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Fiji’s interim Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has called on Australia and New Zealand to respect the norms of diplomacy amidst suspicion of Australia eavesdropping on Fiji’s interim regime.
In a press conference, Sayed-Khaiyum said “mutual trust, respect and accordance of dignity has been lacking by the Australian and New Zealand governments”.
“Their lack of consistency and patronizing attitude towards Fiji and her people and the Pacific in general has been staggering.
“In diplomatic terms the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand have been almost completely disengaged with the Government of Fiji over the past 23 months.”
He said that Australia has also neither confirmed nor denied tapping into Fiji phone lines.
“When our Prime Minister had a bi-lateral meeting with (Australian foreign minister) Stephen Smith a few weeks ago it was put to him that the Australian authorities are tapping our phones. He did not deny it. Tapping of phones in Fiji is illegal.”
He added that local staffs of the New Zealand High Commission have been encouraged to become spies.
“These local staff should be ashamed of themselves for betraying and spying on their fellow country men and women.”
Sayed-Khaiyum reasoned that there were information the NZ government would only be aware of if it had been alerted by locals.
For instance, he said that a Fiji soccer player was denied a travel visa by NZ last month because he was engaged to be married to an army officer.
“Wellington would not have known about that,” he said.
No comments could be obtained form the High Commission at this stage.
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