Fiji coup leader dismissed from parliament

The nationalist who led a coup that toppled Fiji's government in May 2000 has been dismissed from parliament.

George Speight was dismissed as a lawmaker because he is in pretrial custody and unable to attend legislative sessions.

He was formally fired for not turning up in South Pacific nation's Parliament since the August election.

Speight, who won his Tailevu North seat with a large majority representing the nationalist Conservative Alliance party, is being held on an island off the capital, Suva.

He is awaiting trial early next year on treason charges relating to his May 19, 2000, storming of Fiji's Parliament.

He faces the death penalty if convicted, although it is likely the sentence will be reduced to life imprisonment.

Speight, a failed businessman virtually unheard of before he led the coup, had applied to Parliament for special leave to miss sittings but the Speaker of the House Ratu Epeli Nailatikau rejected the application.

Speight's seat now will be recontested at a by-election and there is no rule against him standing again.

His brother Sam, who led his campaign during the elections, has also been tipped as a possible replacement. He shares Speight's hardline nationalist beliefs.

Speight said he led a gang of gunmen into Parliament to win back more political power for indigenous Fijians, a 51% majority of Fiji's 820,000 people.