Bainimarama: Free speech "causes trouble" 

Source: ONE NewsFrank Bainimarama

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Fiji's coup leader Frank Bainimarama says freedom of speech "causes trouble" and must be curbed to allow the military government to do its work.

The military man has justified tough restrictions on local and international media reporting of recent political upheaval by saying he doesn't like to hear opposition to his plans.

"We want to come up with these reforms and the last thing we want to do is have opposition to these reforms throughout," he told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday.

"So that is the reason we've come up with the emergency regulations."

Bainimarama has assumed greater power in recent days after the abrogation of the constitution following a Court of Appeal ruling that his government was illegal.

An information vacuum exists after he imposed severe coverage restrictions on local media and expelled all Australian and New Zealand journalists from the country.

Asked about every country's need to have open and free discussions, Bainimarama told the radio station: "not in Fiji".

"The circumstances have changed," he said.

"We (the government) now decide what needs to be done for our country."

He said freedom of speech had "caused trouble" in the past and was the reason for the political upheaval in the past few days.

"That was how we came up with what has happened in the last few days," he said.