12 Mar 2009

More claims of intimidation of Fiji media

10:04 am on 12 March 2009

There are claims of further media intimidation in Fiji.

The latest concern comes after police searched the offices of the Fiji Times and Fiji TV.

They were looking for letters allegedly from the Commonwealth and the United Nations to the interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

However, the Fiji Times editor-in-chief Netani Rika says there was no name on the letter which was a joint statement from the UN and Commonwealth on their agreement to support the President's political dialogue forum.

He says however, after publishing the letter in the paper this week, police turned up at their office demanding the letter which they say belonged to the interim prime minister.

"They executed warrants at our office and we gave up a copy of the fax which we had received, fax was unaddressed somebody had obviously removed the addressee and I was interviewed under caution yesterday with regards to the letter and our chief sub editor was subsequently contacted by police and told that the major fraud squad would be in touch with him later this week."