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PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS

More on Solomon Islands Situation

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

2/16/96

SOURCE AND OVERVIEW

Following is additional information from Radio Australia

concerning recent Solomon Islands civil disorder. Earlier we had

suggested not that logging was directly responsible for the riots,

but that the environment of corruption and grave dissatisfaction

over unfulfilled development promises contributes to an

environment conducive to civil unrest. Failure to stem the

forestry onslaught as well as to capture and keep more benefits

from forest resources in the Solomon Islands will likely mean a

repeat of the boom and bust resource extraction, followed by civil

strive, found in so many developing (and developed) countries.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Solomon Islands Riot

Transcripts

Radio Australia

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

January 28 to January 30, 1996

Words: 500

January 28, 1996

Riot police are patrolling the streets of Honiara to prevent an

outbreak of violence between people from rival provinces in

Solomon Islands. The trouble began yesterday when about 4,000

people clashed with slings, stones and arrows near the main market

in Honiara. The dispute was between people of Temotu Province and

Malaita Province. The riot squad was called and managed to calm

the crowd down. A Radio Australia correspondent in Honiara says

the police action managed to quell what could have turned into a

violent confrontation. Our correspondent says police are still

patrolling the streets of Honiara to prevent further trouble

developing.

January 29, 1996

Police and members of the field force in Solomon Islands are

continuing to patrol the capital Honiara after clashes at the

weekend involving several thousand people. Solomon Islands

Broadcasting Corporation says a brawl in a nightclub led to

clashes between people from Malaita Island and Temotu Province in

the capital's main market on Saturday. There were no reports of

major injuries in the fighting and stone-throwing which forced a

number of vendors to abandon their stalls. Police have made about

40 arrests and are continuing their investigations to identify the

leader of the opposing groups. The police commander in Honiara,

Wilfred Akao, has appealed for calm.

January 30, 1996

Much of the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, was closed down

today with police guarding key points several days after clashes

between men from the nearby island of Malaita and outer island

province of Temotu. Radio Australia's correspondent in Honiara

says primary and secondary schools and the main market have been

closed until the situation improves. Most shops and food bars were

also closed and police are patrolling to prevent looting.

Solomons Government ministers and representatives of the Malaita

and Temotu people have appealed for national calm. Our

correspondent says they have held a meeting in Honiara and agreed

to settle differences through both sides paying compensation.

A government statement says Solomon Islands must show the world

that it is a Christian country and that any differences among its

people can be resolved peacefully. The disturbances broke out

between Temotu and Malaita men in a nightclub on Friday night and

continued in various parts of Honiara during the weekend

and again yesterday. Radio Solomons says that so far about 20

people have been arrested.

January 30, 1996

The Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, is now back to normal after

a peace-making ceremony to mark the end of three days of violence

between rival groups from nearby Malaita Island and the distant

reef islands in Temotu Province. At a special ceremony in Honiara,

Government ministers from the two provinces exchanged equal

amounts of compensation, totalling some $4,000, to signify peace

between the two groups. The ceremony was witnessed by Chief

Justice Sir John Nuria and national and provincial leaders.

Police say that the initial clash last Friday night was exploited

by criminal elements and unemployed youths resulting in clashes in

the main market over the weekend and on Monday, forcing the

closure of schools and most shops in the capital.

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