06-03-2009, 11:04 PM
Helene Hoffman
Last Updated: 1 hour 32 minutes ago
A leader of Tonga's Methodist church in New Zealand has spoken out in support of Fiji's Methodists, who had their annual conference cancelled by the interim government for speaking out against the military-backed regime.
Church leaders in Fiji met with the interim prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, on Wednesday in attempt to come to an agreement allowing the meeting to go ahead as planned in August.
However, the church refused to remove political items from its agenda which the government says goes against its emergency regulations.
A representative of the Tonga Methodists in New Zealand, Reverend Tavaki Topou, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program the church should address issues that concern its congregation.
"I think that they're very brave and I endorse them, I support the decision they made," he said.
"Parliament sets its own agenda for their meetings and like every organisation in a democratic country, they are free to discuss any items at all that they want to on their agenda.
"I think the church should make its voice heard on the issues and what people are going through and they have every right to."
Source: http://australianetworknews.com/stories/...tm?desktop
Last Updated: 1 hour 32 minutes ago
A leader of Tonga's Methodist church in New Zealand has spoken out in support of Fiji's Methodists, who had their annual conference cancelled by the interim government for speaking out against the military-backed regime.
Church leaders in Fiji met with the interim prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, on Wednesday in attempt to come to an agreement allowing the meeting to go ahead as planned in August.
However, the church refused to remove political items from its agenda which the government says goes against its emergency regulations.
A representative of the Tonga Methodists in New Zealand, Reverend Tavaki Topou, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program the church should address issues that concern its congregation.
"I think that they're very brave and I endorse them, I support the decision they made," he said.
"Parliament sets its own agenda for their meetings and like every organisation in a democratic country, they are free to discuss any items at all that they want to on their agenda.
"I think the church should make its voice heard on the issues and what people are going through and they have every right to."
Source: http://australianetworknews.com/stories/...tm?desktop