IFJ demands Fiji regime reverse media clampdown

Tuesday, April 14: THE unprecedented clampdown on the media in Fiji at the weekend underscores the unwillingness of Fiji’s military leadership to uphold long-promised democratic reform in the Pacific island nation, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said today.

“Press freedom in Fiji is in tatters. The repressive actions taken against Fiji’s media at the weekend give the lie to promises by the military government throughout the past year that it would support press freedom and media professionalism as essential components of the country’s return to democratic rule,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

 “But now, the draconian and reprehensible manner in which the military leadership is seeking to control information about highly significant events and issues in Fiji is comparable to the actions of other dictatorial regimes and closed societies, including Burma, North Korea and Zimbabwe.”

 Following an appeals court ruling on April 9 which declared the 2006 coup led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama was illegal, President Ratu Josefa Iloilo abrogated Fiji’s 1997 Constitution, sacked the nation's judges, declared himself head of state. He reappointed Bainimarama as prime minister on April 11.

 Ministry of Information officials and the police immediately imposed sweeping censorship of the media and installed censors in newsrooms. The media was warned not to publish or broadcast "negative" reports about the President’s actions and the appointments of Bainimarama and the Cabinet.

 Under 30-day Public Emergency Regulations, journalists are now required to submit “sensitive” news reports to government officials for approval. Media organisations could be shut down if official directives are ignored.

 Newspapers and television outlets protested by refusing to broadcast news bulletins and carrying blank pages and spaces in newspapers.

A blank page in the Sunday Times simply included a line declaring, “The stories on this page could not be published due to government restrictions.”

 However, most organisations are no longer running political reports. Local media personnel are privately reporting a “climate of silence” has gripped some newsrooms.

 Veteran Pacific affairs correspondent Sean Dorney, of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and reporter Sia Aston and cameraman Matt Smith, of New Zealand’s TV3, were due to be deported today. Their news reports over the weekend detailed the extent of the media clampdown.

 The IFJ is extremely concerned about the impacts of denying information to people in Fiji and the well-being of media personnel who seek to do their jobs amid a climate of fear and persecution.

The IFJ joins journalists and media organisations throughout the region, including IFJ affiliates in New Zealand and Australia – the NZ Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) –  the Pacific Media Centre (PMC), Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF), the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) and the Fiji Media Council in demanding that the Bainimarama regime immediately end all restrictions on Fiji’s news media and allow local and foreign journalists to do their jobs in the public interest.

 The crisis in Fiji follows more than a year of systematic and increasingly severe efforts by the military leadership to silence independent reporting by local and foreign media personnel and commentary by members of the public who dare to question the regime’s legitimacy.

 Anti-media actions have included deportations of publishers and editors, refusal of entry to foreign media personnel, police searches of newsrooms, contempt of court rulings, and public comments by military officers suggesting critical media must be shut down.

 Safety concerns have increased since a firebomb attack by unknown assailants on the home of the editor-in-chief of the Fiji Times, Netani Rika, on March 23. The bomb failed to ignite.

 

 For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

 The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide

 

Watut singsing group

These are pictures of a traditional singsing group from Watut, Morobe province, which I took during a visit to the area with Bulolo MP Sam Basil last October.

No room for military in newsrooms, says Pacific Freedom Forum

Tuesday, April 14: A PACIFIC media freedom and advocacy organization, the Pacific Freedom Forum, has expressed deep sadness and outrage at developments in Fiji over Easter. They say more Pacific organisations and governments must ensure Fiji’s people are left in no doubt whose side the people of the Pacific are on.

 “As Pacific neighbours, we must not consider renewed intimidation of Fiji media a sovereign issue – what is happening there affects us all and we thank the Secretary General of the Pacific Forum for noting the special concern over curtailment of media freedoms in his statement on this matter,” says PFF chair Susuve Laumaea of Papua New Guinea.

  He says the Pacific Freedom Forum, along with other media freedom organizations world wide, “is horrified at the installation of censors in Fiji Newsrooms following the Easter abrogation of Fiji's 1997 Constitution, the deportation of more journalists whose news feeds inform Pacific nations including Fiji, and the re-installation of the military government .”

