Pacific Media Watch

1 March 2011

FIJI: Activist uses DVD to dodge media censorship

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SUVA: A pro-democracy activist and the producer of a political DVD circulating in Fiji says the film is an attempt to get around Fiji’s strict media censorship rules.

Suliasi Daunitutu has been circulating the DVD from his Canberra base via intermediaries in Fiji, including former politician Samasoni Tikonisau.

Tikonisau is recovering in Australia after being beaten up by military officers last week for distributing the information.

Daunitutu says the film is aimed at rural people in particular.

He says they’re enjoying new infrastructure but don’t know both sides of the story behind it.

“From their perspective, this government is a very good government
because of the developments that are coming to them. They don’t know
that behind these developments, there’s a lot of loans that have been
made, there’s a lot of corruption, a lot of nepotism going on. To them
the only thing they see is development.”

Suliasi Daunitutu says he is educating people first so they will be
keen to take part in an anti-government protest he’s planning, timed to
piggy back on protests in the Middle East. - Radio NZ International/Pacific Media Watch

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