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Issue No: 572; 10 March 2001
Since the terrorist activities in Fiji, a section of the country's business community has been blackmailing the state to acquire financial gains. In the most recent example, the media has reported that the Flour Mills of Fiji Ltd, a company in which businessmen Hari Punja has major interests, has imported rice into the country without the necessary import license. The media reports that the company imported 2,000 tonnes of rice which has been kept on a ship, with Punja complaining that he is paying $17,000 per day to keep it onboard. While he acknowledged that he had taken the risk of importing the rice without the licence, the move is seen as one which is intended to blackmail the state into providing the company with the licence. The Ministry of Public Enterprise, which has been trying to rejuvenate the rice industry in Fiji, has opposed the allocation of the licence to the Flour milling company, which also operates a rice-processing mill in Fiji. The Ministry is seeking a greater share of the import licence to the state owned Rewa Rice Company, which also buys rice from the local rise farmers. The media states that Punja said he was not blaming anybody for the $17,000 he is paying out per day, but in the next breath, he stated that the Ministry of Public enterprise was not supporting private enterprise. |
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People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
