Wellington, April 21 NZPA - The Fiji Indian Association in New Zealand has written to Prime Minister John Key asking him to maintain dialogue with Fiji's military regime, which has now been condemned by the United Nations Security Council.

The association's president, Salim Singh, also condemned the "draconian measures" taken by Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama and his interim government, Radio New Zealand International reported today.

Mr Singh said New Zealand should establish an eminent persons group to negotiate with the regime and help Fiji return to normalcy.

Fiji was a regional hub and it should remain outside the influence of other powers.

"Once you close the door on negotiations, the regime turns elsewhere and if you look at the geopolitical fights in the Pacific at the moment there is one country, China which is doggedly fighting for dominance in the South Pacific and we do not wish countries like China to play such a dominant role in the Pacific, that they can start affecting the systems of government," he told RNZ International.

He said there was a common misconception that Indo-Fijians support Cdre Bainimarama but this was untrue.

Speaking on behalf of the UN Security Council, Mexico's Claude Heller said the council was "deeply concerned about the situation in Fiji, where undemocratic decisions were made, including the abrogation of the constitution".

Cdre Bainimarama, who overthrew the elected government in a December 2006 coup, has introduced emergency regulations since the country's constitution was dumped on April 10, a day after the Court of Appeal ruled his interim government illegal.

Eight magistrates and a chief magistrate were sworn in by President Ratu Josefa Iloilo yesterday and the Fiji Law Society says it has been told court documents concerning the interim Government dating back to 2006 have been destroyed.

The Intelligentsiya (crct) blogsite set up by "libertarian" Fijians says new court registrar, Major Ana Rokomoti was "attempting to blur the murky illegal tracks of Bainimarama's illegal regime".

The blogsite quoted sources pointing to a high level directive for all legal files involving the military junta to be sent to Maj Rokomoti's office for shredding.

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