Neil Prakash citizenship dispute changes focus of PM’s Fiji trip

Disagreement over the citizenship of Islamic State recruiter Neil Prakash ahead of Scott Morrison’s trip to Fiji is ‘untidy’.

Former Islamic State recruiter Neil Prakash.

Disagreement between Australia and Fiji over the citizenship of ­Islamic State recruiter Neil ­Prakash ahead of Scott Morrison’s trip to the country next week is “untidy” and “surprising”, a former Australia high commissioner to Suva said.

While Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has moved to strip Prakash of Australian citizenship, insisting he is a Fijian citizen, Fiji has contested this.

“He is an Australian citizen and not a Fijian,” Fiji’s Defence and National Security Minister, Inia Seruiratu, said yesterday.

Australian citizenship can be stripped only if the person is also a foreign citizen, and Mr Dutton said the government-appointed citizenship loss board in his department relied on “clear” legal advice.

“The fact of this particular matter is that Mr Prakash is, by operation of law, a citizen of Fiji,” he said last week.

James Batley, former high commissioner to Fiji and a former deputy secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said while it was not clear what was going on behind the scenes, the dispute complicated the Prime Minister’s Pacific trip.

“It seems a bit surprising that after the Australian government had made its decision that Fiji came out and said sorry we don’t consider him to be one of our citizens,” Mr Batley said.

“Obviously, I’m not aware of the discussions between the two governments. One would have thought that would have been worked out between the two governments in advance. Tension is probably too strong a word but it’s certainly untidy in the lead-up to what’s a really important visit.”

Fiji’s immigration director, Nemani Vuniwaqa, has said there is no evidence of Prakash or his parents ever being Fijian citizens, and he also disputed the Australian government’s claim that he was informed in advance.

Mr Dutton said Fiji was notified of the case “before it was made public”, but Mr Vuniwaqa has denied he or his office had spoken about the issue with Mr Dutton or other Australian officials.

Labor’s immigration spokesman, Shayne Neumann, attacked the government over the issue and said Mr Vuniwaqa’s comments showed that Mr Dutton had not properly consulted the Fijian ­government.

Mr Neumann said if Prakash was not a Fijian citizen, the government could not strip him of his citizenship and the move spoiled Mr Morrison’s trip.

Government sources have played down the dispute having any impact on the bilateral visit and said they did not believe there would be a scenario where Prakash was sent to Fiji. Prakash was born in Melbourne to a Cambodian mother and Fijian father. He is in Turkey awaiting trial on multiple terror charges.

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Mr Morrison will visit Fiji from January 17 to 20.