Solomon Islands riot

[taisiawshan]

I'm in Solomon Islands right now.
You can read what happened here on website, especially in Australia press. I'm not going to talk much about that. I'm going to share what I experienced, BUT PLEASE, if you are going to qoute or use my imformation anywhere officially, please ask for my permission first.
What I really see is this:

Beside where I live is a office lots owned by a chinese. Starting from 8pm or 9pm I think(I'm not very sure), they started crowding around & throwed rocks and broke whatever they can. Then, they looted whatever they can, mostly spare parts because the biggest shop there sold that. We kept calling the police but it's either no one answered or they said they were busy. Later, I think around after 2 hours, someone managed to call a white police. They came and shooed away the crowds and left. Then, the owner of the office lot hired around 10 localists to protect the place. Something very crucial I didn't mention, just under the lot is a petrol station.
After the crowd left, we went outside, I mean just out of the front door, still in our house compound, we have fence around our house. We saw one part of the sky red. They said it was the china town.
I think not more than 1 hour later, the crowd came back. This time, the bodyguard hired by the chinese owner fight with those trying to go inside the building. They managed to protect the building. But, the crowd stayed.

Not very long after that, we saw something another side of our house.
They broke into a very big wharehouse owned by a chinese next to us, not more than 100 meters away. This wharehouse is very big.
They broke into it around midnight, looted all the goods there, which took them 5 hours to do that with lorries, vans & mostly bare foot people. After they took everything, they burned it. The fire was huge. We can see it very clearly from our kitchen window. We can even feel the heat. It burned for a few hours.

It's not safe for us to stay at home of course, but it's even more dangerous to go outside and expose ourself. We tried to stay and hope they'll stop and they won't come in because we are not shops or factory with goods.
But then, we left in the morning. Our local employee came in the morning. They drove us to a chinese residential area. Our house is located in factory area.
There, we contacted other chinese, and one of them have 2 ferries that can carry 300 persons altogether. So, our local employees drove us to the port, a private one, and we got on board. We stopped outside the land, and fetched more chinese coming from everywhere.
It was around 3pm when we got on board. We left rouond 12am, just to sail away from the land. Then, we turned back in the morning. We knew the RAMSI(Australian's soldiers) arrived around 6pm. And the land was under fewcur.
In the morning, at 9am, we landed with a few police on the land, and many cars with local employees of our own to fetch us.
We came back to our house. It's dangerous the night before because it's the place they were targeting. But, now, it's safer, because it's the place the RAMSI protecting. The one living in residential area moved into our house.

Forget to mention something. When we were on baord, the landmark of Honiara,(that's what I think) was burned down. It's a casino, chinese restaurant, a hotel, all in a compound. It's located beside the sea, that's why we could see it.

If you want to see more pictures taken, you can search the webside of "The Age", if I'm not mistaken.

I'm going to stop now.
We are not safe yet. We packed everything, ready to go anytime.

[Ralph]

Good luck. Be safe!

[DavidRoss]

This sounds like a terrible situation. I knew nothing about it, but found this site offering background information about what seems to have triggered the riots. Hope you and your family stay safe. Our prayers are with you.

[Corlyss_D]

Wow! When Shan pm'ed me that he was going to have to get off the board until the situation was safer, I had no idea what he was talking about. Stay safe, Shan. Report in when you can to let us know how you are doing!

Solomons urged to curb corruption

April 22, 2006 - 11:34AM

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has urged Solomon Islands Prime Minister Snyder Rini to address corruption, during a hurried tour of the violence-stricken capital Honiara today.

Downer said it was important the country's politicians show "they themselves are free of corruption".

"There is no doubt that corruption has been a major problem in this country over a long period of time," Downer told reporters.

"I had quite a long discussion with the prime minister about that issue."

But Downer's statement puts him at odds with Prime Minister Rini, who has demanded people claiming corruption present evidence.

"I'm not saying he (Downer) is wrong, but I say there should be evidence before we can say ... there is corruption," the prime minister said.

