George Speight, the indigenous Fijian who held his...

George Speight, the indigenous Fijian who held his ethnic Indian prime minister hostage at gunpoint for 56 days in 2000, appeared in a Suva court charged with treason.
Treason carries the death penalty in Fiji. Heavy security surrounded the committal hearing to decide whether Mr Speight and 12 associates should stand trial for kidnapping Mahendra Chaudhry and his cabinet in May 2000.
Mr Speight's lawyer did not deny the former businessman's role in the coup which brought down Fiji's democratic government, but argued that a deal backed by the military and indigenous chiefs guaranteed Mr Speight immunity from prosecution.
Fijian soldiers arrested Mr Speight in July 2000. The military said he and his core supporters breached the immunity deal, which ended the coup, by failing to hand over all their weapons.
The preliminary hearing is expected to call more than 250 witnesses and last for three months.
Indigenous Fijians make up about 50% of the population, compared with 44% who are ethnically Indian and descended from those brought to work on sugar plantations in the 19th century by Fiji's British rulers.