ANCAPS

AUSTRALIAN officials believe the Fijian military is responsible for two "credible" death threats against the high commissioner, James Batley, in the past two weeks.

It is understood that the high commission has passed on the suspicions to Fijian authorities, who did not deny that the military might have been involved.

The Federal Government has been highly critical of the military-backed regime - which seized power in a coup in December 2006 - and has been leading the international effort to pressure the rulers to hold elections. After the coup, the Government placed travel sanctions on the country's military ruler, Commodore Josaia Voreque "Frank" Bainimarama, his supporters and their families.

The threats have led to a further deterioration of relations between the two countries.

On Thursday the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, told Parliament that the Fijians had failed to respond to earlier requests for additional security at the commission.

Mr Smith has written to his Fijian counterpart to express concern about the threats and to request permission to deploy federal police to the high commission.

A spokeswoman for Mr Smith would not comment on "rumours or speculation", however, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said last night: "It appears someone unhappy with Australian policy in Fiji has made the threats."

Mr Smith said this week he was "extremely concerned" about the threats.

"If these threats are an effort to intimidate the Australian Government about its policy on Fiji or an attempt to intimidate our high commissioner, let me make it very clear, they won't have any such effect," he said.

The second threat, delivered by mail on Thursday, came two days after the high commission said the federal budget had kept Australian aid to Fiji frozen, pending a return to democracy. Last week a death threat was delivered by taxi to the high commission.

This month Mr Smith denounced the expulsion of the publisher of The Fiji Times, Evan Hannah, who was the second Australian journalist to be expelled in the past three months.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has updated its travel advice for Fiji in response to the death threats.

LNK
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ANCAPS declaration of war: "Aquarchy rules... liquidate the reds!"

ANCAPS Forum, Ancapolis, Aqua-Terra Atlantis Division.

Good to taste a bit of their own statist medicine...
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"Taking money without permission is stealing unless you work for the IRS then it's taxation. Killing people en masse is homicidal mania unless you work for the Army then it's National Defense. Spying on your neighbors is invasion of privacy unless you work for the FBI then it's National Security. Running a whorehouse makes you a pimp & poisoning people makes you a murderer unless you work for the CIA then it's counter intelligence." R. Wilson. ANCAPS Forum Headquarters, Ancapolis