-
Frank Bainimarama - Source: ONE News -
Related
Threatened, verbally abused and told to leave Fiji or else, Professor Brij Lal says being an Australian citizen may have saved his life.
But back on home soil after a turbulent 12 hours, the long-serving Australian National University academic and Fiji expert has refused to sever his ties with the troubled Pacific nation.
He's vowed to return - and to see an end to the military regime which has ruled Fiji since the December 2006 coup, although he admits that may still take some time.
Lal, a respected and frequent commentator on Fiji, was taken from his Suva residence on Wednesday and given 24 hours to leave the country after publicly criticising the military.
He was talking to Australian media about the latest political drama to unfold between the two Pacific neighbours, which began when Fiji ordered the Australian and New Zealand high commissioners out of the country.
Hours later, Prof Lal was given similar marching orders.
"There was no physical assault, but a lot of verbal violence, a lot of foul language, a lot of explosive anger and a clear threat," Lal told reporters at Canberra Airport on Thursday.
"It's not something that I would wish upon my worst enemy."
He worries about possible repercussions for his friends and family still in Fiji, telling AAP his Australian citizenship may have been his saving grace during the interrogation.
His wife, who spends several months of the year in Fiji, remains in Suva.
Diplomats, foreign journalists and now foreign academics have all been ordered out by Fiji's self-appointed Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama during his rule, but Prof Lal said he would continue to speak out.
"The price of living in Fiji is silence," said the 57-year-old, who has written numerous books on Fiji and helped draft the country's constitution in 1997.
"In life, there are certain principles one stands by and I've never compromised.
"I do hope when the dust settles I will be able to go back and continue my research on Fiji."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has condemned Fiji's latest move, warning that the Pacific nation was on a slippery slope, while the university is also considering making a formal complaint to Fiji.
Lal said "I'm not the story", adding he believed Australia's approach to Fiji was appropriate and balanced.
But he still sees no immediate end to the conflict in Fiji, saying the military was in full control.
"There's something terribly wrong with a gun being used to overturn the verdict of the ballot box," he said.
"The military will relinquish on its own terms and in the time of its own choosing."
Australia has repeatedly called for Bainimarama to urgently hold democratic elections since he led a bloodless coup in 2006 - the country's fourth since 1987.
Bainimarama has earmarked elections for 2014.
