Fiji chairman denied entry to NZ

http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3818_7136407,00.html

New Zealand has refused to grant a visa to Fiji Rugby Union chairman Colonel Mosese Tokoitoga, barring him from attending the World Cup.

Fiji became the first team to arrive for the 2011 tournament, which starts in twelve days, when then touched down in Auckland on Monday.

But Tikoitoga was not be able to accompany the team at the tournament because he is banned from New Zealand under travel sanctions targeting members of Fiji's military regime.

New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully said Tikoitoga's application for a visa was declined as soon as it was received last week. An application from another Fiji rugby official who also has military ties was also refused.

McCully said "the sanctions are there for a reason and banned means banned."

I wonder how this will affect the mood in the team?

How come they gave Leone Nakarawa a temporary exemption from the travel restrictions ?

Cymroglan wrote:How come they gave Leone Nakarawa a temporary exemption from the travel restrictions ?

He resigned from the Fijian Army before applying.

Oh well it must be very easy to leave the Fijian Army then.
He can always rejoin when he gets back home and it's probably not worth the bother taking his kit back to the stores

Cymroglan wrote:Oh well it must be very easy to leave the Fijian Army then.
He can always rejoin when he gets back home and it's probably not worth the bother taking his kit back to the stores

He is probably still employed by them, they just took him off the books. for a while.

biltongbek wrote:

Cymroglan wrote:Oh well it must be very easy to leave the Fijian Army then.
He can always rejoin when he gets back home and it's probably not worth the bother taking his kit back to the stores

He is probably still employed by them, they just took him off the books. for a while.

I agree. A face-saving move so that the NZ govt could avoid the flap of denying a player a visa for RWC - then when he's reinstated they can fire shots at Fiji to deflect the inevitable "I told you so"s. I'm a little surprised that the Fiji government opted to go that way rather than provoke a media storm over it - the NZ/Aus sanctions on members of the Fiji military are really ****ing the junta off.

Kiwireddevil wrote:I agree. A face-saving move so that the NZ govt could avoid the flap of denying a player a visa for RWC - then when he's reinstated they can fire shots at Fiji to deflect the inevitable "I told you so"s. I'm a little surprised that the Fiji government opted to go that way rather than provoke a media storm over it - the NZ/Aus sanctions on members of the Fiji military are really ****ing the junta off.

Is this Fijian army really so terrible? Is is it 3 paper aeroplanes and a couple of fishing spears?

Alyn
Its hardly a democraticly elected government.

AlynDavies wrote:

Kiwireddevil wrote:I agree. A face-saving move so that the NZ govt could avoid the flap of denying a player a visa for RWC - then when he's reinstated they can fire shots at Fiji to deflect the inevitable "I told you so"s. I'm a little surprised that the Fiji government opted to go that way rather than provoke a media storm over it - the NZ/Aus sanctions on members of the Fiji military are really ****ing the junta off.

Is this Fijian army really so terrible? Is is it 3 paper aeroplanes and a couple of fishing spears?

The Fiji army is actually quite large - payments from the UN to Fiji for supplying peacekeepers has surpassed tourism as Fiji's largest "export" industry. Certainly NZ and Australia decided that mounting an invasion in support of the legitimate government after the last coup would be tricky. Fiji has had (I think) 5 coups/coup attempts in the last 25 years - currently the military is showing no signs of giving up power.

aucklandlaurie wrote: Alyn
Its hardly a democraticly elected government.

Neither is the Uk's, we're run from Belgium of all places!