Vanuatu publisher allegedly bashed

Updated January 19, 2009 17:28:12

Police in Vanuatu are investigating the alleged bashing of the publisher of the country's only daily newspaper, by prison officers.

Presenter: Campbell Cooney
Speaker: Marc Neil-Jones; publisher of the Vanuatu Daily Post

NEIL-JONES: They were angry, along with Joshua Bong and basically accused the paper of biased editorial and not carrying their side of the story. They were particularly angry of a photo that we had dropped in by a freelance journalist of the prison with the gates wide open and no Correctional Services staff anywhere near the gates and they were left open for awhile. The journalist went back and took a photo with people sitting on the roof and no correctional service officers around open gates and this is only a few days after five prisoners had escaped from the very same jails, so a lot of public concern over the way correctional services is being handled and they are obviously uptight. They feel that we haven't given them their side of the story.

We had received threats on the Friday from Joshua Bong, who had threatened one of my staff and had threatened to send boys around and demanded that I meet up with them on Monday morning at 9.30 with them and the Media Association of Nav.

When these guys burst in, it was obvious they were angry, they were fired up and they had been drinking and one of them who I have identified to police basically punched me four or five times. I was booted when I was on the floor two or three times. What was a concern to me is that these are trained police and BMF officers. One of them had held up a knife and said that if we didn't change the way we were handling things, I would have my neck cut and another pointed his fingers like a gun and said you'll be shot.

COONEY: What's the response been since the attack?

NEIL-JONES: The police have been very good so far. The Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner have reportedly issued instructions that they want this sorted out quickly. It is my understanding that six suspects were brought in this afternoon around 2 o'clock for questioning. It remains to be seen how far it goes and whether it will in fact it will go to court. There's a lot of scepticism around that because they are investigating their own, it might not be easy. It remains to be seen.

We are applying pressure on the New Zealand High Commission in particular because New Zealand are investing, New Zealand taxpayers are investing a lot of money that's been thrown at correctional services in Vanuatu. New Zealand should be taking a stand as should Australia, because they have ploughed millions of dollars into the Vanuatu police force. So I don't think that the Australian public would be too amused to hear how the money is being spent if police are abusing their power in this way.