Fiji's military yesterday told rebels holding the deposed prime minister, Mr Mahendra Chaudhry, and 26 others hostage they had two days to leave parliament where they have been holed up for more than six weeks.
The military said it was creating a no-go zone around the sprawling parliament complex, but that the "military option" had been ruled out.
"The decree will come into effect from midnight tonight . . . everyone in the parliamentary complex will be given 48 hours to move out," the military spokesman Lieut-Col Filipo Tarakinikini said.
"This can be seen as an amnesty period whereby they are allowed to make up their minds and move out."
Similar amnesty offers have been issued during the crisis but the military ruler, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, said the rebels, led by failed businessman Mr George Speight, would be charged over the hostage taking if they did not take up the latest offer.
"Those that remain after the grace period will be charged," Commodore Bainimarama was quoted as saying. A rebel spokesman, Mr Joe Nata, said any supporters who wanted to leave were free to go.
"We will announce tomorrow that anyone that wants to leave, especially women and children, will be free to leave," Mr Nata said. "But we don't expect anyone to take up the offer because we are all committed to the rights of indigenous Fijians."
Mr Speight and his gunmen stormed parliament on May 19th in the name of indigenous rights, seizing Mr Chaudhry, Fiji's first ethnic Indian leader, and his multi-racial cabinet.
Mr Speight has demanded an end to Indian political power in this racially-divided country. Ethnic Indians were first brought to Fiji about 100 years ago to work on sugar plantations.
Commodore Bainimarama said negotiation with the rebels was still an option and he hoped both sides would focus on freeing the hostages.
The imposition of an exclusion zone around the parliament complex comes after a shootout between troops and rebels on Tuesday in which three civilians and two rebels were wounded.
Military officials later said inexperienced troops overreacted to a crowd of rebel supporters who emerged from the parliamentary compound.
Under the no-go zone, the military has the power to commandeer land and buildings and to restrict water, communications and power to the parliamentary compound.
A mutiny by troops loyal to the rebels fizzled out yesterday as three junior officers who took over the Sukanaivalu barracks on Fiji's second largest island, Vanua Levu, on Tuesday handed back seized weapons and returned to normal duties.