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AUSTRALIA: A STEADFAST PARTNER AND FRIEND TO SOLOMON ISLANDS

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BY DR LACHLAN STRAHN, AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER TO SOLOMON ISLANDS Australia and Solomon Islands enjoy a close bond – indeed, we are Pacific family. The Blue Pacific is our shared home, our common region. The Coral Sea links us forever and continental drift is in fact pushing us closer together. But our deep friendship is based on much more than shared geography. We are bound together by our common values as democratic countries committed to peace, a rich spiritual life and a shared determination to give every individual, man, woman, girl and boy, the opportunity to reach their full potential. Family stick together, through the good times and the tough times. Australia partnered with Solomon Islands during some of the country’s darkest moments, including through RAMSI to help restore stability and law and order. And Solomon Islands has been there for Australia, with people across the country reaching into their hearts to raise funds for the communities ravaged by devastating bushfir
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CALLS FOR PRIME MINISTER TO STEP DOWN

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BY GEORGINA KEKEA Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is being called on to step down in order to bring back peace into Honiara. Today along the streets of Honiara’s CBD, security personnel manning the shops are also reiterating the call of the protesters for the Prime Minister to step down. “We all want peace and right now we cannot have it as the government has not listened to the people at all. All they want is for the Prime Minister to step down or the government leaders to listen to their calls”. But in a nationwide address this evening, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says he will not step down through this process. "I am elected as the Prime Minister of our beloved  country by 35 Members of Parliament who represent their people.   The call for me to step down is premised on the hunger for power  by certain politicians who do not have any respect for the  principles of democracy and due process. In 2006 a precedent was  set when the Prime Minister back then was asked to resign
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UNAPPROVED ENTRY OF 4 CITIZENS TO SOLOMON ISLANDS ON 20 AUGUST

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QUESTIONS have been posed to the Press Office of the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet late Friday 20 August 2021] alleging that a passenger flight arrived the previous day [Thursday 19 August 2021] and asked why the government went back on its words to allow the passenger flight. There was no approved incoming passenger flight to the country on Thursday as alleged. The government approved a chartered repatriation flight that arrived on Friday morning, 20 th August 2021], from Papua New Guinea to repatriate 63 Indonesian nationals from Solomon Islands to Indonesia via Port Moresby. Unfortunately, 4 Solomon Island citizens being the dependents of the late Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, who had been stranded in Port Moresby and were not able to travel on the charter flight that repatriated the late High Commissioner due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, decided on their own accord and against government advise to board the Friday morning flight. A total of 5
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Retired Australians raise funds for WW2 bomb explosion victims

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BY GEORGINA KEKEA More than AUD$21,000 was raised for the victims of the recent world war two bomb explosion in Honiara by retired Australians.   At the annual Australian Grey Nomads camp held from 7 - 15 May in Australia, the participants rallied together to raise funds after hearing news of the tragedy.   Former pastors and missionaries who had worked in Solomon Islands were part of the camp for retirees who rallied together to raise funds for the victims and their families.   As reported by the Adventist Record Pastor Ray Eaton who was in attendance said the whole camp got behind the project.   “It was very enthusiastically supported”, Eaton said. Retired adults, known as Grey Nomads participating in an event  at the camp (Photo by Adventist Record) The Grey Nomads camp brought together more than 470 retirees from all over the country except Western Australia to Stuarts Point Convention Centre (NSW) where their program was held.   Pastor Eaton said the money raised at the Grey Noma
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VANUATU BIGGEST IMPORTER OF CANNED TUNA FROM SOLOMON ISLANDS

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BY GEORGINA KEKEA VANUATU is the biggest importer of canned tuna from Solomon Islands. National Fisheries Development (NFD) Limited Managing Director, Frank Wickham shared this information in a recent radio talkback show to mark World Tuna Day. Wickham says the biggest export destination for SolTuna’s canned tuna is Vanuatu. “Followed by Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the market is now open in New Zealand. There is a big move now to promote and market in New Zealand and Australia. We have containers going to Kiribati, Tuvalu with a few to Tonga and Marshall Islands. The biggest of them all is Vanuatu”, Wickham said. He says domestically the consumption of tuna is growing annually making Solomon  Islands one of the biggest canned tuna consumption per capita in the world. “Two years ago it was like more than 800,000 cartons a year. which means for every woman, man and child in the country, they consume one carton a year. So if you look at 48 tin cans in one carton, it is almost one can a wee
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PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES MUST NOT THROW STONES: PM

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BY GEORGINA KEKEA “People in glass houses must not throw stones,” Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told parliament. Sogavare’s comments were made in response to criticisms made by Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) on the Constituency Development Funds (CDF). TSI recently in a statement said they are concerned to see the increase of the CDF to $6.8 million. TSI says this is the second highest CDF allocation for the constituencies through their Members of Parliament (MPs).  “To allocate this amount of money for the Constituencies at a time when the country is going through an economic and health crisis is very irresponsible of the MPs, regardless of which side of the house they are in”, TSI said. TSI said to allocate such an amount to go through this ‘failed and very corrupt scheme’ at a time when the country needs to address the health crisis by way of doing something about the delipidated state of health and medical infrastructures is beyond understanding, common sense and is not a si
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SOLOMONS GOLD AND RURAL COCOA FARMERS RECEIVE SUPPORT

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THE Australian Government initiative, Strongim Bisnis, through a partnership with C-Corp Limited has been trialling a new drying technology in Solomon Islands. This project also aimed to improve the access to market for cocoa wet bean sellers. This support included efforts to improve the quality and quantity of cocoa produced by farmers, and increase farmers’ supply to the export market. C-Corp is a Solomon Islands cocoa export company that aggregates cocoa for sale to overseas markets and sells cocoa beans to its subsidiary, Solomons Gold. Solomons Gold is a company that makes award-winning, boutique 'bean-to-bar' chocolate using 100 percent Solomon Islands cocoa. Solomons Gold chocolate is sold internationally in countries such as New Zealand and Australia. Australian High Commission, First Secretary Economics, Cailin Lucas, said “The Australian Government is partnering with the Solomon Islands Government to support farmers to increase resilience against the current economi
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