Call for Fiji to lift more travel bans

The president of Fiji's opposition National Federation Party says the prime minister needs to lift all travel bans imposed after the 2006 coup.

Last weekend, Frank Bainimarama, lifted a ban against three journalists from New Zealand and Australia at the start of his current state visits to the two countries.

However, a ban still applies to several critics of Mr Bainimarama's coup, including a Fiji-born Australian citizen Brij Lal who helped oversee the preparation of the 1997 constitution.

The National Federation Party's Tupou Draunidalo said the blacklist was in place for frivolous, undemocratic reasons, and must be removed if Fiji is to show itself as a robust democracy.

She said the prime minister's urging of Fijians in Australia to return to build a house or start a business will remain an act of mere tokenism as long as a ban remains in place.