The director of News Limited's Editorial Operations Campbell Reid said the personal intervention of Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama was deeply troubling for all Australians living in, or intending to visit Fiji

Reid told News.com that Fiji's interim regime having already dispensed with parliamentary democracy and the freedom of the press now clearly intends to ignore the rule of law, thereby erasing the last hope that Fiji could avoid becoming a military dictatorship once again

He said News Limited, the owners of the Fiji Times, was in discussions with the office of Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to examine options for diplomatic solutions to the crisis as well as security arrangements to safeguard the welfare of the company's 175 employees at the Fiji Times.