Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

Companies that blatantly disregard Fiji’s environmental laws and protections will be permanently banned warns Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

While making this announcement Bainimarama also stated that Chinese investor Freesoul Real Estate Development and other developers looking to cause environmental harm are not welcome to operate in Fiji.

The Prime Minister says this will be backed by law to prevent repeat offences from bad-faith developers.

Newsroom investigation editor Melanie Reid and cameraman Hayden Aull with Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho.

He says the government has been considering a law which will be urgently introduced in the next session of Parliament to permanently ban such law-breaking companies.

“We will not tolerate any attempts to violate the historic environmental protections enshrined in our Constitution. We will continue to lead from the front on this issue, at home and abroad. We will continue to walk the talk, for the sake of our environment, for the sake of our way of life, and for the sake of all those who come after us.”

Bainmarama’s comments come as three New Zealand journalists were last night detained by Police.

[Source: newsroom.co.nz]

These were Newsroom co-editor Mark Jennings, investigation editor Melanie Reid and cameraman Hayden Aull.

These journalists who are in the country to report on the recent charges brought by the Fijian government on Freesoul Real Estate Development were detained by police for questioning last night.

However, upon the intervention of Bainimarama, they were released.