Local Rastafarians have sprung to the defence of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie, after the Ethiopian Government broke their silence this week and denounced the former emperor as a tyrant.

An Associated Press story was printed in The Royal Gazette on Wednesday in which the Ethiopian Government denounced Haile Selassie as a "despot and a tyrant who opposed the masses''.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said in a statement to the state-owned Addis Zemen newspaper that Haile Selassie had presided over a feudal oligarchy that reduced farmers to "tenants and serfs on their own lands''.

This comes just days before the late Emperor's remains were to be buried in a private religious burial in the country's capital Addis Ababa. Haile Selassie ruled for 45 years and was Ethiopia's last imperial leader.

He died in 1975 at the age of 83 while held in solitary confinement in his Grand Palace for about a year by Marxist dictator, Mengistu Haile Mariam, and it is still uncertain exactly how he died, and some suspect foul play.

In an official statement by the Bermudian Chapter of The Ethiopian World Federation Inc, they said: "The Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated, is an institution that proudly carries its ancient Ethiopian designation. In accordance with our constitutional responsibilities, we do hereby solemnly warn the present Government of Ethiopia, led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the leaders of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdeo Church, and the western powers of this world, of the irreversible consequences that await all those who are historically and presently, participating in the age-old conspiracy of deceit and falsehood, directed against the Emperor of Ethiopia, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie the 1st.'' The statement continues: "It is an unnatural and self-destructive path to pursue which seeks to destroy the glory of The Light Of The World. To defame the Light of Humanity is to desire eternal darkness within oneself, both individually and collectively.

"It is then appropriate on the 70th anniversary of the crowning and revelation of the Ethiopian black man as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that the black peoples in Bermuda be not deceived by what they read in the western press. It is their intention to distract us from regaining our dignity, integrity, and self-respect. These are our royal values exemplified by His Imperial Majesty, that he ordered to rebuild our characters, families, communities and nation.'' The Ethiopian Government's statement said the feudal class in Ethiopia led a life of luxury at the expense of the toiling masses, and the emperor amassed a huge personal fortune that was deposited in foreign banks.

The statement further said the Government was taking all necessary steps to retrieve these assets. Ethiopia remains one of the poorest nations in the world and its 61 million people have an annual per capita income of less than $200.

His detractors also say Haile Selassie failed to introduce much-needed reforms, and this failure to dismantle the feudal system led to his downfall.

To his supporters, however, Haile Selassie's rule was a time of peace and stability, a period when modern education was introduced and Ethiopia became the head-quarters of the Organisation of African Unity.

The Emperor's remains will be buried on Sunday during a memorial service conducted by the Haile Selassie I Foundation and members of his family, including his only surviving child, Princess Tenagne, who has been living in America.

The Emperor's remains have been kept in a secret vault at the Bahta Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the capital since they were exhumed in 1991 from a small grave in a garden adjacent to Mengistu's office.