Russell Hunter was the first of three Australian publishers to be deported by the junta in 2008, with the illegal government claiming he was conducting himself in a manner "prejudicial to the peace, defence, public safety, public order, security and stability of the sovereign state of the Fiji Islands."
With Hunter at the helm, the Fiji Sun had published a number of investigative stories deemed anti-government, including accounts of the failure by then Finance Minister, Mahendra Chaudry, to pay his taxes on time.
Now working for the Samoa Observer, Hunter says the worse provision in the proposed decree is the one that sanctions journalists and editors to be imprisoned for up to five years and media organisations to be fined up to half a million Fijian dollars if they breach the code.
Hunter says the Fiji media is a shadow of its former self thanks to the censorship imposed under the Public Emergency Regulations and that the proposed decree will put it completely under the control of the illegal government.
He believes the decree will cause the industry to contract, with people going out of business and even more of Fiji's brightest talent heading overseas.
Hunter says the planned Media Industry Development Authority is very dangerous because journalists and editors will not be able to challenge any of its decisions in any court.
And he says the intent to have media organisations owned at least 90 per cent by locals, sends a bad message to investors (that there's no security in Fiji if the junta doesn't like you) and that aid donors will not be impressed.
Hunter believes the interim government already has someone lined up to take over the Australian owned Fiji Times. He says there's a good chance it will be a local but the regime could also venture outside of the industry to find the person who will toe the line.
He says the Fiji Times, the country's oldest paper, has essentially been expropriated by the junta and that while Rupert Murdoch would put up a fight, he's unlikely to move to Suva.
Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd issued a statement yesterday, after the decree was revealed at the first public consultation in Suva, saying it was 100 per cent behind the people of Fiji and was making representation to the interim government.
Two other publishers have been deported by the junta - Australians Evan Hannah and Rex Gardner from the Fiji Times.
Picture: Russell Hunter talking to media after he arrived back in Sydney
3 comments:
Yes, Fiji is now amongst one of the worst military dictatorships in the world. A sugar producing nation where you can't buy sugar!
The poor will suffer - particularly the indo-fijians - at least the Fijians have (and always will have) their land. They will sit back and watch while the poor indo-fijians struggle, a few coup supporters like the khaiyum family become richer and the nation just continues its downward slide.
The fiji military had could have not done worse to their own nation if they had invaded it!!
What a poorly led and useless institution - no wonder it has no credibility internationally!
Its guided by the UN. The UN doesn't need rocket scientists. They are the brains.
@ useless fiji military.
Hit the nail on the head (indo Fijians).
Lot of people are now (albeit slowly) starting to realise that this regime core is made up of hard core iTaukei - Muslim components are there too be used - then discarded. Don't believe it?
Check out the long term prospects of the sugar industry?
No iTaukei will ever starve? True.
Indo Fijians are another matter...
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