Issue No: 552; 5 March 2001

Yesterday the Fiji Times, in an article written by Margaret Wise, reported that the Military stated that it viewed Chaudhry as a threat to national security.

Today the Fiji Sun quotes the military's spokesman, Captain Ned Taito as saying that the Fiji Time story was "misleading". He also stated that the military had not made any statement on this.

Cpt Taito stated: "We cant understand how a paper can go and publish a story without an official spokesperson's statement. We have at no stage had meetings, issued releases or told someone that Chaudhry is a threat to national security."

It is believed that many of the Fiji Times stories are written or contributed to by Jioji Kotobalavu, the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister's office. Over the weekend, Fiji Times reporter Margaret Wise and Kotobalavu were at the Fiji Club in Suva seen writing notes.

The Times story was written with the intention of creating further instability in Fiji. With the extremist elements threatening to oppose the implementation of the Appeal decision with violence, and with a number of weapons still in the hands of terrorists, labelling Chaudhry as "a threat to national security" is seen as an invitation by the Fiji Times to remove Chaudhry from the political scene through violent means.