Fiji government again cancels Methodist conference

Wellington, New Zealand, August 25 (ENInews)--The annual conference of
Fiji's Methodist Church, due to start 23 August, was cancelled by Fiji's
military government for the third consecutive year after church leaders defied a
government directive to step down from their positions. 

Fiji's Land Force Commander Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga, also directed that
no Methodist Church minister be allowed to leave the country, and banned
permits under the Public Emergency Regulation for all official Methodist
Church meetings. There are concerns that the ban will lead to the collapse of
the Methodist church administration and severely affect funding. 

Michael King, World Church Relationships Team Leader for the Methodist
Church in Britain, said the ban was a "massive setback" in church/state
relations, given that it seemed that relationships had improved and the political
situation had eased.