Postscript 17.11.11. Bridget of RNZI rang me this morning to say she received a reply from Vodafone (stating they had nothing more to add to their earlier statement) but that RNZI had not received the Vodafone emails posted below. She disagreed with my statement that the second email enquiry had asked nothing different from their ealier questions and, on reflection, I have to agree. I trust this postscript clarifies the situation and is fair to all parties.
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RadioNZInternational is to be congratulated in seeking an official comment from Fiji on Ratu Mara's claim about phone tapping (many others don't bother), but why do they persist with a story that has already been denied? I would feel happier about RadioNZI if they sometimes — just sometimes — published news about Fiji that was not influenced by political considerations, and if their sources were from Fiji, and not, as they now seem to be, from Ratu Mara, others of like mind, and the overseas-based anti-Bainimarama government blogs. I trust they have asked Ratu Mara about the sources of his allegation.
This is the latest exchange on the phone tapping allegation:
RNZINewsShare
To: 'ligavatu.gukisuva@vodafone.com'"
RE: Tevita Mara claims
Hi,
I would just like to clarify something. Has Vodafone ever been ASKED by the military, police, or Fiji Intelligence Service, to intercept phones (landlines or mobile phones) or the internet?
Thanks, Bridget.
| Ligavatu Gukisuva, Vodafone Fiji's PR man, replies: |
Hi,
Our discipline forces have requested for this (mobile phones records) few years back for criminal investigation and we have informed them that we do not have the capabilities as mentioned below to facilitate their requests. Our position is still the same until today.
A further comment by Vodafone CEO Aslam Khan:
Liga,
Fiji police has asked, as they do now and in the past, for call detail records for criminal investigations and done so with search warrants . Fiji Military has never requested for records or interception or monitoring .. they all know we don't have the capability ... so what's all these fuss about ? RadioNZI are being taken for an wild goose chase !!
And this comment from Max received today:
Croz, I'm currently working in one of these phone service providers and have been employed in this industry for a little more than 20 years.
No one is tapping anybody's phone and that's a bare fact. But what the service providers can do, and is always part of the phone service, is record the call details such as the CLI, CLID, time and duration, and date. The actual conversation is not recorded.
Some people are always in the knack of spreading false information by merely assuming it's being done in Fiji. The law in Fiji doesn't allow phone tapping and that's it. End of story.
3 comments:
sources from Fiji? And without their names, you would go to any lengths to discredit them anyway as unaappreciative of all the military has done for them, or supporters of Qarase. With their names , we all know what happens don't we? There cannot possibly be a free exchange of ideas under this regime , they have made that very clear.It's 'our way, our version' or nothing at all.
@ Saras'sista ... I am not saying names should be published but if you check my blog who will see that, where possible, all sources are acknowledged. When, as is too often the case with Coup4.5, they publish an Anonymous article revealing some new 'horror' committed by the Bainimarama government, they should be sure that their 'usually reliable source' is indeed reliable. When they are unsure of reliability, they should either wait until they have more information, or print the story as a rumour that may or may not be reliable.
Croz
You inform your readers that vodaphone don't tap phones on behalf of the junta? Yet you publish confidential emails that can only be provided to you by vodaphone? You've lost me Croz - your honesty and credibility are in tatters.
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