Fijian defector Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara should not be given "pin-up boy status" but could be a credible source of insight into the Fijian military regime, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says.
Fijian defector Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara should not be given "pin-up boy status" but could be a credible source of insight into the Fijian military regime, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says.
A travel ban against Lt Col Mara would be kept in place but he would be granted a two-day exemption to visit New Zealand in the coming week, Mr McCully said today.
Lt Col Mara is in Australia after fleeing to Tonga three weeks ago to avoid a sedition charge brought by Fiji's military regime.
The former top official told TVNZ's Q+A programme yesterday he was not seeking political asylum in New Zealand but wanted to speak with the Government about the true situation in Fiji.
Lt Col Mara said there were continued human rights abuses in Fiji and claimed to have witnessed military leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama beating three women.
Mr Mcully today said the allegations were serious and came from someone who was "highly credible".
"We shouldn’t give him immediate pin-up boy status, but clearly he has some information to impart," he said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials would meet Lt Col Mara this week and consider whether discussions with New Zealand ministers were needed.
"We’ve made the decision that the appropriate thing is for New Zealand to receive that information, to allow him to meet with the groups that he wants to meet with for a couple of days, and for us to make a careful assessment."
The situation would take time to play out but Lt Col Mara's defection created a "whole new dynamic" in what was already a confusing situation, Mr McCully said.
One potential outcome could be the expulsion of New Zealand's high commissioner to Fiji, which had happened several times in the past. However, it was important not to stoke regional tensions.
"I’m hoping that we can get through this without those sorts of outcomes being in the frame," he said.
"We’re trying to do two things that are potentially in conflict. Yes, we are trying to encourage people to part company with the regime and to part company with the military and reward them when they do that, but we’re also trying to de-escalate tensions in the region at the moment."
Adding to those tensions was a flare-up overnight in the ongoing dispute over the Minerva Reefs, which both Fiji and Tonga claim.
A Fijian vessel reportedly fled a lagoon after being challenged by two Tongan patrol boats.
The situation was not new but there was the potential for it to become more serious, Mr McCully said.
"It calls for both parties to follow the internationally agreed disputes procedure for dealing with the situation, rather than taking the law into their own hands.
"We’ve called on both parties to do that and for both of them to avoid any flashpoint there."
