Fiji’s media have protested the censorship imposed by the country’s military commander by canceling evening news broadcasts and leaving large parts of newspapers blank.
The government of Commodore Frank Bainimarama asked an Australian reporter to leave yesterday, in a sign that international coverage of the latest military power grab is being closely scrutinized.
Australian Broadcasting Corp correspondent Sean Dorney said he was initially told he would be deported.
“They called me to the immigration department this morning and informed me they were unhappy with my reporting, which was being broadcast on the local Fiji One network,” Dorney said.
He said he was allowed to return to his hotel to pack and was then asked if he would leave voluntarily.
“I said no. I’m here to report and my visa is still valid, and now I’m awaiting further information,” he said.
It is not known when he would leave the country.
Fiji’s latest political upheaval began on Friday, when Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo abolished the Constitution, fired all the judges and declared a state of emergency in response to a senior court’s ruling that Bainimarama’s regime was unlawful. He set a timetable of five years for elections. He denied he was acting at the behest of Bainimarama.
The next day, Bainimarama was sworn in as prime minister and quickly tightened his grip on the country, posting censors in newsrooms and roadblocks on the capital’s streets.
“Emergency regulations are in force,” Bainimarama said in a national address late on Saturday. “However, these regulations are only a precautionary measure.”
Military-backed “information officers” stood watch in newspaper, news radio and TV offices to prevent the publication or broadcast of any reports that, Bainimarama said, “could cause disorder.” Police were granted extra detention powers.
The Fiji Times, the country’s main daily, published its editions on Sunday and yesterday with several blank spaces where stories about the crisis would have appeared.
“The stories on this page could not be published because of Government restrictions,” read the only words that appeared on Sunday’s page two.
Fiji’s main TV station, Fiji One, refused to broadcast its nightly news bulletin on Sunday, instead showing a simple message written across a black screen: “Viewers please be advised that there will be no 6pm news tonight.”
The network later informed viewers that it could not present some prepared stories because of the new censorship regulations.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday added to the international scorn directed at Bainimarama following his latest actions.
“Australia condemns unequivocally this action by the military ruler of Fiji to turn this great country into virtually a military dictatorship, with the suspension of freedom of the press and actions which undermine prosperity for the ordinary people,” Rudd told reporters.
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