"I'm not saying that there is no corruption, I'm saying if there's corruption follow procedure, take all the evidence (to the police)."

The comments on corruption came as the newly-formed Solomon Islands government suffered a major setback, with one of its cabinet ministers switching to the opposition.

Rini yesterday announced Patrick Vahoe as his new Home Affairs Minister, unaware he had joined the opposition ranks.

Sixteen members of Rini's 21-member cabinet were sworn in at a low-key ceremony at Government House, in the mountains overlooking Honiara, this morning.

The prime minister remained confident of having the numbers in parliament to defeat a no-confidence motion by the opposition coalition, which is due to be debated on Wednesday.

"I'm still confident, I'm still confident, I'm still confident, and take my word, the number will increase by Monday," Rini said.

"I will not let you (know) how I will make it increase, but I will make it increase on Monday."

Authorities are preparing for a potential fresh outbreak of violence when parliament resumes for the first time since Snyder Rini's election on Monday.

Royal Solomon Islands Police Commissioner Shane Castles said there would be tight security at Parliament House, and public would be excluded.

"We will lock Parliament House down and people will not be within stone throwing distance of it," he said.

The commissioner said there had been "threats to almost every building in Honiara and some of its infrastructure".

Authorities were also investigating suggestions that at least some of the violence earlier this week may have been politically engineered.

Police were also interviewing a man who allegedly threatened a recently-elected member of the country's new parliament, he said.

He would not give further details, however Prime Minister Rini yesterday claimed one of his government MPs had been threatened in an attempt to make them switch to the opposition camp.

Meanwhile, Downer described the need for the economic reform as a "matter of life or death for the Solomon Islands as a country".

"In the end, the destiny of this country rests with the people of this country," he said.

"Foreigners can come in and help, we can send in the army and the police to generate a high degree of stability ... but in the end the destiny of the country is in the hands of the people of the Solomon Islands.

"They must take full responsibility for their own country and they need to understand that, and that's a message that we delivered to them loud and clearly." http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/solomo ... 13587.html

Aussies to lock down Solomons capital

23apr06

AUSTRALIAN soldiers and police will "lock down" the Solomon Islands Parliament tomorrow to prevent a repeat of this week's bloody riots which destroyed large parts of the capital Honiara.

Tensions are high, with Parliament due to sit tomorrow – the first time since the election of controversial Prime Minister Snyder Rini this week.

Mr Rini's victory sparked riots and looting, which left the city's Chinatown in ruins and almost 30 police officers, including many Australians, injured.

Other Chinese-owned buildings were also razed in two days of violence and dozens of car were burnt.

Mr Rini is expected to face a no-confidence motion on Wednesday and Royal Solomon Islands Police Commissioner Shane Castles, an Australian, said authorities would take no chances.

"We will lock Parliament House down and people will not be within stone-throwing distance of it," he said yesterday.

The preparations came as Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer made a lightning visit to Honiara to inspect the devastation.

He said he raised the issue of corruption with Mr Rini, who is accused of buying votes with money from Chinese businesses and Taiwan.

"I made it clear corruption is something we've been concerned about for a long time," Mr Downer said. "There is no doubt that corruption has been a major problem in this country over a long period of time and I had quite a long discussion with the Prime Minister about that issue."

Mr Downer said Australia would consider accepting ethnic Chinese refugees left homeless by the riots.

He also said Australia would have to keep pouring tens of millions of dollars of aid into the strife-torn Pacific nation for "years and years and years".

Meanwhile, Mr Castles said police had arrested the man who threw the first stone that sparked the riots.

A night curfew will continue indefinitely. http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/prin ... 79,00.html

Solomon Islands urged to safeguard Chinese nationals
(AP)
Updated: 2006-04-21 10:27

China on Thursday demanded that the Solomon Islands' government protect Chinese citizens and their property amid violence following the election of a new prime minister in the South Pacific nation.

