Chronogrqaphy of Fiji
Page last modified 19 August
2023
See also South East Asia for other Pacific island nations
5/12/2006, The Prime Minister of Fiji, Laisenia
Qarase, fled to the remote Lau Islands after a military coup by Commodore Frank Bainimarama. This was the 4th
coup in Fiji since 1987.
2000, A civilian-led coup
instituted an ethnic-Fijian government.
1999, Election
victory by the Labour Party. Mahendra
Chaudry became Fiji�s first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.
1/10/1997, Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth. It had been
expelled in 1987 because of discriminatory legislation against Indians.
16/12/1993, Ratu
Penaia Ganilau, President of Fiji (1987-93), died aged 75.
1992, General
election produced a coalition government, with
Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka as President.
1989, Indian
Fijians began a mass emigration, as prejudice against them mounted. The 1990
Constitution discriminated against them.
12/1987, Civilian
government was restored, with Rabuka as
Minister for Home Affairs, controlling Security.
Ethnic tensions within Fiji
10/1987, Fiji left the Commonwealth.
5/1987, The Bavadra Government
was ousted at gunpoint by Colonel Rabuka. The
elected Government regained control within weeks, however a second coup was
mounted by Rabuka; Fiji was
proclaimed a Republic and the Constitution suspended.
4/1987, General election produced an
Indian-dominated government led by Dr Timoci
Bavadra.
15/10/1987, The Queen
abdicated as monarch of Fiji.
6/10/1987, Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka declared Fiji a Republic.
25/9/1987, The
second coup of 1987 in Fiji, led by Colonel
Sitiveni Rabuka. He opposed what he saw as domination of the Fijian
economy by Indian-ethnicity families.
14/5/1987, A coup toppled the Fiji Government, in
protest at the influence of Indians in the administration.
12/4/1987, Elections
in Fiji won by an Indian-dominated coalition.
10/10/1970. Fiji became independent
from Britain.� It had been a British colony
since 1874.
1900, New Zealand made proposals to annex Fiji;
however after indigenous Fijian protests the move was abandoned.
1882, Suva replaced Levuka as capital of Fiji.
1879, The first Indian
indentured labourers arrived in Fiji. Large-scale immigration to Fiji from
India ceased in 1817; by then some 63,000 Indians had arrived. The Fiji
Government offered to repatriate them but two thirds chose to remain in Fiji.
1875, One third of the Fijian
population was killed by a measles epidemic.
1874, Fiji became a British
colony. This administration replaxced the �constitutional government� of King Thakombau,
in fact run by Englishmen, which had incurred major debts and was widely
unpopular in Fiji.
1869, Major increase in settlers
from Australia
and New
Zealand, now up to 1,800, from 200 in 1860.
1835, Wesleyan missionaries
began work in eastern Fiji.
1800, European settlement in
Fiji began, comprising of sailors, escaped convicts from Australia, traders and
missionaries.
1773, Cook discovered Turtle
Island, southernmost of the Fijian Islands.
1643, Abel Tasman sighted Fiji.