US 'invasion' sparks panic

2002-11-04 10:23

Wellington - A spoof story claiming the United States was planning to invade the tiny Pacific state of Kiribati sparked panic and prompted the government there to air public reassurances the country would not be overrun by US forces.

The US Embassy in Wellington said Monday it was unfortunate the story on a New Zealand satirical Web site Spinner was taken as accurate.

The New Zealand-based Web site also attacked Kiribati President Teburoro Tito, who is currently campaigning ahead of a November 29 general election.

Reportedly upset by the article, Tito had his office issue a series of public broadcasts assuring the population that the planned "invasion" story was not true.

The office said the story was a "misleading, fearful, intimidating and defamatory" attempt to "cause a lot of problems before the general elections."

The story, headlined "Bush to invade Kiribati islands," read in part: "George W. Bush today announced a realignment of US foreign policy. The goal of ousting Iraq's Saddam Hussein has now been replaced by the goal of regime change in the Kiribati islands as the new top priority."

The article said Bush believed Tito "is in the process of developing weapons of mass destruction. And some pretty damn fine crab soup" and had dispatched the navy to Kiribati.

The story reportedly caused widespread concern over the weekend in the Pacific state which straddles the Equator and the International Dateline.

Formerly a British colony known as the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati is a chain of 33 coral atolls that gained full independence in 1979. It has a population of just under 100 000.

New Zealand High Commissioner to Kiribati Neil Robertson had been questioned by Tito about the item.

"The Kiribati sense of humor does not encompass satire," Robertson said. - Sapa-AP

- SAPA