Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Information Ms Sharon Smith-Johns has slammed a recent report by Michael Field about the death of a New Zealand woman, as grossly inaccurate, mischievous, insensitive and deliberately misinforming the public.
Ms Smith-Johns said no attempt had been made by the Fiji Police to conceal information, nor had the Fiji media been censored for the sake of the tourism industry as highlighted by some international media reports.
“The reports by New Zealand reporter Michael Field are ill-informed, badly researched and deeply biased, ” she said.
“It’s clear Mr Field needs to check the reliability of his sources of information so he can stop publishing stories based on rumor and gossip, they are clearly written to undermine tourism, the Fiji Police Force and Government.
“Claims by overseas media that Fiji Police did not carry out official investigations, are completely incorrect. Also claims that Police did not carry out a search, again incorrect. And finally, that a post mortem was not carried out, is again incorrect. There is documentary evidence to prove these processes were carried out.”
Ms Cheslia Mary Lo ,33, and her 61-year-old partner a New Zealander were on a cruise in the Yasawa group when she reportedly went missing.
Ms Lo went missing from the yacht Alani on the night of the June 14, 2011. The matter was reported to Lautoka police by one Captain Benjamin Grenfell on June 15 at about 10am.
The Lautoka police immediately contacted two of their officers, who were on their way to Matacawalevu Island at the time and with islanders and officials from resorts nearby, carried out an extensive search.
Ms Lo’s body was found washed up on the beach on June 16 by two i-Taukei women from Matacawalevu Village.
Officials from Alani failed to inform police officers that the body had been found, instead, they breached crime scene investigations by escorting the body to Denarau.
A post mortem was carried out on June 17 and results confirmed, drowning as the cause of death. Crew on board the yacht told Lautoka police that Ms Lo was intoxicated on the night she disappeared. The yacht was anchored near Nanuya Levu Island.
She was cremated at Wailoaloa Beach Cemetry on the June17. Investigations for this case by the Police Force have been completed.
Ms Smith-Johns said it was disturbing because this was the second story, in which Field has accused the Government of censoring police information and sensationalizing tourist deaths.
“It’s extremely insensitive to family members to have these facts distorted by the media after a loved one has died, it shows a complete lack of sensitivity to the family in order to push Field’s own personal bias,” the Ministry of Information permanent secretary said.
“Mr Field also claims that media enquiries to the Fijian Government have been ignored; again this is completely without fact and a figment of his imagination.
“Mr Field has never attempted to contact me.”
Reports regarding Ms Cheslia Mary Lo’s death in the international media:http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/5441235/Silence-in-Fiji-over-death-of-NZ-woman
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/5480071/Strange-death-at-Blue-Lagoon
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