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Frank Bainimarama - Source: ONE News -
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An Australian academic given 24 hours to leave Fiji says he does not see an imminent end to the country's current political stand-off.
Professor Brij Lal's expulsion is the latest directive to come from Fiji's military regime, just a day after it gave similar marching orders to the top diplomats from Australia and New Zealand.
Professor Lal, a long-serving academic at the Australian National University, was arrested at his home in the Fijian capital of Suva and taken into custody.
His detention came shortly after he gave media interviews on the Pacific island nation's latest political drama.
"I was in a cell for an hour and interrogated and told to leave the country within 24 hours or else," he told ABC Radio following the ordeal on Wednesday night.
"I hope this won't be a permanent state. I hope this will be something that will pass and I will eventually return to Fiji."
Lal said it was the first time he'd ever been arrested by the Fijian military.
"This tells you something about the state of Fiji at the moment," he said, adding there was no freedom of speech.
"Even when you express ideas in as balanced a way as you possibly can, people take umbrage."
There was "absolutely no room" for any dissention, dialogue and discussion.
Prof Lal said he didn't see an end in sight to self-appointed Frank Bainimarama's rule, adding the military was effectively in control of the public service, the bureaucracy and the judiciary.
"If and when elections are held they'll be held in such a way as to ensure the military remains in power," he said.
Lal will return to Australia later on Thursday.
