23 Feb 2011

Fiji military briefly detains reporter over sugar industry story

7:58 pm on 23 February 2011

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 Chaudhry 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 what us to be seen in any other way."

Fred Wesley says the story Mr Chaudhry was questioned over had already been cleared by government censors.