Three Kiwi journalists have been released from a Fiji jail after being detained overnight in while working on a story about a controversial resort development.
The trio, who work for news website Newsroom, were taken into custody in Suva last night after attempting to interview a resort developer accused of the "environmental desecration" of a Mamanucas island.
The group has since been released "after intervention by the senior Fiji police", Newsroom says.
Newsroom reported this morning that its co-editor Mark Jennings, investigations editor Melanie Reid and cameraman Hayden Aull were earlier in a holding room at Totogo police station having been accused of criminal trespass by the developer Freesoul Real Estate.
Newsroom reports that it is understood the real estate company claims the investigative journalists walked past a sign which read "authorised staff only".
It further reported that they had not been charged but were likely to undergo police interviews this morning.
Reid said the arrest was "ridiculous".
"We walked into the Freesoul office in Suva with a camera and asked why they had been operating at Malolo with no permits," she told Newsroom.
"We asked to talk to Freesoul director Dickson Peng. We were told to leave and we did.
"This is trumped up and ridiculous.
"I've worked all over the world and never been taken into custody for asking questions in a public office - questions, I might add, that desperately needed to be asked."
Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said this morning that his Government "immediately demanded" the trio's release upon learning of their detention.
The media was an ally in accountability over Freesoul, which Bainimarama said was a company demanding the highest level of public scrutiny.
"I have spoken with the Commissioner of Police who has assured me the detention of these journalists was an isolated incident undertaken by a small group of rogue officers. A full investigation into why these officers would use such heavy-handed tactics will be undertaken, and any violations of protocol or undue influence will be met with appropriate action," the Fiji PM said.
"I – together with my Minister for Environment and the Commissioner of Police – will meet with the journalists later today to apologise for the treatment they've received and personally speak with them about our position on the environment, particularly with regards to development," he said.
Reid was named reporter of the year at last year's Voyager Media Awards.
Her career includes 25 years at TV3.
Jennings is a former head of news at TV3.
It is not the first time a New Zealand reporter has been detained while working in Fiji.
A high-profile example was when TVNZ Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver was detained in Fiji in 2008 and subsequently banned from the country.
In 2016, the Fijian government announced journalists were again free to visit the country and report without restriction albeit as long as they were accredited by the Department of Information.
Dreaver returned to Fiji later that year after an invitation was made by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
Â
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you