Latin American Herald Tribune – Australian Media Threaten to Boycott Pacific Islands Forum on CBA Ban



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SYDNEY – The Australian media threatened Wednesday to boycott the 49th Pacific Islands Forum after its host Nauru banned the Australian public broadcaster's journalists from attending the forum.

The summit and its preparatory meetings will take place between Sept. 3-6

"The decision of the Nauru government to choose the journalists covering the Pacific Islands Forum is an appalling restriction on the freedom of the press" said David Crowe, chairman of the press gallery of the federal parliament of Australia. in a statement.

"If the ban is not reversed, the media pool will be dissolved." The Fairfax press group has backed the position of the press box, although News Corp has announced that it will not be able to do so. she would send her reporters cover the event, arguing that silence was not the right way to go.

The Australian public broadcaster, ABC, had planned to send a reporter and a cameraman with a photographer from the Australian Associated Press agency, but the Nauru government said Monday Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the decision was "regrettable" but added that the Nauru government had the right to decide who could obtain visas.

In a statement, the Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Forum distanced itself from the decision of Nauru

"While Nauru as a sovereign state has The Pacific Islands Forum has always been the principles of freedom and freedom of the press, "the statement said.

The regional block was formed in 1971 and includes Australia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

. prevention of controversial coverage of the center for illegal immigrants on its territory financed by Australia, long criticized for its treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.

In 2014, Nauru increased visa fees for journalists from $ 150 to $ 5,991. which is not returned if the application is rejected.

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