SUVA (Pacnews) — Fiji police’s Criminal Investigations Department Director Emosi Vunisa has threatened to investigate and charge a senior Daily Post reporter if she continues writing articles about controversial Lt. Col. Filipo Tarakinikini, according to media reports.
The Daily Post reported in a front-page story that reporter Josephine Prasad had been ordered to hand over all documents and reveal her sources with a deadline of today or face arrest.
The newspaper condemned the police in an editorial, saying “this is simply not acceptable.”
“Not in a free and democratic society, where freedom of the press is prized as a watchdog against corruption in high places, the perpetuation of injustice against the weak, the poor and the disadvantaged and against excesses of government or misrule,” the paper said.
A report by Prasad published by the Sunday Post said an Interpol go-ahead had been given to bring back Tarakinikini from New York as an alleged deserter to face allegations over his involvement in the attempted coup and an army mutiny during 2000. According to the Daily Post, Vunisa called the paper’s newsroom and told Prasad her failure to hand over documents and reveal sources would “result in officers moving into the premises to arrest you for causing instability.”
“You have been doing nothing much but writing about Lt. Col. Tarakinikini. Don’t you have anything better to do? This is just causing more instability,” Vunisa said.
