YAREN – No foreign journalist has been in Nauru for more than a year and none appears like to be able to enter soon.

The news organisation Al Jazeera was in the process of applying for media visas when it says it was told that all media visa applications have been denied by the Nauru government.

Al Jazeera said it was willing to pay the non-refundable over US$5000 visa application fee which was introduced over a year ago. At the time the government said the fee hike was in response to the damage that foreign media personnel had inflicted on Nauru through negative coverage of the island’s role as an asylum seeker processing centre on Australia’s behalf.

Al Jazeera’s Asia Pacific correspondent Andrew Thomas says his organisation is interested in reporting on the situation both inside and outside the centre.

“What does the local population think about having refugees on Nauru now out in the community, so we were really trying to get to Nauru to not only find out what those inside the centre were thinking, but also what those host people were thinking as well.”

In October last year, Al Jazeera began enquiring about visiting Nauru and contacted the migration office, however before being able to send documentation that had been requested this month, Al Jazeera was told the application would be rejected.

When asked for clarification, Al Jazeera was told all media applications were not approved.

Once this was reported, the Nauru government issued a statement through its Australian-based PR company saying: “Nauru government policy has not changed in regard to the distribution of visas for working journalists who wish to visit Nauru. Al Jazeera did not go through the proper channels in its application for visa consideration and as a consequence received misinformation.

Al Jazeera denies that it went through the wrong channels.

“We did go through the official procedures and processes as outlined by the government of Nauru in relation to obtaining a media visa. During that process we were told by a senior Nauruan official that no media visas were being approved and numerous attempts to clarify that having gone unanswered, we can only conclude that all media applications are being refused,” Thomas said.

The human rights group Amnesty International says the refusal is just the latest evidence of a crackdown on freedom of expression. Amnesty says the apparent media blackout is particularly alarming when there are no independent media outlets on Nauru.

Amnesty’s Meghna Abraham wrote on its website about her concerns: “Whatever Nauru is trying to hide, it can’t be good if the authorities are so desperate to block all international media from visiting or reporting from the island.

“Amid allegations of ongoing abuse, including sexual assault, of asylum seekers it is all the more vital that media are neither barred nor silenced from reporting the truth.”

Thomas says Al Jazeera will continue to try to get to Nauru.YAREN – No foreign journalist has been in Nauru for more than a year and none appears like to be able to enter soon.

The news organisation Al Jazeera was in the process of applying for media visas when it says it was told that all media visa applications have been denied by the Nauru government.

Al Jazeera said it was willing to pay the non-refundable over US$5000 visa application fee which was introduced over a year ago. At the time the government said the fee hike was in response to the damage that foreign media personnel had inflicted on Nauru through negative coverage of the island’s role as an asylum seeker processing centre on Australia’s behalf.

Al Jazeera’s Asia Pacific correspondent Andrew Thomas says his organisation is interested in reporting on the situation both inside and outside the centre.

“What does the local population think about having refugees on Nauru now out in the community, so we were really trying to get to Nauru to not only find out what those inside the centre were thinking, but also what those host people were thinking as well.”

In October last year, Al Jazeera began enquiring about visiting Nauru and contacted the migration office, however before being able to send documentation that had been requested this month, Al Jazeera was told the application would be rejected.

When asked for clarification, Al Jazeera was told all media applications were not approved.

Once this was reported, the Nauru government issued a statement through its Australian-based PR company saying: “Nauru government policy has not changed in regard to the distribution of visas for working journalists who wish to visit Nauru. Al Jazeera did not go through the proper channels in its application for visa consideration and as a consequence received misinformation.

Al Jazeera denies that it went through the wrong channels.

“We did go through the official procedures and processes as outlined by the government of Nauru in relation to obtaining a media visa. During that process we were told by a senior Nauruan official that no media visas were being approved and numerous attempts to clarify that having gone unanswered, we can only conclude that all media applications are being refused,” Thomas said.

The human rights group Amnesty International says the refusal is just the latest evidence of a crackdown on freedom of expression. Amnesty says the apparent media blackout is particularly alarming when there are no independent media outlets on Nauru.

Amnesty’s Meghna Abraham wrote on its website about her concerns: “Whatever Nauru is trying to hide, it can’t be good if the authorities are so desperate to block all international media from visiting or reporting from the island.

“Amid allegations of ongoing abuse, including sexual assault, of asylum seekers it is all the more vital that media are neither barred nor silenced from reporting the truth.”

Thomas says Al Jazeera will continue to try to get to Nauru.