Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More

World Video | Defence | Foreign Affairs | Natural Events | Trade | NZ in World News | NZ National News Video | NZ Regional News | Search

 

NZ Spied on Fiji, Says Wikileaks

By Stanley Simpson

SUVA (Fiji Broadcasting Corporation/Pacific Media Watch): The New Zealand government spied on Fiji before and after the 2006 coup, leaked US documents released by Wikileaks show.

The cables show that NZ used signals intelligence or SIGINT to listen in on phone conversations between Fiji’s military and leadership.

According to NZ media, the US noted in their reports that intelligence provided by NZ was very "helpful" in their analysis of the Fiji situation.

The cable says that then NZ Prime Minister Helen Clarke had realised after the Fiji coup that NZ had become too reliant on Australian intelligence.

However, the cables did not go into detail what information NZ gathered from listening in to communication between Fiji’s leaders.

In December 2008, the Fiji government had released a statement accusing Australia and NZ of spying on Fiji and tapping Fiji government phones.

The NZ government then did not comment on the issue and Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith did not deny the statement when it was put to him.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
World Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.