Tongan government asked to allow journalist entry

Tonga's Media Council has asked the Tongan government to allow banned New Zealand journalist Michael Field into the country for the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) conference in October, ABC Radio reports.

It said that the council made the request so that the parties could talk directly and sort things out.

Field was first banned from the kingdom in 1996 after writing an article deemed disrespectful by the Tongan authorities.

The ban was reconfirmed by the Government just prior to this year's general election.

Field's application for a visa to cover the March general election was declined, and he is now applying for a visa to attend the PINA conference.

Field was also banned from Pacific Islands forums in Nauru in 2001 and Kiribati in 2000.

- NZPA