Army detains leading Australian academic
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday November 5, 2009
A WIDELY respected academic from the Australian National University has been detained by the Fijian military as the diplomatic crisis deepens.Professor Brij Lal is believed to have been picked up by troops from his home in Suva yesterday.The ANU issued a statement saying it was concerned to hear that Professor Lal was being questioned by military authorities in Fiji. "We understand he was taken for questioning shortly after he gave several media interviews commenting about the political situation in Fiji," the statement said.The university has been in contact with Professor Lal's wife and with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and has offered to help secure his release.Professor Lal was a member of the Fiji Constitution Review Commission whose report formed the basis of Fiji's constitution.Fiji's acting high commissioner to Australia was formally expelled by the Rudd Government yesterday after he had been ordered home by his country's military dictator, Frank Bainimarama.Kamlesh Kumar Arya's expulsion followed an announcement by Commodore Bainimarama on Tuesday that he was expelling Australia's high commissioner to Suva, James Batley.The Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, announced Mr Arya's expulsion and said the treatment of Mr Batley was completely unjustified."This is very much a backward step," Mr Smith said.The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said Australia would continue to take a hardline stance against Fiji's military regime and would not allow a coup culture to spread through the region.The latest row has erupted out of anger in Fiji over attempts by Australia and New Zealand to dissuade Sri Lankan judges from taking up appointments in Fiji, and a Fijian view that New Zealand was slow to provide hospital treatment for the sick child of a Fijian judge.Commodore Bainimarama has claimed he has a transcript of a conversation where an Australian official warns a Sri Lankan judge that to take up appointments in Fiji could make the judges subject to the Australian-NZ travel ban.He said this was a damning piece of evidence against the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and demolished its claim that it did not meddle in the appointment of Fijian judges.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald