Pacific Media Watch

23 February 2011

FIJI: Military briefly detains Fiji Times reporter over sugar industry story

Hero image
Fiji Times editor Fred Wesley ... "we're just doing our job". Photo: Fiji Times
PMW ID
7275

SUVA: A Fiji Times journalist has been detained by the military over a report on the country’s sugar industry.

Emergency regulations allowing reporters to be questioned were to be cancelled when the interim regime’s media decree was imposed in June last year, but remain in place.

Felix Chaudhary, 41, is believed to be the first detainee in 2011.

The Fiji Times editor, Fred Wesley, says he was held for about an hour, and was released unhurt.

“All they wanted to ask him were questions related to the stories that we had published that day. I’d like to think that we’re just doing our job and I wouldn’t want us to be seen in any other way.”

Fred Wesley says the investigative story Chaudhary was questioned over had already been cleared by government censors. - Radio NZ International/Pacific Media Watch

Pacific Media Watch

PMC's media monitoring service

Pacific Media Watch is compiled for the Pacific Media Centre as a regional media freedom and educational resource by a network of journalists, students, stringers and commentators. (cc) Creative Commons

Terms