  "This is the age of the Internet, and satellite broadcasting is widely received across Fiji, so locals will get their news from overseas sources almost as easily as they do from domestic sources."

 "Putting police or soldiers into newsrooms who are not equipped to make informed judgments about the content of the news serves no useful purpose, and is an obvious big-brother bullying tactic aimed at monitoring not just what goes into the newspapers, but the contacts and working-culture of journalists as they go about their daily work," says PFF Co-chair Monica Miller.

  "This move given the continuing sanctions and tactics by the current regime, may soon lead to complete shutdowns of the media outlets that refuse to denounce their ethics. This will eventually render affected employees without income for their families, and lead to the kind of disorder and disaffection which the emergency regulations describe. It's very clearly aimed at one sector of society only.”

 Ms Miller, a former President of the Pacific Islands News Association, says the Pacific region cannot stand by in silence and watch as the people of Fiji are cut off from freely and independently produced news of their own nation.

 Radio Fiji late on Saturday, April 11, reported that among the new 'Emergency Regulations' decreed by the President, "... Section 16 of the Regulations stipulates that the State has the authority to cease any broadcast or publication it believes could cause "disorder", give "undue demands" on security forces", "promote disaffection or public alarm" or "undermine the Government and the State of Fiji"'.

 "The current and worsening situation is tragic and illustrates the need for us all to protect and cherish the right to free speech and freedom of information," she says.

 "A government with some understanding of this basic human right would go about setting up and running its own media outlets to publish and broadcast what it likes and let the audiences have the final say."

 The Pacific Freedom Forum, with active members among Pacific journalists, editors, producers, and journalism academics, will soon be launching an online petition for signature by any individual or group worldwide willing to express continuing strong solidarity with our colleagues in Fiji.  The petition will be printed and presented to relevant Pacific leaders by national media reps on World Media Freedom Day, May 3.

 

CONTACT:

 

PFF interim Chair

Susuve Laumaea | Sunday Chronicle Newspaper | Papua New Guinea

Mobile: 675-684 5168 | Office: 675-321-7040 | Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com

 

PFF interim co-Chair

Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa

Mob    684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com

 

The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media.

We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance.

In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

 

Passenger ferry

Hundreds of passengers, including students who were going to Lae to attend the week-long bible camp at Bumayong Lutheran Secondary, had crowded the Buki wharf, Finschhafen, Morobe province,  so tightly that it was impossible for those disembarking to get off the Lutheran Shipping Services catamaran when it berthed just after lunch last Thursday.

 

 

 

BlackBerry Season in Papua New Guinea

Captions: Digicel BlackBerries available in Papua New Guinea: 1. BlackBerry Bold. 2. BlackBerry Curve,. 3. BlackBerry Pearl

