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Winfrey stops in Fiji for a holiday
Source: Agencies |
December 20, 2010, Monday
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FRESH off an Australian tour with her frenzied talk-show fans, Oprah Winfrey is taking a respite in the South Pacific island nation of Fiji, where the military government wished her "a great time."
Fiji's tourism minister said Winfrey was spending the Christmas holiday there and that officials wanted to respect her privacy. Local media reported she arrived last Thursday and that she and longtime beau Stedman Graham were to stay until December 26.
"We know she is here for a holiday and respect that, and the government obviously wants Winfrey to have a great time," Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the tourism minister, said on Saturday.
Tourism on Fiji is active, though relations with other countries have been strained since a December 2006 military coup.
Australia and New Zealand imposed travel bans on Fiji leaders, and international trade sanctions have been imposed, but elections have only been pushed back.
The US State Department has warned Americans to consider the risks of travel to Fiji and to be vigilant while there. During a visit to Australia last month, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for democracy to be restored in Fiji and for political freedoms to advance.
The islands have been a frequent celebrity destination.
The country wants to maintain its image as a destination for stars who want a hidden paradise, said Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji's top tourism official and its attorney general.
"Fiji is one of those destinations where we like people to come and have their own private time, and we're here to ensure that happens," he said. "We don't want Fiji to become a playground for the paparazzi."
Fiji's tourism minister said Winfrey was spending the Christmas holiday there and that officials wanted to respect her privacy. Local media reported she arrived last Thursday and that she and longtime beau Stedman Graham were to stay until December 26.
"We know she is here for a holiday and respect that, and the government obviously wants Winfrey to have a great time," Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the tourism minister, said on Saturday.
Tourism on Fiji is active, though relations with other countries have been strained since a December 2006 military coup.
Australia and New Zealand imposed travel bans on Fiji leaders, and international trade sanctions have been imposed, but elections have only been pushed back.
The US State Department has warned Americans to consider the risks of travel to Fiji and to be vigilant while there. During a visit to Australia last month, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for democracy to be restored in Fiji and for political freedoms to advance.
The islands have been a frequent celebrity destination.
The country wants to maintain its image as a destination for stars who want a hidden paradise, said Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji's top tourism official and its attorney general.
"Fiji is one of those destinations where we like people to come and have their own private time, and we're here to ensure that happens," he said. "We don't want Fiji to become a playground for the paparazzi."
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