May 20
Ron Gatty, Fiji Times, HARASSED, CENSORED
The immigration department ordered Gatty, an expatriate Australian, to cease writing a weekly column for the Fiji Times on the grounds that his work as a journalist breached the terms of his work permit, which allows him only to manage a spice farm. Home Affairs Minister Col. Paul Manueli later reversed the decision, after Gatty supplied a declaration stating that he received no financial remuneration as a journalist, and so was not violating his work permit. Colleagues in the region viewed the actions as an attempt to intimidate Gatty, whose column is often critical of the government.

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May 2
Mike Field, Agence France-Presse (AFP), HARASSED
Immigration officials detained Field, a New Zealand-based correspondent for AFP, at FijiÕs Nadi international airport. The officials said FieldÕs name was on a blacklist of journalists who had abused immigration procedures in 1990 by working without a permit. Officials released Field after five hours and allowed him to enter Fiji and remain in the country for two days. Jone Tevita, FijiÕs immigration director, said on May 29 that Field had been placed on the blacklist of journalists by mistake, and a letter of apology was sent to him by the Fiji government. Field has since visited Fiji on two occasions without incident.

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