Debate makes legal waves
p. 26 · Read in the full issue
The law has been brought into the TV debate in more ways than one. In PNG, NTN mounted a legal challenge to the decision by Parliament to ban broad cast television until 1988. The challenge was on constitutional grounds.
In Fiji, the minister for economic development, planning and tourism, Mr Peter Stinson, invoked the law in an other manner by issuing a writ against The Fiji Times and the Fiji Labour Party alleging defamation and claiming dam ages.
The writ also sought to prevent the publication of further similar matter.
The newspaper had reported a call by the Labour Party for an investigation of
the agreement between the government and PBL.
The PNG case was set down for hearing this month unless resolved jointly before then. However, in an unusual move, the government and NTN issued a joint statement in which Mr Wingti acknowleged that an agreement existed between the state and the com pany and that it was realistic to expect the company would not waive rights under that agreement without recom pense.
For its part, NTN declared itself mindful of the wishes of the National Parliament in passing the act.
All of which appeared to set the stage for an early settlement.