H.E. Sonatane Tu'a Taumoepeau Tupou
Ambassador
Consulate of Tonga
250 East 51st St.
New York, NY 10022

March 13, 2003

Your Excellency,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world.

CJFE wishes to express its grave concern over the Government of Tonga's import ban on the Times of Tonga (Taimi 'o Tonga), an independent, biweekly newspaper published in New Zealand.

On February 27, the Times of Tonga offices in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, and Auckland, New Zealand, received a letter signed by the Tonga's minister of finance stating that the paper is now "a prohibited import into the Kingdom of Tonga."

The government later issued a press release, posted on the official government Web site, declaring the Times of Tonga a "foreign newspaper" that has"ruthlessly campaigned for the overthrow of Tonga's constitutional government."

The Times of Tonga publisher, Kalafi Moala, a native-born Tongan who is a naturalized citizen of the United States, moved the paper's printing operation to New Zealand in 1995 for financial reasons. The main news office and advertising sales offices remain in Tonga. Several Tongan publications are published in New Zealand and imported to the archipelago, and a number of foreign-owned publications are regularly distributed in the country without interference.

The government has not clarified which specific articles in the Times of Tonga precipitated the ban. Editors at the paper believe the crackdown could stem from a number of recent reports exposing corruption among government officials.

Throughout its 14-year publishing history, the Times of Tonga, the country's most popular newspaper, has been subject to repeated government harassment. In March 2002, editor Mateni Tapueluelu was charged with sedition. The charges against Tapueluelu, which carry a maximum penalty of 7 years in prison, were later dropped.

CJFE believes that the import ban on the Times of Tonga is another attempt by your government to silence the paper's critical reports. The Tongan Constitution guarantees press freedom. We call on the Government of Tonga to lift the ban on the Times of Tonga immediately, and for you to ensure that all journalists are able to report and publish free from government interference.

We request that you convey our concerns to the Government of Tonga.

I look forward to receiving your prompt reply to this letter.

Sincerely,

Case file number: PL-O3010