Fijian police have detained the leaders of two opposition parties and a trade union boss, among others, for participating in a meeting about the constitution, it was announced today.

The National Federation Party said on its Twitter account that their leader, Biman Prasad, was being held by police for questioning.

The party also said that his house and the party’s office in the capital Suva was being searched by police, with one laptop confiscated.

Another party, Sodelpa, the largest opposition grouping, said their leader Sitiveni Rabuka had voluntarily handed himself in for questioning, according to Radio New Zealand.

The general-secretary of the Fiji Council of Trade Unions, Attar Singh, was also detained.

A police spokesperson, Ana Naisoro, told local Fiji Broadcasting Corporation that authorities had taken in “a number of people” in relation to “comments uttered” at a panel discussion related to the 2013 constitution.

Two other activists were being held by the police, local media reported. One of them is from non-governmental organisation Pacific Dialogue that organised the public forum this week, which was allegedly held without a government permit.

Fiji was under military rule for eight years until two years ago.

Current Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 2006, stood down from the military, ran for the government and won the elections in 2014.

- dpa