Hari Punja, OF, OBE (born 1936) is an Indo-Fijian businessman and Chairman of Hari Punja Group of Companies. Hari Punja and Sons Limited is a very diversified (and probably the largest) company in Fiji. [1]
Hari Punja was born in
Fiji and received his education in Fiji and Australia. He trained as a chemical engineer. Punja joined the business in 1960. He has served as a mayor of Lautoka [2] and on a number of prestigious boards such as Fiji Broadcasting Commission and Fiji Sugar Corporation. [2] He served as a Senator [2] from 1996 to 1999.
Following the passage of the Media Industry Development Decree 2010 by the military regime, Punja resigned from the board of Fiji Television [3] and sold his stake in radio company Communications Fiji Limited. [4]
Punja has been bestowed with many credentials and honors. Some of these include:
Telecommunications in Fiji include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,100 nautical miles north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres (7,100 sq mi). The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population of 924,610 live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts, either in the capital city of Suva, or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi or Lautoka. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain.
Suva is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Division.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
Fiji Airways is the flag carrier of Fiji. It operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 27 destinations. It has an extended network of 108 international destinations through its codeshare partners. The Fiji Airways Group brings in 64 percent of all visitors who fly to Fiji, employs over 1,000 employees, and earns revenues of over FJD$815 million (US$390m).
Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst party, which he founded in 2014, he began his career as an officer in the Fijian navy and commander of the Fijian military. Despite being suspended from Parliament, he served as the opposition leader from 24 December 2022 until 8 March 2023, when he resigned and was replaced by Inia Seruiratu.
The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the governments of 12 Pacific island countries: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The Fiji Times is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869 by George Littleton Griffiths, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating.
Jioji Kotobalavu is a former Fijian civil servant who served as chief executive in the Prime Minister's office under five Prime Ministers. He now works as a lecturer at the University of Fiji.
Fiji Television Limited is one of Fiji's main television network. It was founded on 15 June 1994 as the first permanent commercial television broadcasting network in the country, although television had previously been introduced temporarily in October 1991 to broadcast the Rugby World Cup as well as Cricket World Cup. This was reviewed and reissued in 2000 for a term of 12 years. Fiji TV was listed as a public company in 1996 on the Suva Stock Exchange, now known as the South Pacific Stock Exchange.
Fiji Sun is a daily newspaper published in Fiji since September 1999 and owned by Sun News Limited. Fiji Sun was founded by and is part of CJ Patel Group.
The monarchy of Fiji arose in the 19th century, when native ruler Seru Epenisa Cakobau consolidated control of the Fijian Islands in 1871 and declared himself king, or paramount chief, of Fiji. Three years later, he voluntarily ceded sovereignty of the islands to Britain, making Fiji a crown colony within the British Empire.
The Order of Fiji is the highest honour of the Fijian honours system. Established 1 March 1995, the order is presented for achievement and merit to Fiji and mankind as a whole. The order is divided into a general division and military division, and is presented in three classes, with an associated medal.
General elections were held in Fiji on 17 September 2014 to select the 50 members of Parliament. The FijiFirst party, led by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, won a landslide victory, winning 32 of the 50 seats. The Social Democratic Liberal Party and the National Federation Party were the only other two parties to cross the 5% electoral threshold and win seats.
Satendra Nandan is an Indo-Fijian academic, writer, and former politician. He is one of Fiji's leading writers.
The Fiji Warriors, also referred to as Fiji A, is a national representative rugby team of rugby union in Fiji. It is the second-tier side to the Fiji national team. The Warriors team is selected from players in the Fijian domestic competitions and competes in the World Rugby Pacific Challenge against Samoa A and Tonga A. Since 2016, the Fiji Warriors team has played in the Americas Pacific Challenge against national A teams from North and South America.
In April 2009, Fiji underwent a constitutional crisis when the Court of Appeal ruled that the 2006 Fijian coup d'état had been illegal. The Court dismissed the Interim Cabinet led by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama that had governed Fiji since the coup. However, President Josefa Iloilo announced on a nationwide radio broadcast that he was abrogating the Constitution. He dismissed all judges and constitutional appointees, and reinstated Bainimarama and his cabinet. He also instituted emergency rule which increased police powers and allowed media censorship.
Peter Thomson is a Fijian diplomat and the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, and President of the United Nations General Assembly from September 2016 until September 2017. He served as Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations February 2010 to August 2017, with concurrent duties as Fiji's Ambassador to Cuba.
Biman Prasad is a Fijian politician and economist who has served as the leader of the National Federation Party since 2014, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance since 2022.
Paradise Beverages (Fiji) Limited is a Fijian alcoholic beverage producer based in Suva. It is a publicly listed company on the South Pacific Stock Exchange.
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