Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)

(PINA/IFEX) – Cook Islands has launched the country’s Official Information Act (OIA) implementation plan, reports “Cook Islands News”. “We are the first Pacific Island jurisdiction to introduce a freedom of information regime and there is a lot of interest from other Pacific Island countries who are considering a similar thing,” said deputy Prime minister Sir […]

(PINA/IFEX) – Police in Vanuatu say four police officers have been charged with the attack on the publisher of the “Vanuatu Daily Post”, Marc Neil-Jones, who suffered a broken nose and black eye. Neil-Jones suspected that the attack on 17 January 2009 was in retaliation for the publication’s coverage of ongoing problems at the country’s […]

(PINA/IFEX) – The Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) strongly condemns the actions of the interim Fiji government in its continued targeting of the Fijian media by deporting “Fiji Times” publisher Rex Gardner. Gardner is the third newspaper publisher and Australian to be deported by the interim Fiji government in less than a year. The move […]

(PINA/IFEX) – On 22 January 2009, Fiji’s oldest newspaper was fined FJD$100,000 (US$54,000) by the High Court over its publication of a letter that criticised the court’s validation of the 2006 military coup, reports Fiji Live. “Fiji Times” publisher Rex Gardener and editor-in-chief Netani Rika have also been handed suspended sentences. Rika was sentenced to […]

(PINA/IFEX) – The publisher of Vanuatu’s “Daily Post” newspaper, Marc Neil-Jones, has been attacked in the capital of Port Vila. Radio New Zealand International reported that Neil-Jones sustained a broken nose and a black eye. Neil-Jones has filed an official complaint with the police and alleges that those involved are police officers who are employed […]

(PINA/IFEX) – ONE News Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver was detained at Fiji’s Nadi Airport on the night of 15 December 2008 as she flew in to cover the latest developments on the deteriorating diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Fiji. TVNZ (Television New Zealand) reports Ms Dreaver was detained while going through immigration and taken […]

(PINA/IFEX) – Fiji’s interim government has asked the court to jail the publishers and editors of two of the country’s daily newspapers for six months each and impose a fine of $1 million (approx. US$539,000) over their publication of a letter that criticised the High Court’s validation of the 2006 military coup, reports Fiji Live. […]

(PINA/IFEX) – President of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Media Council Joe R. Kanekane has called for increased dialogue between the government, newsmakers and the media. Mr Kanekane said access to information has been and continues to be the biggest impediment to development of the country. “One of the key recommendations to the government and […]