Another Rebel Soldier Captured

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Another Rebel Soldier Captured

* See earlier reports online: http://www.usp.ac.fj/journ/docs/news/nius3078shoot.html

Staff Reporters USP's Pacific Journalism Online

SUVA: Fiji Government troops hunting for escaped mutineers in the suburbs of the capital of Suva have captured another soldier, taking the total of prisoners in custody to 12 in the wake of yesterday's mutiny.

Military spokesperson Major Howard Politini confirmed this today, saying that 15 armed renegade soldiers, including special forces men, were still on the run.

He said the latest soldier taken into custody had been hiding in a house.

Major Politini also gave tips on how to identify the renegades, saying on national radio that they did not have full uniforms.

"Most of them are wearing dark blue t-shirts with army trousers and boots," he said.

The curfew in Suva and the nearby airport town of Nausori has been extended for the whole day as military authorities mounted a major operation to find the rebels still at large.

Suva's streets are deserted with only vehicles and people on essential duties work able to move around.

Radio Fiji reported earlier today that six soldiers, believed to be members of the military's elite counter-revolutionary warfare unit, were cited swimming across a river three kilometers south-west of the capital.

According to Pacnews, senior military officers have been attempting to pinpoint the source of the weapons used by the rebels.

Major Politini said the group of 30 to 40 soldiers attempted to seize the armoury of the Third Fiji Infantry Regiment (FIR) inside the camp but had been unsuccessful.

He said the K2 and M16 assault rifles used by the rebels were standard issue for soldiers manning checkpoints and public buildings around Suva.

+++niuswire

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