11 Mar 2009

Police search two media outlets in Fiji for letters

4:09 pm on 11 March 2009

Fiji's media is again coming under pressure from the interim regime with police searching two media organisations after they made public politically sensitive stories.

Pacnews says The Fiji Times newspaper and Fiji Television were served with search warrants by police for copies and sources of two letters that were published by them.

An assistant police spokesman Atunaisa Sokomuri said officers from the Criminal Investigation Department served the search warrant to Fiji Television Limited yesterday.

Fiji TV yesterday said that the search warrant was served for the copy of a letter from dialogue facilitators Sitiveni Halapua and Robin Nair, asking the interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama for a meeting.

Another search warrant was served to Fiji Times for a copy of the letter which was written by the United Nations and the Commonwealth.

The letter was a joint statement from the UN and Commonwealth on their agreement to support the President's political dialogue forum.

Fiji Times Editor-in-Chief Netani Rika was taken to the Central Police Station and questioned about the issue yesterday afternoon.