HONIARA, Solomon Islands (20 Apr 2006) -- The devastation in Honiara makes the 2000 Solomon Islands uprisings look like a drunken party, an Australian expatriate said. The Australian, whose first name is Paul, said the destruction rioters had caused in the nation's capital over the past couple of days was "beyond anything anyone could possibly imagine". "The activities that went on in early June 2000 when the place sort of fell over, there was a lot of looting and extortion and destruction then," he told Channel 9 from Honiara. "But, by comparison, that was like a drunken party compared to this one." After a request from the Solomons government, Australia has deployed 110 troops from their base in Townsville to the strife-torn region, to join the 282 Australian Federal Police already there. Seventy extra AFP officers will also be sent to the Solomons after 29 of their officers were injured - including two who had to undergo surgery - in the riots yesterday. Paul said the situation was fairly calm this morning "obviously in reaction to the reinforcements that arrived last night and yesterday afternoon". "But it doesn't change the scenery," he said. "(There are) very, very ugly scenes this morning, total devastation of so much of the town, it's unbelievable." He said the Australian troops' arrival would probably be effective, but was too little, too late. | | The Solomon Islands were hit by the worst unrest in the capital since Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific governments intervened in 2003 to end years of bloody ethnic gang conflict. "The mob rule, the feeding shark, however you like to describe it, have totally just trashed the place," he said. "There is hundreds of millions of dollars this time, under the nose of 300-odd Australian police and military." Paul said he had no immediate concerns for his safety, or the safety of other Australians, because rioters were targeting the Asian community and had not expressed any anti-Australian sentiments. Protesters had accused Chinese businessmen of bribing members of the government and backing the election of new Prime Minister, Snyder Rini. It was the worst unrest in the capital since Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific governments intervened in 2003 to end years of bloody ethnic gang conflict. SOURCE - IBA |
