INTERVIEW: Former Fijian Prime Minister Mahenda Chaudhry

Mahendra Chaudhry was Fiji's first Prime Minister of Indian ancestry, but in 2000 he and most his cabinet were held hostage for almost two months, after a civilian coup backed by a faction of the military and led by George Speight stormed parliament. Since the 1980s there have been four coups in Fiji - each with links to ethnic tension between Indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Mr Chaudhry is the current leader of the Fiji Labour Party. In an interview with SBS's Jennifer Scherer, he talks about Fiji's movement toward social cohesion and how Diwali can promote reconciliation despite a history of coup culture