Fiji Water shuts operations in 'unstable' Pacific nation

[cheneyschernobyl]

SUVA (AFP) – US-owned bottled water giant Fiji Water shut down operations in the military-ruled Pacific nation Monday, branding it "increasingly unstable" and a risky place to do business.

Fiji Water president John Cochran condemned the government's decision last week to hike taxes on the mineral water it extracts at an aquifer on the main island Viti Levu by 5,000 percent, from 0.3 to 15 cents a litre.

"This new tax is untenable and as a consequence, Fiji Water is left with no choice but to close our facility in Fiji," he said in a statement, adding the loss of one of Fiji's main exporters would cost hundreds local jobs.

Cochran said the government action was effectively "a taking of our business".

"(It) sends a clear and unmistakable message to businesses operating in Fiji or looking to invest there -- the country is increasingly unstable, and is becoming a very risky place in which to invest," he said.

The remarks echo sentiments expressed by News Limited, the Australian arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., when the regime introduced foreign ownership restrictions earlier this year which forced it to sell the Fiji Times.

They are likely to rankle military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama, who has sought to increase foreign investment since seizing power in a 2006 coup. There was no immediate comment from the government.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101129/bs_afp/fijiusbusinessdrinkresources

Does this mean it won't be called Fiji Water anymore???

[WinkyDink]

1. Gee, the exploitation got a little more costly.

[trumad]

2. It's just tap water anyways...

[WhiteTara]

3. difference? It's from Fiji

and the water company is probably sucking the ground water dry.