Pacific Media Centre news desk
PORT VILA: Pacific media organisations have reacted with outrage over a violent attack on the Vanuatu Daily Post allegedly led by a cabinet minister with the newspaper publisher vowing to bring assault charges against those involved.
The mid-afternoon attack happened yesterday when Public Utilities Minister Harry Iauko led a group of men into the newspaper office who allegedly assaulted publisher Marc Neil-Jones, and threatened his editor and other staff, according to a Daily Post front page report today.
Editor Royson Willie wrote in the newspaper that the aggressive visit to the office was because the Daily Post had published articles “about the minister’s handling of land issues, the Airports Vanuatu Limited board suspension, Transparency International’s column and letters to editor”. All these issues were reported during the week.
Police arrived at the Daily Post just as the group was leaving and were reportedly investigating.
Publisher Neil-Jones, a 53-year-old diabetic, angrily condemned the group for the attack, saying: “I can’t think of many countries where a minister of state would survive long if he marched into a national newspaper with a gang of thugs employed within the ministry and assaulted the publisher of a national daily paper because he didn’t like the valid criticism he was getting from all quarters, including the newspaper, members of the public through letters to the editor and Transparency International.”
Editor Willie called the attack “a disgrace and unacceptable”.
“This is appalling,” said Cook Islands News publisher John Woods, who is also an executive member of the regional Pasifika Media Association. He paid tribute to Neil-Jones’ courage.
“It behoves us all to support Marc and his newspaper against bigotry and violence like this.”
‘Mindless brutality’
Dr David Robie, director of the Auckland-based Pacific Media Centre, also condemned the “mindless brutality” of the attack on a free press and called on Prime Minister Sato Kilman’s government to sack the minister and to rigorously investigate the attack.
The centre runs a Pacific Media Watch project and reported the attack earlier today.
Pacific Freedom Forum called on Pacific and the Vanuatu governments to distance themselves from this "shameful thuggery".
The front page Daily Post report said:
The group led by the minister entered the Daily Post office quietly and all – including the Minister for Public Utilities – went into the publisher’s office and assaulted him at his desk.
The minister was clearly heard by Daily Post staff shouting at the top of his voice as Neil-Jones was assaulted.
An angry Neil-Jones said he would be pressing charges against the minister on several counts, including aiding and abetting an assault.
He said he will be pressing charges against the minister because he was the one who could have stopped the men from going into the Daily Post office to assault, but instead Iauko stood right next to him and watched the assault taking place.
Strangled, kicked
A doctor’s examination on Neil-Jones found marks on his neck indicating someone had attempted to strangle him. Neil-Jones said he was grabbed by the neck and kicked.
“I was particularly angry to seek Jay Ngwele with the group because he owes me over Vt300,000 for construction work that he was paid to do but never did,” he said.
Minister Iauko also threatened the editor of the Daily Post, Royson Willie, saying “yu wantem mi brekem face blo yu?” (do you want me to break your face?) with one of the men by the name of Nanua from North Tanna threatening the editor.
The editor has condemned the attack on the free and independent media in Vanuatu, saying such action is a disgrace and unacceptable, especially when a state minister was involved in such completely not statesmanship action.
The men with the minister were mostly from North Tanna, Middle Bush on Tanna and Whitesands on Tanna, living in Port Vila.
The thugs used a government vehicle with registration number G762 to carry out the act.
This government vehicle was driven by Iauko’s political crony, Jay Ngwele.
Marc Neil-Jones has been attacked and threatened by politicians on several past occasions because of the outspoken stance of his newspaper Daily Post. In January 2009, he suffered a broken nose, cuts and a kick to the body when Correctional Service officers attacked him in the office over an article about the burning down of the French jail.
In 2000, he was deported by then Prime Minister Barak Sope for publishing “state secrets” – including “the news that eventually got Sope convicted in court”. - Pacific Scoop/Pacific Media Watch
Vanuatu Ombudsman 2001 report on the deportation of Marc-Neil Jones
Pacific Media Watch
