Fiji heartbreak.

The only Banana Republics I knew growing up were the ones selling clothes at the mall. Tragically, the people I know and admire in Fiji are at the mercy of 'leaders' hellbent on establishing the term's pejorative definition in their beautiful homeland.

Fiji has two national newspapers -- the Fiji Times and Fiji Sun. Considering Fiji's limited resources, the print versions of both papers are well-circulated, provide excellent local news coverage and wear standards of media integrity like combat badges.

Back in March the Caucasian, Australian-born editor of the Sun was removed from his home and family, driven to the Nadi International Airport under tight security, and forcibly escorted onto an Australian-bound plane. On Thursday, the Caucasian, Australian-born editor of the Times experienced the same fate, despite a court order to stop his deportation.

That the Times editor was deported only 24 hours before World Press Freedom Day adds a dollop of totalitarian irony to the sad tale.

The editors, Russell Hunter and Sean Hannah, were accused of threatening national security and were deported by Fiji's 'interim' military government on farcical visa technicalities. The leader of the Fiji Labour Party -- the de facto governing party headed by military commander and 'interim' Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama -- says the media has not played by the rules and is 'not a low unto itself'. Of course, as stated by the Fiji Media Council, the government has not specified which rules the media were breaking and hasn't filed any complaints.

Then again, why bother with such paperwork when armed thugs can take a man from his home at gunpoint, force him onto a plane, and deport him? Why support a free press when you can simply assert the media is breaking unspecified rules and therefore -- somehow -- threatening national security? Isn't that the banana republic way?