Fiji's dictator, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, says he has no regrets about the likely closure of the island nation's major newspaper, the Fiji Times.
He said the paper - like the rest of his country's media - needed to "toe the line". He was also unwilling to negotiate with News Limited, the Australian publisher owned by Rupert Murdoch, to keep the country's most widely read paper afloat.
The decree that demands 90% local ownership of media means that the paper has to find a new owner before a September deadline or close down.
Up to 1,200 people could be left unemployed, including the 180 staff of the Fiji Times, which has been published for 140 years.
News Limited's chairman and chief executive John Hartigan said the company was committed to achieving the best outcome for the Fijian newspaper and its staff.
"We have engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct a sale process," he said. "We hope the transaction concludes within the government's deadline to avoid the loss of local jobs."
Source: The Australian
