Frank Bainimarama

Wellington, April 16 NZPA - The Pacific Island Forum is poised to suspend Fiji, with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key saying he would back immediate action.

Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama was already facing a May 1 deadline for progress towards elections.

The latest assault on free speech and individual rights has made the Forum even more determined to act against the military regime.

"The reality is that unless there is some miraculous turn around of events, Fiji is going to be suspended by the forum in roughly two weeks," Mr Key said from China.

"But if forum leaders feel it is important to send an even stronger message by suspending Fiji immediately, I'm sure New Zealand is likely to support that call."

Forum chairman, Niue's Premier Toke Talagi, is one of those advocating immediate suspension.

He said today he was considering withdrawing the Forum's secretariat from Suva.

"All of our activity is based in Fiji," he said on Radio New Zealand.

"There are concerns as to the security of the personnel there...and the appropriateness of continuing to hold forum meetings in Fiji."

He said he had told staff to evaluate the situation and report on the cost of moving to another country.

Further media sanctions and a significant currency devaluation were imposed in Fiji yesterday as it continued to isolate itself from the international community.

After expelling Australian and New Zealand journalists this week, Fiji shut down Radio Australia's transmitters on the island.

The Fiji dollar has been devalued by 20 percent, Reserve Bank governor Sada Reddy announced soon after being installed by the military-led government.

The bank said the devaluation would boost tourism and exports in Fiji, AFP reported.

The New Zealand Law Society took the step yesterday of advising its lawyers not to accept work for the Fiji regime.

New Zealand lawyers "should not accept appointment to any office under the regime", society president John Marshall, QC, said.

Fiji's Court of Appeal ruled last Thursday that Cdre Bainimarama's regime was illegal under the country's 1997 constitution.

In response, 88-year-old president Ratu Josefa Iloilo sacked the judges, dissolved the constitution, ruled out any election for five years and briefly removed Cdre Bainimarama, before re-appointing him as prime minister.

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