to read full text