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Frank Bainimarama - Source: ONE News -
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A military censor has entered the newsroom of Fiji's largest daily newspaper for the first time.
The censor appointed by military ruler Commodore Frank Bainimarama has started vetting Fiji Times articles for publication, News Limited spokesman Greg Baxter said.
Fiji Times editor Netani Rika is still publishing the newspaper but not articles that have been censored.
"At this stage, we're publishing the paper," Baxter said.
"We have someone from the military stationed in our newsroom vetting copy.
"We're at this stage making the decision not to publish anything rather than publish something that has been censored."
Two managing directors of the newspaper have been deported from Fiji in the past year alone.
The latest censoring of the newspaper was a "more serious threat" than previous attempts to put pressure on the media, Baxter said.
He said the military regime had so far not threatened journalists at the Fiji Times, which has been in publication since 1869.
Bainimarama installed himself as prime minister in a military coup in December 2006.
He was reappointed as the island's interim prime minister on Saturday, two days after his rule was declared unconstitutional by the nation's Court of Appeal.
Fiji President Ratu Josefa Iloilo administered the oath of office a day after he repealed the constitution, sacked the judiciary and appointed himself head of state.
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