20 Dec 2010

Vanuatu public braodcaster warned by new government

11:32 am on 20 December 2010

A senior Vanuatu official has accused the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation of unfair and impartial reporting of the country's political situation, and threatened it with privatisation.

The warning comes in a statement from Richard Kaltonga, who is the public relations officer of the Prime Minister.

Mr Kaltong says the VBTC misquoted the prime minister, Sato Kilman, after his election two weeks ago, from which the public was excluded for the first time.

When Mr Kilman was about to be elected, VBTC journalists were evicted from parliament by the paramilitary force while other reporters were barred from entering the premises.

The action of the security forces came despite standing orders stipulating that all parliamentary sessions are public.