Oceania

Methodist Church Leaders Silenced as World Leaders Condemn Fiji Interim PM’s Actions

By Hayley J. Campbell
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Oceania

SUVA, Fiji – A Fiji court has stopped two Fiji Methodist Church Ministers and the paramount chief Ro Teimumu Kepa from holding meetings for at least the next 21 days, after they were arrested for defying Emergency Regulations set up by the interim government.

In April, Fiji Interim Prime Minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, implemented emergency regulations which makes it illegal for groups that have anti-government views to organize.

Matelita Ragogo, a reporter for Radio New Zealand International, said, “In the next 21 days, they are not allowed to have any meetings, they are not allowed to be seen in public or conduct anything that might be construed to be a meeting. They had to surrender all their travel documents, and Ro Teimumu in particular, she is not to publish any other material pertaining to the annual conference of the Methodist church.”

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key have condemned the arrests of the Methodist Church leaders, saying those actions are indicative of the type of power the interim regime has held over the Fijian people since the military coup in 2006.

“We absolutely condemn what has occurred. It does show a consistent course of conduct so far as Commander Bainimarama and the interim military is concerned. This is just another very regrettable example of the regime further isolating itself from the international community and further stepping back from democracy and civil and human rights,” Mr. Smith said.

Ro Teimumu, Reverend Ame Tugaue, who is the church president, and the Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu, who is the secretary general, are awaiting their court appearances in three weeks.

For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International – Charges silence Fiji church conference organisers – 23 July 2009

Taiwan News – Australian FM condemns Fiji church arrests – 23 July 2009

Stuff.co.nz – Wave of Fiji arrests alarms Key – 23 July 2009

Fiji Police Arrest Church Leaders

By Angela Marie Watkins
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

SUVA, Fiji – Fiji’s interim Prime Minister has confirmed that several Methodist church leaders were taken into police custody and will appear in court Thursday afternoon.

The arrests follow several ongoing tussles over the past few months between the interim government and the church as to whether its annual conference can go ahead. Fiji’s military government has already banned the meeting once, accusing the church of being too political and setting conditions for future talks.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Neumi Leweni said Wednesday that the overnight arrests followed the Methodist Church leaders’ decision to include “political issues” in the program for the church’s annual conference rather than promoting “spiritual development.”

“This was a clear breach of the Public Emergency Regulation and also not a matter for the church to discuss,” Leweni said. Under the regulation, meetings and protests are banned. Leweni said the church leaders would be released when investigations were completed, but the conference was canceled.

Among those arrested was former president of the Fiji Methodist Church, Reverend Manasa Lasaro; General Secretary, Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu; the Secretary for Pastoral Ministry, Tomasi Kanailagi; and the Church’s Finance Secretary Viliame Gonelevu. The general secretary was taken in on Tuesday night and others were detained the next morning.

The country’s most senior female High Chief, Rewa Province’s Ro Teimumu Kepa, was also taken into custody, allegedly for a letter outlining her intention to allow the church to hold the conference in her province next month.

Commodore Frank Bainimarama says both Ro Teimumu and the church leaders breached the conditions of the permit given to them when the standing committee met seven days ago.

The Methodist Church in Fiji has said that eight of its senior members are being held by police for questioning.

For more information, please see:
BBC – Fiji police hold church leaders – 22 July 2009

Associated Press – Methodists arrested amid Fiji military crackdown – 22 July 2009

New Zealand International Radio – Fiji’s interim leader confirms Methodist leaders in court this afternoon – 22 July 2009

New Zealand International Radio – People of Fiji’s Rewa province fear for detained high chief’s safety – 22 July 2009

BRIEF: Solomon Islands to Include Public in Anti-Corruption Workshops

HONIARA, Solomon Islands – The Solomon Island’s government has announced it will hold several workshops through its Anti-Corruption Taskforce in order to include the public in finding a solution to corruption.

