PM orders NZ crew release

FIJI’S prime minister intervened on Thursday after police locked up a New Zealand news crew reporting on a Chinese resort development accused of flouting environmental protection measures in the Pacific nation.

Blaming the journalists’ arrest on “rogue officers”, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said he demanded the crew’s immediate release and would personally apologise for their treatment.

New Zealand’s Newsroom, an online news outlet, said a team was arrested after entering the Suva office of developer Freesoul, which is building a resort on Fiji’s Malolo Island.