Anger over planned new media curb
Title -- 4076 TONGA: Anger over planned new media curb
Date -- 3 June 2003
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- Radio New Zealand International, 3 June 2003
Copyright -- RNZI
Status -- Unabridged
Post a comment on PMW's Right of Reply: www.TheGuestBook.com/egbook/257949.gbook
ANGER OVER PLANNED NEW CONSTITUTIONAL CURBS ON THE MEDIA IN TONGA
http://www.rnzi.com
NUKU'ALOFA (RNZI Online/Pacific Media Watch): There is outrage over Tongan government plans for constitutional amendments which are claimed will curb freedom of speech, Radio New Zealand International reports.
This follows months of government bans on the Taimi 'o Tonga newspaper and court orders stating that they should be lifted and the New Zealand-produced paper allowed into the country.
The publisher, Kalafi Moala, says they spent the last week waiting in good faith, after the government told them that it was only paperwork that was holding up the distribution.
But he says instead it was a delaying tactic in order to introduce the amendments with clause seven a big problem.
“A person can be free to speak and to print anything as long as it complies with cultural traditions, as long as it doesn't violate the rights of people. They do not specify what cultural traditions are. But it leaves open for the government, to come up with the whole list of things, including that you cannot criticise the royal family. Because that would be against cultural traditions, you could not criticise the government or the leadership of Tonga. So we're looking into a situation where there is a major movement to make the government of Tonga far more dictatorial than it's ever been.”
- Kalafi Moala
Kalafi Moala says by the end of the day, they’ll be filing an injunction in court in order that the paper can be distributed.
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media ownership in the Pacific region. Launched in October 1996, it has links with the Journalism Program at the University of the South Pacific, Bushfire Media based in Sydney, Journalism Studies at the University of PNG (UPNG), the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and Community Communications Online (c2o).
© 1996-2003 Copyright - All rights reserved. Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright owner for any publishing. Copyright owners not wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The views expressed in material listed by PMW are not necessarily the views of PMW or its members. Recipients should rely on their own inquiries before making decisions based on material listed in PMW. Please copy appeals to PMW and acknowledge source.
For further information, inquiries about joining the Pacific Media Watch listserve, articles for publication, and giving feedback contact Pacific Media Watch at:
E-mail: delaro@clear.net.nz or pcronau@hotmail.com Fax: (+649) 3787542 or (+612) 9660 1804
Mail: PO Box 9, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia
or PO Box 78028, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1002, New Zealand
Website: www.pmw.c2o.org