SODELPA Leader Sitiveni Rabuka has announced that a SODELPA Government will review all the politically motivated travel bans imposed on both citizens and non‑citizens since 2006.
Rabuka says these include former citizens like Professor Brij Lal and his wife Dr. Padma Narsey Lal, newspaper executives Russell Hunter, Evan Hannah, former President of the Court of Appeal Justice Gordon Ward, who had been branded as “prohibited immigrants” on the grounds of being threats to national security.
He says he is also speaking on this issue as SODELPA stalwart, Usaia Pita Waqatairewa struggled to remove a ban on him enforced by the Immigration Department.
Rabuka says Usaia Waqatairewa, a dual citizen, was detained when he entered Fiji in June 2016.
The SODELPA Leader says Waqatairewa was detained again a week later when he tried to leave the country but he was eventually allowed to board his flight.
Rabuka says the same drama was repeated when he arrived in Nadi in September 2016.
He says Waqatairewa later sought an audience with Director of Immigration to seek an explanation.
Rabuka says Waqatairewa was asked to pay a fee and then after waiting for about four hours and upon enquiring what were they doing about his request, he was handed a letter that says Waqatairewa had an ‘Adverse record or Travel Restrictions'.
The SODLEPA Leader says it is discriminatory to place travel bans on those who may disagree with you politically given the universal right against unfair discrimination which is also in the 2013 Constitution.
Director of Immigration Nemani Vuniwaqa says if anyone wants to know if their name is in the Controversial List then there is a procedure to follow where they pay a fee of 12 dollars for the search.
Vuniwaqa also says that if people know their name is on the list, they can apply for their name to be uplifted, and there is a procedure to follow.
He says he will not comment on individual cases.
