Fiji: Ministry Says Media Law Reaction 'Sensationalised'

30 June 30, 2010

Fiji's interim government has hit back at the barrage of criticism it has been getting from the Australian government and News Limited over its decision to ban foreign ownership of its media.

The new law which caps foreign ownership at 10 per cent directly hits The Fiji Times which is owned and operated by Australian-owned News Limited.

News Limited has just three months to leave the country and Australia's foreign minister has described the move as another example of commodore Frank Bainimarama's attack on free speech and democracy.

Fiji's Ministry of Information says Mr Smith's comments are an exaggeration and that both the minister and News Limited are sensationalising the issues.

In an interview with Radio Australia Sharon Smith-Johns, Fiji's Permanent Secretary for Information said that reports of a media crackdown are grossly exaggerated and completely taken out of context.

” They (FIJI Times) have had, the consultation process has been going on for some time now and they have been aware of this and now given three months to change that. So it's not a matter of us wanting to close down the Fiji Times. We're simply changing the ownership rules of the Fiji Times” she told Radio Australia.

SHARON SMITH-JOHNS argues that has it own media laws to restrict foreign ownership. “As you know, Murdoch left Australia and he forego his Australian citizenship to move to America for the very same reasons where he couldn't own media in America. We're simply putting in a decree with very similar rules to Singapore, to Australia to New Zealand”.

Source: Radio Australia