* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and links:
* Post a comment on this story at PMW's Right of Reply:
FRENCH POLYNESIAN PRESIDENT WANTS JOURNALIST DISAPPEARANCE CASE SOLVED
PAPE'ETE (RNZI Online/Pacific Media Watch): The French Polynesian president, Gaston Flosse, says the mysterious
disappearance of a journalist seven years ago needs to be clarified as soon as possible.
Jean-Pascal Couraud vanished seven years ago but in early October a former spy employed by Flosse¹s presidential force
alleged that the journalist had been kidnapped and killed, and his body sunk off Tahiti.
The former spy, who implicated fellow members of the force in the case, was subsequently jailed for malicious slander.
But he has maintained that Couraud was assassinated and he is now free pending an appeal.
The journalist¹s family has lodged a formal complaint against unknown parties for murder after the prosecutor in Papeete
said there was not enough evidence to reopen the case.
According to the Tahitipresse news agency, Flosse has now written to the appeal court, saying he wants light to be shed
on the matter.
In October, Flosse solemnly declared he never ordered anybody¹s death and described the former spy as a false witness
who lied to get a pay rise.
© RNZI 2004
+++niuswire
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE http://www.pmw.c2o.org
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors
and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media
ownership in the Pacific region. Launched in October 1996, it has links with the Journalism Program at the University of
the South Pacific, Bushfire Media based in Sydney, Journalism Studies at the University of PNG (UPNG), the Australian
Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and Community Communications
Online (c2o).
(c)1996-2004 Copyright - All rights reserved.
Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the
original producers as indicated in the header. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright owner for any
publishing. Copyright owners not wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The views expressed in
material listed by PMW are not necessarily the views of PMW or its members.
Recipients should rely on their own inquiries before making decisions based on material listed in PMW. Please copy
appeals to PMW and acknowledge source.
For further information, inquiries about joining the Pacific Media Watch listserve, articles for publication, and giving
feedback contact Pacific Media Watch at: E-mail: delaro@clear.net.nz pcronau@hotmail.com Fax: (+679) 30 5779 or (+612)
9660 1804 Mail: PO Box 9, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia or, PO Box 78028, Auckland 1002, New Zealand. Website:
www.pmw.c2o.org