Journalists deported from Fiji

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Fiji's military regime has deported two foreign journalists.

3 News political reporter Sia Aston and her camera operator were detained by police and taken to Government House this afternoon where she was expected to be told to leave the country. All her footage of events in Fiji has been confiscated.

ABC journalist Sean Dorney, the only other foreign journalist in the country, has reportedly also been ordered to leave.

This is not the first time Fiji's military regime has deported journalists. In December 2008 ONE News Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver was deported. In June 2007, Fairfax New Zealand correspondent Michael Field was deported from Fiji after criticising the regime.

Fiji's military regime has imposed strict media censorship in the wake of the abrogation of the constitution on Friday. Police officers have been stationed in newsrooms, and stories deemed "inciteful" or "negative" about the regime are censored. Fiji Television refused to air its news broadcast on Sunday night in protest at the censorship.

President Josefa Iloilo abrogated the country's constitution and declared himself head of state in response to a court ruling that the military regime was unlawful. He subsequently reappointed military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama as Prime Minister, and reinstated the interim Cabinet.

Fiji's government was overthrown by a military coup in 2006.

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"Bainimarama sworn in as Fiji caretaker PM" — Wikinews, April 10, 2009
"Australia and New Zealand condemn Fiji takeover" — Wikinews, April 10, 2009
"Fiji's President abrogates constitution" — Wikinews, April 10, 2009
"Fiji court rules interim regime unlawful" — Wikinews, April 9, 2009
"New Zealand journalist deported from Fiji" — Wikinews, December 16, 2008

Sources

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

2009 Fijian constitutional crisis

"3 News political reporter Sia Aston booted out of Fiji" — 3 News, April 13, 2009
"ABC journo ordered out of Fiji" — Brisbane Times, April 13, 2009
"Fiji suffers censorship of local media under Bainimarama" — 3 News, April 12, 2009
"News under watch" — Fiji Times, April 11, 2009
New Zealand Press Association. "TVNZ journalist expelled as Fiji row escalates" — New Zealand Herald, December 16, 2008
"Banned journalist returns home" — TVNZ, June 15, 2007

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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.