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SYDNEY - The Government is reviewing the safety of New Zealanders in Fiji following the expulsion of High Commissioner Michael Green from Suva in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Prime Minister Helen Clark, who also foreshadowed retaliation as Fiji severed all diplomatic relations with the recall of its own envoy from Wellington, said she believed New Zealanders could be in danger.
"I don't think a country which has a coup and the people who led the coup are in control is a safe country to be in," she said.
"When a country deliberately inflames relations like this you don't know what the next step will be."
The present travel warning of "some risk" and urging caution will now be reviewed, and Helen Clark said that if necessary the Government would consider evacuating New Zealanders.
The decision by coup leader and Prime Minister Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama to expel Mr Green followed several tense days in which Wellington tried to confirm rumours that the action was imminent, and to determine the cause.
So far no reason has been given by Commander Bainimarama, although it is understood he had been increasingly angered at the messages delivered to him by Mr Green, and may have felt some personal pique.
Helen Clark said that Fiji "simply didn't like what he was saying on behalf of the New Zealand Government".
"I understand there may be some suggestion that the Commander felt slighted at a rugby game," she said.
Mr Green's expulsion has dramatically increased the diplomatic stakes in the region, cutting off relations with New Zealand and almost certainly prompting a new round of sanctions and drawing condemnation from such other major players as Australia and Britain.
Although there was no indication yesterday that similar action would be taken against the Australian and British high commissioners, Fiji has recalled its envoys from both countries and has said it will not replace them until democracy had been restored.
"The way they're behaving now, that could be some time away," Helen Clark said.
The expulsion has infuriated Wellington, and will be discussed at today's meeting between Helen Clark and Australian counterpart John Howard in Sydney, following earlier diplomatic briefings of the unfolding crisis.
"Over the past couple of days we have been briefing a number of our close partners about this most regrettable turn of events in Fiji, and we have received nothing but sympathy, support, understanding and solidarity," Helen Clark said.
Relations between New Zealand and Fiji - and between Fiji, Australia and Britain - plunged after last December's ousting of the democratically-elected Government of Laisenia Qarase and the installation of an administration led by Commander Bainimarama.
New Zealand retaliated by ending high-level diplomatic and political contacts, banning the entry of Fijians involved in the coup of the subsequent administration, severing defence ties, freezing the seasonal employer scheme and the eligibility of Fijians for immigration ballots, blocking the entry of sporting teams and athletes except for internationally-sanctioned events, and re-directing aid away from government agencies to non-governmental organisations.
Relations had begun to thaw slightly with the lifting last month of Fiji's emergency regulations, although deep concerns still remained over human rights abuses - most recently, the death of a man in custody last week.
"I hear continuing reports of human rights abuses," Helen Clark said.
"This is directly in contravention of the undertakings (Fiji) has given not only the Pacific Island Forum ministers and the European Union, but of course flies in the face of what kind of behaviour we would want to see from a fellow member of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Helen Clark said Mr Green, one of New Zealand's most senior diplomats, had given no cause for expulsion and that Fiji's action was "absolutely dreadful behaviour".
"We have total confidence in our High Commissioner," she said.
"He has represented faithfully the position of the New Zealand Government and I suspect that this is the reason he is being sent home ...
"The message that's been sent (to Fiji) is that this is completely unacceptable. This is not proper behaviour."
Helen Clark said that Wellington had thought Fiji was making some progress towards the restoration of constitutional government, but that Suva had now taken a gigantic step backwards that would provoke a further response from New Zealand.
Talks on the delineation of the continental shelf scheduled for next week have already been cancelled.
"We will go back and look at the pace at which we will be withdrawing from any involvement with the Fiji Government on the development assistance programme," Helen Clark said.
"We've made a lot of progress on that disengagement.
"We'll see what else there is to do, and we will be stepping up our campaign and advocacy for the return of democracy to Fiji."
Political reaction
Parliament called on the Government to take strong action against Fiji for its Mr Green's expulsion but Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he would stop short of a tit-for-tat expulsion.
Mr Peters formally told MPs of the decision by Fiji at the beginning of the parliamentary session today.
Mr Peters condemned the move and told Parliament he was considering what actions to take against a regime that had been set up with the "barrel of a gun".
The expulsion said more about Commander Frank Bainimarama's military government than it did about New Zealand's actions in speaking out about the coup, he said.
New Zealand's anger about the expulsion would not extend to the Fijian High Commissioner based in Wellington, because that was not what a "first world leading democracy did.
Mr Peters said the Government was reviewing all relations and would consider its response.
National's foreign affairs spokesman Murray McCully echoed the words of Mr Peters and expressed alarm that the developments in Fiji had come when there was a prospect of progress towards democracy.
The removal of Mr Green was serious and invited "a strong and resolute response".
"The actions of the interim Fiji prime minister today are ill-judged and very much counter to the interests of his country," Mr McCully said.
Cdre Bainimarama's actions had meant many people in Fiji were suffering great hardship.
"We look to the Government to make a full and appropriate response," Mr McCully said.
United Future Leader Peter Dunne said he shared with other MPs "shock, horror and condemnation" at the expulsion.
Greens foreign affairs spokesman Keith Locke said the action against Mr Green was a "sign of desperation, not strength."
He urged the Government not to use sanctions that harmed the ordinary people of Fiji.
ACT and the Maori Party did not speak in reply to Mr Peters' ministerial statement.
Earlier, acting prime minister Michael Cullen said the expulsion of Mr Green showed there was now a "major issue" between New Zealand and Fiji, and advised people against travelling to the Pacific nation.
Dr Cullen said Miss Clark would return from Australia tomorrow, and the Government would consider its response on Monday.
"Obviously the Government will be considering what kinds of actions we can take in response but we're not going to rush off and do that this afternoon," he said.
Career diplomat
Mr Green, a career diplomat, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1970.
Overseas, he has served in Thailand, at the New Zealand Mission to the United Nations in New York, in China and in Indonesia where he was ambassador from 1997 until 2001.
In New Zealand, he has served in a number of ministry divisions, and most recently was Deputy Secretary for Political and Security Affairs.
He took up his role in Fiji in December 2004, replacing Adrian Simcock. He is also accredited to Tuvalu and Nauru.
- Additional reporting NZPA