How Bulolo MP Sam Basil is emulating the feats of tech-savvy Barack Obama

Papua New Guinea only got into BlackBerry technology in February this year, thanks to Digicel, but one politician is already using this big-time to the max.
Bulolo MP Sam Basil is already using BlackBerry technology to take and email high resolution photographs as well as stories to the media from rural areas in his electorate.
This was epitomised during the recent conflict in Wau when he tooked and emailed photos as well as stories right from the scene to the newspapers.
This worked very much to the advantage of The National, because as there wasn’t any reporter available at the time to travel up to Wau, Mr Basil was a politician-cum-journalist.
He is arguably the first PNG politician to use BlackBerry technology in such a way and has already become the tech-savvy Digicel pin-up boy for this gadget.
I say tech-savvy because Bulolo, albeit a rural area, has over the last two years seen a communications revolution in which more people are using telephones and internet there because of their MP.
BlackBerry technology has been around the Westernised countries for some time now and was only introduced in PNG this year to cater for the needs of businessmen and professionals.
A first in the country, this means Digicel, which is still on 2.5 Generation System, is now using GPRS technology that supports e-mail, voice and text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services.
GPRS refers to general packet radio service, a packet-oriented mobile data service available to users of the 2G-2.5G cellular communication system called global system for mobile communications (GSM), as well as in the 3G systems.
GPRS enhances 2G and 2.5 systems to work close to the performance of 3G networks.
With BlackBerry, the user can check Hotmail, update FaceBook, IM Friends on Skype, Google Talk, or read the news online.
BlackBerry, a wireless handheld device, is used by more than 20 million subscribers across the world.
“It is a mobile office for the dynamic professional,” was how John Mangos, Digicel PNG chief executive described their new offering.
This new product comes after the Digicel launched its mobile internet in Port Moresby.
However, the new service would be rolled out to other parts of the country in the coming months.
Subscribers with internet-capable handsets can access the web via their Digicel handset, starting in the National Capital District and Lae.
Digicel says it will roll-out BlackBerry and GPRS services across PNG in coming months.
“Blackberry will allow the users manage their business and online activities, while away from the desk, and on the road,” Mr Mangos said.
“Digicel has set another mobile telecommunications landmark for PNG, with the introduction of Blackberry.
“Now users will be able to work on the go, with their email and office functions on their Blackberry smart phone.
“Digicel believes this will add to the ease and efficiency of doing business in PNG, which would in turn boost overall economic productivity and development in this country.”
Digicel’s Blackberry roll-out comprises three handsets (pictured): the Bold (K1, 799); Curve (K1, 399); and Pearl (K1, 199) and are available to Digicel’s post-paid subscribers only.
Blackberry Silver has 20MB with monthly fee of K70; gold, 100MB (K155); and platinum, 500MB (K335).
Mr Basil, who was invited to the USA in January this year for the inauguration of Barack Obama, is a big fan of the man.
It took only a few seconds for Barack Obama to go from ordinary citizen to the most powerful man in the world - the 44th President of the United States.
Many believe that his understanding and use of social networking tools to reach voters gave him a distinct advantage over other candidates.
He is well known as a fan of technology.
He is an avid Blackberry user, the first president to air his weekly address via video websites and the first to have an official portrait taken with a digital camera.
The internet and technology are credited with helping Mr Obama win the presidency.
From social networking sites to blogs and from iPhone applications to text messaging, Mr Obama used the power of these hi-tech tools to get his message out, raise money, galvanise voters and get him elected.
Now some in the industry think it could be "pay-back time" as they looks to the country's first tech savvy President to do his bit to push technology into a new era.
"He is the first real president who seems to understand technology and the needs of the industry," said Tim O'Reilly, the man credited with coining the term 'web 2.0' and who is generally regarded as one of the industry's visionaries.
"The guy's my age," said commentator and founder of Wired magazine John Battelle.
"This guy grew up knowing what an apple is besides the thing you eat, and using e-mail and Twitter.
“He understands what Facebook is and he has young kids that are completely digital.
"I think there is a general sense that he and the people he will employ totally get the web."
"Of the people"
Silicon Valley's wish list and the President-elect's to do list are not all that different.
They have touted green energy, improved broadband connectivity and accessibility, investment in the sciences, advancing biomedical and stem cell research, creating the workforce of tomorrow, and open and transparent government and investment in research and development and education as common aims.
Mr Basil called me before leaving for Washington DC to attend the inauguration.
He wanted to set up a website of his electorate as well as one of his US-Government funded trip to attend the inauguration.
I told him that blogs were fast replacing websites as the fastest-growing means of mass communication in the world – now even replacing traditional media such as newspapers, radio and television - and that his best bet was to start up a blog.
I also told him that Mr Obama was hailed throughout his campaign and transition as a politician who makes clever use of technology to communicate his message.
After dinner, he hooked up his laptop, and I helped him to set up a blog for the Bulolo electorate and another for his trip to the USA.
He is, as far as I know, the first PNG MP to have a blog, as opposed to a website.
For matters of transparency and accesibility, Mr Basil has also listed down all his contact details, including email addresses and mobile phones, so that everyone can be in touch with him.
He has now gone a giant step forward with his BlackBerry.
Gone are the staid days of Mr Basil’s predecessors, replaced by a dynamic new means of communication reflective of the tech-savvy incumbent.

Bulolo vanilla farmers prepare for another windfall

Captions: 1. Farmers Tuk Tuky and Paul Kama with their vanilla cuttings.Picture by SAM BASIL.2. Simon Koneleus of Witipos village in Mumeng, Morobe province, getting ready to distribute 5, 000 vanilla cuts for the Bulolo district. Picture by SAM BASIL.

