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Mahendra Pal Chaudhry (Hindi : महेन्द्र पाल चौधरी ) (born 9 February 1942) is a Fijian and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. Following a historic election in which he defeated the long-time former leader, Sitiveni Rabuka, the former trade union leader became Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister on 19 May 1999, but exactly one year later, on 19 May 2000 he and most of his Cabinet were taken hostage by coup leader George Speight, in the Fiji coup of 2000. Unable to exercise his duties, he and his ministers were sacked by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara on 27 May; Mara intended to assume emergency powers himself but was himself deposed by the military leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama. After 56 days in captivity, Chaudhry was released on 13 July and subsequently embarked on a tour of the world to rally support. He was one of the leading voices raised in opposition to the Qarase government's proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission, which he said was just a mechanism to grant amnesty to persons guilty of coup-related offences. In January 2007 he was appointed as Minister of Finance, Sugar Reform Public Enterprise and National Planning in the interim Cabinet of Commodore Frank Bainimarama, following another coup.〔("More ministers join interim Cabinet" ), ''Fiji Times'', 9 January 2007.〕 Chaudhry was also co-chair of the task force focusing on economic growth within the National Council for Building a Better Fiji.〔("Flawed democracy" ), Fiji Labour Party website, 23 July 2008〕 In 2008, he left the government and became an outspoken critic of it. == Family background == Mahendra Chaudhry's ancestral ties are with the village of Bahu Jamalpur in Rohtak District, in the Indian state of Haryana. His grandfather, Ram Nath Chaudhry, arrived in Fiji in 1902, as an indentured labourer, to work on Fiji's sugarcane plantations. On his arrival in Fiji he disputed the agreement to work in the plantations and was employed as a store manager until he started his own business. He later returned to India with his wife, Jai Kali (died 22 September 1930 at age 45) whom he had met and married in Fiji, daughter, Raaj Kumari and second son, Ram Gopal. Their elder son, Krishn Gopal Chaudhry remained in Fiji. Ram Gopal Chaudhry returned to Fiji in 1934 or there abouts. Ram Gopal had seven children (five sons and two daughters), one of them and the eldest son, Mahendra. Mahendra's maternal grandfather was from the Indian state of Kerala, who settled to Fiji in early 1900s. Chaudhry has been married to Virmati since 1965; they have three children and several grandchildren. Unlike the Hindu Chaudhry, Virmati is a born-again Pentecostal Christian.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.lookinglassdesign.com/fijicoupmay2000/june2000/620-chaudry-PIR.html )〕 While her husband and son, Rajendra were still in captivity, she announced on 18 June 2000 that she had decided to forgive George Speight. In 2004, Chaudhry received the Pravasi Bharatiya Community Service Award, which is granted to members of the Indian diaspora to honour their contributions to the countries of which they are members. Chaudhry was the first Fijian citizen to receive this award. On 20 November 2005, Chaudhry's youngest son Sachindra married Marian Ma'afu, a descendant of the Tongan-Fijian prince Enele Ma'afu who conquered the Lau Islands and Taveuni in the nineteenth century. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mahendra Chaudhry」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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