Friday 18 January 2013

PFF praises cool heads in Vanuatu

Capital FM 107FM boss Moses Stevens has been told to shut down
Photo: Grubsheet
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PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS --


An exchange of letters is an admirably measured response to disagreement in Vanuatu over licensing and ethics at a capital radio station, says the Pacific Freedom Forum.

"Members would like to praise the government of Vanuatu, particularly, for following letters of law in what appears to be an entirely proper attempt to follow due process," says PFF chair Titi Gabi.

"This is a vast improvement on armed and drunken thugs, including police, breaking into newsrooms and assaulting journalists doing their job."

PFF draws encouragement from news so far from Port Vila.

"However, an admirably measured response from the Government of Vanuatu cannot yet be counted as a media freedom success - more the absence of failure, in the form of previous threats and violence."

Having established due process, Gabi cautions against any advice to take further official action in closing down the station, too soon.

"Government is effectively making a legal claim against a leading radio station and needs to fairly test this claim, including in court if need be."

Commenting from Pagopago, PFF co-chair Monica Miller says there is an equal responsibility on the part of the radio station management to make themselves accountable to their code of ethics, their audience, the public, the law, and their regional membership to PINA, the Pacific Islands News Association.

Capital FM 107.7FM founder Moses Stevens is also president of PINA, and bears "particular responsibility" to show leadership and accountability by publishing a copy of their certificate, current or otherwise.

"Either the station has a licence or does not," says Miller. "And if not, why not?"

"Station management could publicly confirm their license status, including any difficulties they may be facing in getting their license reviewed and renewed."

Miller says various scenarios arise from news about the current situation in Vanuatu.

"Either the government is using licensing and ethics as an excuse to close down a critic," she says, "or elements at the station have gone rogue, refusing to pay licenses and breaking their own code of ethics."

A third, more complicated scenario involves all four elements.

"Whatever the truth of the matter in Port Vila, cooler heads in the political parties of Vanuatu need to consider their own history of actions against media."

This includes deportation and assault, one on a reporter who subsequently lost her unborn child.

"Stepping carefully now acknowledges those mistakes of the past, and helps ensure there are no future assaults on the Fourth Estate in the constitutional republic of Vanuatu."

Miller says there is a documented history of undue pressure from party supporters over all parts of the political spectrum in Vanuatu, in common with other PFF countries. 

"Vanuatu has an opportunity here to leave that post-colonial era behind," she says.


CONTACTS :

PFF Chair Titi Gabi | Freelance Journalist | Papua New Guinea Mail: PO Box 7776, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea | Mob: (675) 7314 3929 | Email: titi.gabipng@gmail.com PFF co-Chair Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com 

ABOUT US:

The Pacific Freedom Forum is a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media. We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance. In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

Sunday 13 January 2013

Indonesia brutality towards West Papua "medieval" - PFF


Image From Frogblog, Green party NZ
Papua protestors under arrest by Indonesia authorities.

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PFF, Rarotonga, COOK ISLANDS -- Killing, beating, abducting and jailing journalists in West Papua remains the most immediate issue in regional affairs, states the Pacific Freedom Forum.

Wrapping up its fourth year of advocacy, PFF chairs said that ongoing suppression of freedom of expression under Indonesian rule often involves violence against news media.“Well documented allegations of killings and torture depict medieval levels of brutality by Indonesian security and ad-hoc militia forces in West Papua”, says PFF chair Titi Gabi.
“Ongoing violence against citizens makes a mockery of Indonesia pretensions towards democracy, adherence to international law, and the peaceful majority of the world’s biggest Muslim nation.”
“There is also concern over Indonesia security forces infiltrating Papua newsrooms and planting fake stories”.
PFF endorses calls from October by the Pantau Foundation and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance for Indonesia to uphold the right of citizens to freedoms of speech, to end violence against journalists and to prosecute those responsible for violence.

In November, PFF joined IFEX, International Freedom of Expression Exchange, in a 23 day campaign against a “culture of impunity” surrounding those in authority across the region.PFF co-chair Monica Miller said concerns also include a “culture of silence among partner news media across the islands, as well as Australia and New Zealand, when it comes to sensitive issues like West Papua.”
Miller praised an upturn this last year in media attention on West Papua, notably via state broadcasters like Radio New Zealand International and Radio Australia.
“After a decade or two of focusing mostly on Fiji, it is welcome to see metropolitan media including newspapers address much bigger concerns in West Papua,” says Miller.
“Yet many articles lament the lack of public awareness about serious events happening on our own doorstep.”
“Clearly there is much more that could be done, including not bowing to political sensitivities that deem West Papua to be outside the Pacific Islands region and of concern only to Indonesia.”
Reporters Sans Frontiers ranks Indonesia at 146th place, on a list of 179 nations followed by the press freedom body.
PFF also expressed concern about assaults and threats against journalists in Papua New Guinea and other states across the region.
Established in Apia, Samoa in August 2008, PFF has issued 143 statements on freedom of expression issues facing the Pacific Islands. An online forum has generated hundreds of topics and thousands of discussions.

LINKS

ECONOMIST: The Unseen Resistance (video)
http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2012/07/tensions-rise-west-papua


BBC/ABC: Undercover report (video)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-19414636


RSF Global Rankings - Indonesia
http://en.rsf.org/report-indonesia,64.html


UK Embassy rejects fake journalism in Papua article
http://westpapuamedia.info/2012/12/18/uk-embassy-denies-fake-journalism-in-bintang-papua-article/


End violence against Papuan journalists call from SEAPA
http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/west-papua-end-violence-against-papuan-journalists-call-seapa-8134


Australia media only tells half the story
http://theconversation.edu.au/australian-media-only-tells-half-the-story-about-west-papua-11313


West Papua: Journalists beware
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=63771


CONTACTS: PFF Chair Titi Gabi | Freelance Journalist | Papua New Guinea Mail: PO Box 7776, Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea | Mob: (675) 7314 3929 | Email: titi.gabipng@gmail.com PFF co-Chair Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com 

ABOUT US:

The Pacific Freedom Forum is a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media. We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance. In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

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