During the 1987 Fijian coup, an Air New Zealand plane was hijacked at Nadi airport. In response, New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange directed the armed forces to send a team of Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers to Fiji. Defence leadership considered this order problematic during a coup and delayed sending the force. The hijacking was resolved before the soldiers left for Fiji, but feelings of distrust between the prime minster and defence leadership lingered.
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