A Royal Gazette journalist has had his work permit threatened by a senior immigration advisor because of his reports about the "boycott Bermuda'' website.

Political reporter Raymond Hainey could now have his work permit revoked if Immigration Minister Paula Cox agrees that he took "perverse pleasure'' from the bid to keep visitors away from the Island.

The Canadian group running the Internet site is warning people to steer clear of Bermuda in the wake of the collapsed Rebecca Middleton murder trial.

Michael Vigodda launched the website after nobody was convicted of the 17-year-old Canadian's brutal rape and murder. Mr. Hainey reported that a glowing travel piece on Bermuda -- printed in the Toronto Globe and Mail on December 23 -- had "backfired'' because the website persuaded at least 45 people to fax and e-mail complaints to the newspaper.

Now Laverne Furbert, a member of the Immigration Advisory Council, has attacked Mr. Hainey following the story, printed on the front page of yesterday's Royal Gazette .

And she will recommend to Ms Cox that Mr. Hainey, a Scotsman, is stripped of his work permit.

In a letter to the editor, she said his reporting showed he had "no respect for Bermuda or Bermudians'' and a "disdain for the Progressive Labour Party''.

She added: "By his recent articles concerning the Rebecca Middleton murder, it seems to me that Hainey is taking some perverse pleasure in the fact that some unknown Canadian named Michael Vigodda has created a web page to discourage Canadians from choosing Bermuda as a holiday destination.'' Ms Furbert, an assistant at Bermuda College and also a member of the Broadcasting Commission, said Mr. Hainey knew Rebecca's murder was "not the norm for Bermuda''.

She defended the Globe and Mail for running the positive review of Bermuda as a travel destination.

Immigration advisor wants reporter's permit revoked And she asked: "Do we need to have a reporter writing for our only daily newspaper who continues to debase the Bermudian people, insult our Premier and other Government members, discourage tourists from coming to our Island, criticise positive travel features in international newspapers about Bermuda and take the word of an unknown Canadian like Michael Vigodda to be gospel truth? I personally will be writing a letter to the Minister of Immigration and will send a copy to Mr. Hainey and this newspaper asking that Mr. Hainey's work permit be not only reviewed but revoked.'' Ms Cox was off the Island and unavailable for comment last night.

But Lois Browne-Evans, Acting Immigration Minister, said: "I will wait until the letter is printed before commenting.

"I definitely wouldn't comment on the sentiments until then.'' Former Immigration Minister Maxwell Burgess, Opposition Leader in the Senate, also said he would wait to read the letter before commenting.

But Royal Gazette Editor William Zuill said he stood by Mr. Hainey, and was "concerned'' by Ms Furbert's threat to his work permit "simply because she disagrees with our reporting''.

He added: "One of the functions of a free press is to allow for a full debate on the issues confronting a democracy and that's why I welcome Ms Furbert's comments and will be publishing them in full.

"But you can't have freedom of speech for your own views on the one hand and then threaten somebody else's freedom of speech on the other.'' Mr. Zuill said threats to a reporter's work permit because of "critical or perceived as negative'' news stories could have a "chilling effect'' on press freedom.

"That sets a dangerous precedent for Bermuda and, in the long run, would do tremendous damage to our status as a democracy,'' he added.

"I don't think Mr. Hainey or The Royal Gazette take any pleasure in the boycott web page.

"Indeed, we have written editorials saying we are opposed to the boycott and I don't think anybody in Bermuda welcomes the idea that Canadian visitors are being urged not to come to the Island.

"But Ms Furbert seems to think that if we ignore it and don't report on it, it will go away. I think our job is to inform the public of any threats to the well-being of the community.'' IMMIGRATION IMM NEWSPAPER NJ