Rioters and looters this week laid waste to most of the capital Honiara's Chinatown _ its retail district.

Shop owners in Chinatown have been evacuated and families left their homes earlier this week to avoid looters, according to media reports. Some minor injuries were reported.

"We require the Solomon Islands' government to take effective measures immediately to concretely protect the property and personal safety of local Chinese," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular briefing in Beijing.

Qin said communications with the Solomon Islands over the situation have taken place through "relevant channels." He did not elaborate.

The riots began outside Parliament House after the April 5 parliamentary elections, but swiftly moved to Chinatown.

Qin said China has made an "urgent request" to the governments of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea to provide assistance to Chinese citizens.

Beijing has also asked the Red Cross Society to provide daily necessities, he said.

Chinese citizens have also been warned against traveling to the Solomon Islands until the current situation is resolved, Qin said. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006 ... 573392.htm

[david johnson]

take care & stay safe. if you have to come to arkansas, i'll put you up for a night.

dj

[taisiawshan]

Hey, thanks everyone.

I'm a "she", not a " he", you know?

Nothing happens since the Australian troop moved in.
But nobody says it's safe right now because Rini is still the new PM.

See you guys.

[Corlyss_D]

Hey, thanks everyone.

I'm a "she", not a " he", you know?

Nothing happens since the Australian troop moved in.
But nobody says it's safe right now because Rini is still the new PM.

See you guys.

I apologize for changing your sex without your permission. Even more reason to worry about you. Stay safe. Check back often to let us know how you are. I'll put out the prayer flags for you.

[Ralph]

Solomons' new prime minister resigns
4/25/2006, 8:00 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) — The new Solomon Islands prime minister whose election last week sparked two days of rioting and looting in the archipelago's capital resigned on Wednesday after losing support in Parliament.

Snyder Rini announced his resignation just before lawmakers in the South Pacific nation were due to vote on a motion of no confidence in the prime minister. He told members of parliament he was quitting "so all MPs can come together so this country can go forward."

The lawmakers now will have to vote in a secret ballot for Rini's replacement. There was no date immediately set for a vote.

On Monday, members of the public were banned from the parliament building in an attempt to head off a repeat of the rioting sparked by rumors that either China or Taiwan had paid lawmakers to elect Rini, who served in a previous administration accused of corruption.

Beijing and Taipei vehemently deny having any influence on Rini's election, but a widespread belief among many locals that both governments may have meddled has prompted a general anti-Asian backlash.

The Solomon Islands, an impoverished archipelago of nearly a half million people located about 1,900 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia, are caught in a competition for diplomatic influence between China and Taiwan, which split in 1949.

The archipelago is one of Taiwan's 25 diplomatic allies, but China has been trying to lure it to its side.

Arsonists, looters and rioters largely targeting ethnic Chinese last week inflicted tens of millions of dollars in damage on the capital's Chinatown district.

Since the rioting, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji have boosted police and troop numbers in the capital, Honiara, to more than 1,050 to restore law and order to the shaken archipelago.

Foreign security forces have been in the islands since 2003 to help end violence between rival islanders.

[taisiawshan]

Yap, Rini has resigned.
I knew that this morning when I heard people shouting happily, on lorries to do the "parade". They always do that.

Hmm... let's hope that Rini's supporters are not as aggressive or as violent as Tausinga's.
Or should I say, hope that Rini is not as unethical as Tausinga.

We'll see.

[taisiawshan]

The new PM is selected.
He's neither Rini(the one resigned) nor his oponent Tausinga.
However, the people seems to be happy.
So, I guess the tension should be over.
Good, now everything back to normal.

[Ralph]

The new PM is selected.
He's neither Rini(the one resigned) nor his oponent Tausinga.
However, the people seems to be happy.
So, I guess the tension should be over.
Good, now everything back to normal.

*****

Hope it stays that way.

[taisiawshan]

Thanks, you guys.
Much appreciated for your concern.