Mara application won't be fast-tracked - McCully
Fiji's former army chief Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara hopes to visit New Zealand after a trip to Australia on Saturday, but the Government does not intend to fast-track his visa application.
Fiji's former army chief Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara hopes to visit New Zealand after a trip to Australia on Saturday, but the Government does not intend to fast-track his visa application.
Lt Col Mara has taken what is seen as a first step to obtain political asylum here, requesting he be taken off the New Zealand travel ban list.
He sparked controversy when he fled to Tonga last month after being charged with trying to overthrow the regime.
Fiji Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, who came into power following a coup in 2006, has declared Lt Col Mara a fugitive and was seeking to have him extradited from Tonga.
Lt Col Mara told Radio New Zealand this morning he wanted to visit New Zealand for a few days to talk to Fijian democracy campaigners, after doing the same in Australia.
He had lodged a visa application and intended to travel on a Tongan passport.
During the visit he wanted to meet New Zealand Government officials.
"Hopefully. If the opportunity is there then I will take that opportunity."
Lt Col Mara said he remained concerned for family and friends in Fiji and hoped "commonsense" would prevail and democracy reinstated but did not think it likely under Cdre Bainimarama's rule.
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the application would be considered.
"To come into New Zealand he will have to be removed from that list or receive an exemption for the purposes of entering," he told the broadcaster.
For that to happen the Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman would have to consider the application and receive advice.
"We will treat it like any other application and any other application would at least take us a few days to consider... Lodging an application yesterday and expecting an answer today is frankly completely unrealistic."
Mr McCully did not commit to meeting Lt Col Mara should he be allowed to enter.
"Let's just take this step by step."
NZPA
Thu, 09 Jun 2011
Thu, 09 Jun 2011
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Mara application won't be fast-tracked - McCully
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