No foreign journalist has been in Nauru for more than a year and none appears like to be able to enter soon.
Transcript
No foreign journalist has been in Nauru for more than a year and none appears like to be able to enter soon.
The news organisation Al Jazeera was in the process of applying for media visas when it says it was told that all media visa applications have been denied by the Nauru government.
Koro Vaka'uta reports.
Al Jazeera said it was willing to pay the non-refundable over five thousand US dollar visa application fee which was introduced over a year ago. At the time the government said the fee hike was in response to the damage that foreign media personnel had inflicted on Nauru through negative coverage of the island's role as an asylum seeker processing centre on Australia's behalf. Al Jazeera's Asia Pacific correspondent Andrew Thomas says his organisation is interested in reporting on the situation both inside and outside the centre.
What does the local population think about having refugees locked up or on Nauru now out in the community as well, so we were really trying to get to Nauru to not only find out what those inside the centre were thinking, but also what those host people were thinking as well.
In October last year, Al Jazeera began enquiring about visiting Nauru and contacted the migration office, however before being able to send documentation that had been requested this month, Al Jazeera was told the application would be rejected. When asked for clarification, Al Jazeera was told all media applications were not approved. Once this was reported, the Nauru government issued a statement through its Australian-based PR company.
Nauru Government policy has not changed in regard to the distribution of visas for working journalists who wish to visit Nauru. Al Jazeera did not go through the proper channels in its application for visa consideration and as a consequence received misinformation.
Al Jazeera denies that it went through the wrong channels.
We did go through the official procedures and processes as outlined by the government of Nauru in relation to obtaining a media visa. During that process we were told by a senior Nauruan official that no media visas were being approved and numerous attempts to clarify that having gone unanswered, we can only conclude that all media applications are being refused.
The human rights group Amnesty International says the refusal is just the latest evidence of a crackdown on freedom of expression. Amnesty says the apparent media blackout is particularly alarming when there are no independent media outlets on Nauru. Amnesty's Meghna Abraham wrote on its website about her concerns.
Whatever Nauru is trying to hide, it can't be good if the authorities are so desperate to block all international media from visiting or reporting from the island. Amid allegations of ongoing abuse, including sexual assault, of asylum seekers it is all the more vital that media are neither barred nor silenced from reporting the truth.
She says Nauru must immediately allow the media in and repeal criminal sanctions that undermine the right to freedom of expression, as well as allow independent human rights monitors access to the country. Mr Thomas says Al Jazeera will continue to try to get to Nauru.
We continue to email and phone the various representatives we know are getting our phone calls and e-mails but aren't responding. We continue to ask them if we haven't followed the proper procedures, as they see it, then what are those proper procedures? Tell us what they are. We will follow them. We would like to come visit your country and report what is happening there.
Radio New Zealand International has been told by Nauru's PR company that there is no representative from the government to talk on the issue.
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.