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COUP LEADERS SEIZE CONTROL OF MEDIA

Fiji's press is under siege following a military coup on 4 December 2006 that toppled the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, report the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

At least two newspapers have stopped publishing and foreign reporters have been prevented from covering certain events. The state-owned Fiji Broadcasting Corporation has suspended all news programmes.

The country's leading daily newspaper, the "Fiji Times", suspended publication on 5 December after being threatened by the military with censorship, reports RSF. An article on its website said armed soldiers came to the newspaper and asked it not to publish any "hostile propaganda" about the new military leadership.

Another newspaper, the "Fiji Daily Post", has been forced to cease publication of its print edition following death threats against management and staff by coup officers, reports IPI. The paper had leaked details of the coup plotters' plans two days prior to the takeover. Following the threats, the newspaper's offices in the capital, Suva, have been abandoned and the managing editor has gone into hiding.

The country's two privately-owned radio stations, Radio Fiji and Communications Fiji, have also received visits from the military, which has imposed prior censorship on all news bulletins, notes IPI. Soldiers are reportedly still posted outside their offices.

Meanwhile, soldiers are preventing foreign journalists in Suva from approaching the home of the deposed prime minister, who has been placed under house arrest.

Visit these links:

- IPI: http://tinyurl.com/y3wqqw
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=4440&Language=EN
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20021
- World Leaders Denounce Coup: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6210464.stm
- Reports from Fijian Bloggers: http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/oceania/fiji
- Fiji Times Online: http://www.fijitimes.com
- Fiji Daily Post Online: http://www.fijidailypost.com/
- Pacific Media Watch: http://www.pmw.c2o.org/
(Photo courtesy of Al-Jazeera)