Privy Council reinforces Taimi 'o Tonga
Title -- 3975 TONGA: Privy Council reinforces Taimi 'o Tonga ban
Date -- 12 March 2003
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- ABC AsiaPacific Online 11/3/03
Copyright -- ABC
Status -- Unabridged
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PRIVY COUNCIL REINFORCES NEWSPAPER BAN
NUKU'ALOFA (ABC AsiaPacific/Pacific Media Watch): The ban on Taimi 'o Tonga (Times of Tonga) newspaper in Tonga has been reinforced by the kingdom's Privy Council, reports ABC AsiaPacific.
The newspaper, which is printed in New Zealand, was declared a prohibited import by the Tongan Minister of Customs on 26 February 2003, with the government citing what it called "unbalanced" reporting.
The paper's publisher, Kalafi Moala, is appealing the ban in the courts. He believes the Privy Council decision may have something to do with the fact that the newspaper has launched a court appeal against the initial ban.
Moala told Pacific Media Watch: "What I read from this third banning is that Taimi is now just a foreign publication being a 'prohibited import', but that now it is a 'banned publication' under the Publications Act.
"I believe this is an issue bigger than ourselves. We are fighting for press freedom in Tonga.
"We could shut down our Tonga operation and continue to operate outside of Tonga, but that will not solve the freedom issue in Tonga. So, we have decided to lead the fight for it."
The next court hearing in the case is scheduled for March 24 after the court adjourned on Monday.
Pacnews reported today that the court action followed a peaceful march in the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa organised by the pro-democracy movement and watched by hundreds of people clapping as the marchers went past.
A petition calling for the lifting of the ban was presented to King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV's secretary.
Some of New Zealand's finest young Pacific film makers will screen their programmes at a fundraising event this Saturday in the "fight for freedom of Pacific journalists" hosted by the Pacific Islands Media Association (PIMA) and the Moving Image Centre in Auckland.
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).
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