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Issue No: 787; 23 May 2001
The New Zealand government wants the terrorists who took over the Parliament last year brought to justice. In his message at the first anniversary of terrorism in Fiji, NZ Foreign Affairs Minister, Phil Goff stated: "Those responsible for the coup must be held accountable. New Zealand police and prosecutors have been assisting with the treason case against George Speight and his cohorts. Two senior detectives along with Australian police have been reviewing evidence to aid in the preparation of the prosecution case." Goff also stated that New Zealand "will keep smart sanctions in place against those identified as instigators of and participants of the coup. Other sanctions will be progressively lifted once a democratic government is in place following the election." Goff said: "Fiji had the promise and potential to be one of the most successful Pacific nations but last year's coup put that progress back ten years." The result of this, he says, is negative growth, and increased migration to NZ. "The migration flow to New Zealand from Fiji has seen a significant increase with applications up by over a third. Half of these applications are by skilled workers - people Fiji can ill afford to lose", he stated. |
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People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
