SUVA: Pacific Journalism Online, the website of the journalism programme
of the regional University of the South Pacific, rejoined cyberspace
today.
University authorities at the Laucala campus in the Fiji Islands
decided to reopen the site this week after it had been temporarily
closed for security reasons since May 29.
It was shut down the day after a mob supporting rebel leader George
Speight attacked and trashed Fiji Television offices in the capital of
Suva and hours before the military took over the country, declaring
martial law.
Many international media groups, journalism schools, professors and
academics had written to the university urging for the website to be
reopened.
The president of the USP Staff Association, Dr Biman Prasad, welcomed
the reopening of the website.
In an appeal to the administration, he said: "Academic freedom is always
fundamental to the survival and operation of a university, even more so
when there is a crisis and threats to academic freedom."
Title -- 2838 FIJI: Pacific Journalism Online returns
Date -- 28 June 2000
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pasifik Nius
Source -- USP Journalism, 28/6/00
Copyright -- USP Journalism
Status -- Unabridged
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* USP journalism students' reports on the crisis are still posted at the
UTS journalism website: http://www.journalism.uts.edu.au/
Pacific Journalism Online: http://www.usp.ac.fj/journ/
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last revision June 27, 2000