By Kim Choe
Fiji's leader Frank Bainimarama says he had no idea there was an alleged plot to assassinate him.
But he says he's not surprised or concerned, calling his detractors "cowards".
Speaking from South Korea, Mr Bainimarama told Auckland-based Radio Tarana the alleged plot to kill him is nothing new.
“Whether they can come to Fiji to carry it out is a different matter, because they're cowards. They can't come to Fiji,” he says.
Even if they did, Mr Bainimarama says they wouldn't get past his security. And Colonel Tevita Mara, one of the men supposedly involved in the plot, agrees.
“That's bizarre. How can you kill a person who has an army and entourage with him, 42 bodyguards, and all this kind of thing? Who are they trying to fool, do they think we're stupid?”
Former Fijian Cabinet Minister Rajesh Singh says SIS agents searched his house in connection with a plot he knew nothing about. Radio Tarana managing director Robert Khan says Mr Singh hasn't been politically active for some time.
“He's been around in political circles, but he has been inactive in the political field ever since the 2006 coup.”
The Fijian government claims it too is in the dark about alleged threat to Mr Bainimarama, saying any investigation should be left to the New Zealand authorities. But both the Government and police have refused to comment.
3 News