Commander Bainimarama has threatened to overthrow the government

With fears mounting of a possible coup in Fiji, residents told the BBC News website of an eerily quiet atmosphere in the capital, Suva.

"I've just come back from town and it's really different to how it usually is," said student Kilioni Ravunibola. "It's quiet and empty. The streets seem to have cleared. Only the police are around."

Fijians are no strangers to the implications of a coup and bitter memories of the last coup in 2000 persist. There are reports of people stockpiling food and queuing up to withdraw cash.

"We are afraid, we don't know what to do so we are stocking up on food. We have been told that by midday tomorrow, the government should resign. If not, the army will come for the government.

"We went through a lot in 2000. I was still in high school then but I remember all the difficulties," Mr Ravunibola said.

Yet a surface calm appears to be the overriding mood in the capital.

Mr A Singh, an Indo-Fijian businessman, doesn't expect the coup to dramatically affect daily life.

"I'm going to work as usual tomorrow. Everybody is staying calm and cool. All anyone wants is an orderly country and if there has to be one, an orderly transition.

"I believe the worst that can happen is the army chief forces the prime minister to resign. We will just get a new government."

Regardless of their underlying fears, most Fijians can do little but wait and watch developments on Friday.