Yu wantem mi brekem face blo yu? [1]
Monday, March 7, 2011 - 09:36. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
THE group led by the minister entered the Daily Post office quietly and all including the Minister for Public Utilities went into the publishers office and assaulted him at his desk.
The minister was clearly heard by Daily Post staff shouting at the top of his voice as Neil-Jones was assaulted.
An angry Neil-Jones said he would be pressing charges against the minister on several counts, including aiding and abetting an assault.
He said he will be pressing charges against the minister because he was the one who could have stopped the men from going into the Daily Post office to assault, but instead Iauko stood right next to him and watched the assault taking place.
Strangled, kicked
A doctors examination on Neil-Jones found marks on his neck indicating someone had attempted to strangle him. Neil-Jones said he was grabbed by the neck and kicked.
"I was particularly angry to seek Jay Ngwele with the group because he owes me over Vt300,000 for construction work that he was paid to do but never did," he said.
Minister Iauko also threatened the editor of the Daily Post, Royson Willie, saying "yu wantem mi brekem face blo yu?" (do you want me to break your face?) with one of the men by the name of Nanua from North Tanna threatening the editor.
The editor has condemned the attack on the free and independent media in Vanuatu, saying such action is a disgrace and unacceptable, especially when a state minister was involved in such completely not statesmanship action.
The men with the minister were mostly from North Tanna, Middle Bush on Tanna and Whitesands on Tanna, living in Port Vila.
The thugs used a government vehicle with registration number G762 to carry out the act.
This government vehicle was driven by Iaukos political crony, Jay Ngwele.
Marc Neil-Jones has been attacked and threatened by politicians on several past occasions because of the outspoken stance of his newspaper Daily Post. In January 2009, he suffered a broken nose, cuts and a kick to the body when Correctional Service officers attacked him in the office over an article about the burning down of the French jail.
In 2000, he was deported by then Prime Minister Barak Sope for publishing "state secrets" including "the news that eventually got Sope convicted in court". - Vanuatu Daily Post ,5/03/11.