According to Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister, Dr. Derek Sikua, the greatest challenge to political stability is corruption. Dr. Sikua says that corruption threatens the health of the country’s essential services such as its health care, education, and the legal system.

The workshops, intended to address such concerns, will be funded by the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Dr. Sikua and RAMSI Special Coordinator, Graeme Wilson, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which states RAMSI’s support in conducting the workshops.

Dr. Sikua says the workshops will seek help from both the public and private sectors, as well as NGOs, in determining the government’s approach to dealing with corruption.

For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International – Public in Solomons to be consulted over fight against corruption – 19 July 2009

UPDATE: Suicide Bombers Responsible For Indonesian Blasts

By Angela Marie Watkins
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Suicide bombers struck the JW Marriott hotel and close-by Ritz-Carlton, two luxury hotels popular with businessmen and diplomats, in Jakarta’s main business district during early Friday morning.

Police said eight people died, revising down an earlier count of nine, and over 60 were injured. On Saturday it seemed the toll had been raised again to nine, including the two suicide bombers. Seven foreigners were among those killed in the blasts.

The casualties included citizens of Indonesia, the United States, Australia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Italy, Britain, Canada, Norway, Japan and India.

The blasts are a severe blow for Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who was re-elected earlier this month in a landslide victory on the back of restoring peace and strong growth to a country with the world’s largest Muslim population.

Police have not said who they believe is responsible for the blasts, but suspicion has fallen on remnants of Jemaah Islamiah, the militant Islamist group responsible for a string of attacks in Indonesia in the first half of the decade.

Police said on Friday the bombers had checked in to the Marriott as paying guests on Wednesday and had assembled the bombs in their room. A third bomb was found and defused in a laptop computer bag on the 18th floor.

The Obama administration on Friday said the suicide bombings of the luxury American hotels in the Indonesian capital were proof of the need to remain vigilant against terror groups.

“These attacks make it clear that extremists remain committed to murdering innocent men, women and children of any faith in all countries,” the White House said in a statement.

For more information, please see:
The Associated Press – Administration: Jakarta bombing reminder of threat – 17 July 2009

Reuters – Seven foreigners were killed in Jakarta hotel bombs – media – 17 July 2009

The Washington Post –  Suicide bombers kill 8 at Jakarta Marriott, Ritz – 17 July 2009

Six Killed in Central Jakarta Hotel Blasts

By Angela Marie Watkins
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Six people were killed in nearly simultaneous explosions at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Marriott Hotel in central Jakarta on Friday, Indonesian police said.

The explosions rocked the Indonesian capital around 8 a.m., blowing out windows, and scattering debris on to surrounding streets.

According to witnesses, Marriott blast was the first followed by one directly across the road at the Ritz-Carlton.

Police are yet to confirm if the blasts were caused by bombs and there were no immediate claims of responsibility, but the sequence of the explosions bears the hallmarks of similar al-Qaeda attacks.

Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamic organization, has been blamed for a series of attacks between 2002 and 2005 that killed more than 240 people, most of them foreign tourists on the island of Bali. The group was blamed for a previous blast at the Jakarta Marriott in 2003 that killed 13 people.

There have not been any major bomb blasts in Indonesia for several years, and this month the country’s presidential election passed off peacefully. Despite allegations of electoral fraud by Yudhoyono’s opponents, independent observers declared the election largely free and fair.

After the explosions, the Indonesian rupiah fell 0.7 percent to 10,200 per dollar, prompting state banks to sell dollars to support the currency, traders said. The stock market has not opened yet.

For more information, please see:
The Associated Press – AP News Alert – 17 July 2009

Bloomberg –  Indonesia Says Explosions Hit Jakarta Ritz, Marriott – 17 July 2009

Fox News – 6 Dead, 29 Injured in Bomb Explosions at Hotels in Indonesia – 17 July 2009

Reuters – Six killed in central Jakarta hotel blasts: police – 17 July 2009