Farmers in Bulolo, Morobe province, are not waiting for another predicted vanilla bonanza to catch them by surprise.
The farmers, in anticipation of another windfall and with the support of their MP Sam Basil, received 5,000 vanilla cuts for planting last weekend.
The vanilla cuts were sourced from Situm Growers Association for K5, 000,” Mr Basil said.
“The delivery was taken care of by the Bulolo District Road Maintenance Programme vehicles.
“I believe vanilla prices may bounce back in a few years time and my people must be well-placed to enjoy the high prices when it happens.
“About 10,000 vanilla cuts were distributed three years ago, and the farmers are now asking for a vanilla specialist to be made available to show them how to pollinate and treat the vanilla beans.”
 The PNG Spice Industry Board recently urged PNG farmers to produce high quality vanilla in anticipation of increased prices in the near future.
The board predicted an increased demand for our vanilla due to an expected short supply on the world market.
Chief executive officer Michael Waisime called on registered spice exporters to advise farmers to reactivate and rehabilitate their vanilla farms as prices were expected to increase favorably during this harvest season.
More awareness and training amongst farmers is needed to maintain proper curing practices to improve quality.
Exporters were reminded to coordinate with their farmers to produce high-grade vanilla to maximise on this market opportunity.
Mr Waisime said the world’s major supplier of vanilla, Madagascar, has had 80% of its vanilla plantings affected by an underground incurable crop disease.
Civil unrest in the country has also affected vanilla production.
He said supply of vanilla on the world market was down by 60% and the shortfall needed to be met by other vanilla-producing countries including PNG.
He said PNG, the fourth-largest producer in the world, stood to gain with increased demand for its vanilla and subsequently prices for organic vanilla were expected to rise worldwide.
Mr Waisime said according to information received by the SIB, there might be massive government intervention including appropriate research work to revive the vanilla industry in Madagascar.
 It was estimated that world supply of vanilla would face a shortfall for the next five years or more.
Mr Waisime said his office had detailed a number of measures that registered spice exporters needed to adhere to.
These include submitting 2008 export returns and statements, review of forward contract sale for 2009, and review of farm gate prices.
He urged exporters, producers and interested people to contact his office for more information.
However, observers in the spice industry have cautioned the vanilla producers and farmers nationwide not to get excited like what was experienced several years ago when PNG had a vanilla boom.
PNG producers must not get carried away and should seek more information from the SIB and agricultural agencies.

Divine Word University opens supermarket on Madang campus

Captions: 1.The front of the Diwai Mart Mini supermarket with the two automatic teller machines of two commercial banks on either side of the entrance before the facility was opened recently. 2. President of the Students Representative Council at Divine Word University Robroy Chicki cuts the ribbon to the Diwai Mart mini supermarket as his female vice Joanne Kilip looks on at the Madang campus recently.

 

A mini supermarket that will help fund a laptop computer for each student at Divine Word University beginning next year opened at the Madang campus recently.

The one-laptop-per-student project is part of the DWU’s “paperless university” policy which comes into effect next year. 

Student Representative Council president Robroy Chicki and his vice female Joanne Kilip opened the flashy new supermarket, named Diwai Mart, in the presence of DWU’s academic vice-president Br Andrew Simpson, staff and students.

The facility was opened by the DWU chaplain Fr Edward Meli.

The two student leaders said students and the university community should be proud of the new supermarket as they would serve them.

Ms Kilip said as students the presence of a supermarket makes life easier for them as they do not have to travel to town for basic necessities and services including access to the banks’ automatic teller machine.

Br Simpson in urging the students and the university community to appreciate the new facility said proceeds from Diwai Mart would be used to finance a laptop each for all students starting next year.

“It is a very significant time for the University to see the development of supermarket.

“It belongs to you and profits from it will finance a free laptop,” said Br Simpson.

The supermarket has a bakery, a hair salon, a kai bar, ice cream parlor and two ATMs belonging to Bank South Pacific and ANZ Bank respectively.

The paperless policy will require all academic and administrative work to be done using the ICT facilities provided by the university and limit the use of paper and printed material to unavoidable circumstances.