Aust criticises Cameron Deportation

From Oceania Correspondent

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it would be a concern if Australian lawyer Doctor John Cameron who was deported from Fiji yesterday, had been targeted for political reasons.

Didnt take them long did it? This is exactly the point made on Loyal Fijian yesterday.

If James Cameron was working illegally , he SHOULD be deported. No doubt about that, and the same goes for the many other illegals who are in Fiji at the moment.

But at the moment, the Government and media of countries like Aust and NZ are searching for ways to knock the IG on its head.

Why make a stick for your own back? Why give your detractors (and they are many of them) a story that their sympathisers in the media will have a field day with?

The Australian Foreign official said the Australian government has repeatedly expressed its concern at the Fiji military's effort to compromise the impartially of the legal system and government institutions.

The deportation of a person illegally working in Fiji will now be made out into some sort of political agenda or witchunt when it could have been AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN handled as a purely administrative issue.

Timing, as they say, is everything.

James Cameron, from Law Breaker to "Political" Victim

James Cameron, the Australian lawyer was deported Tuesday (26 June 2007) morning for working in Fiji without a proper work permit.

What should have been a straight-forward procedural issue , the deportation of a law breaker, will now be portrayed as "political".

It appears that James Cameron was due to appear in the High Court the same afternoon to represent Angie Heffernan in her case against the authorities for restricting her movements.

Lets just break it down a little bit shall we:

1. If Person X arrives in Fiji on a visitor visa and then proceeds to work without a legal work visa, that person is breaking our laws.

No doubt about that. James Cameron as a lawyer should have known better.

Get a work permit, work to your hearts content, pay your taxes, ITS ALL GOOD.

2. James Cameron has been in Fiji on numerous occassions in the past few months. He has represented other clients in that period.

Inevitably the question will arise, WHY DEPORT HIM NOW?

Now, this case will be played out in the media, local and international for days to come.

No Fijian wants people from overseas working here without a permit, breaking our immigration laws. But very poor timing will now make this guy look like some sort of victim, instead of the violator of our laws that he was.

And one more things, there are people out there posting instructions on how to make BOMBS and attack tourists.Numerous Fiji Islanders have been named as "POTENTIAL SLAYING TARGETS".

Go after the real HATERS and INCITERS, lets let people like Angie get on with their lives. Not only does it play our poorly in the media, it detracts from the REAL culprits.

INDEPENDENT,BALANCED,IMPARTIAL.