Australian envoy to Fiji recovering after attack

CANBERRA - Australia's High Commissioner for Fiji is recovering in hospital after she was bashed and robbed in the Fijian capital Suva.

Jennifer Rawson was on an early morning run when she was approached by a man near the embassy yesterday.

The man punched her in the face and stole her portable CD player before fleeing, local police said.

An Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokeswoman said Ms Rawson had undergone surgery in a Sydney hospital overnight.

The spokeswoman said Ms Rawson was conscious and in good spirits, considering her ordeal.

Police investigating the attack are understood to have some leads.

Ms Rawson, 51, is a senior career diplomat who joined DFAT in 1976.

- AAP