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AHNRA brings important training to its communities

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

The establishment of Apunepara Haamwora Natural Resource Association (AHNRA) has created opportunities for communities along Maramasike passage in Small Malaita, Malaita province, to engage in conservation related programs.

AHNRA is one of the leading conservation groups in the southern region of Malaita and has been supporting tribal groups and communities in Maramasike passage on a conservation initiative.

Their partnership with the national government, local and international partners has encouraged programs aimed to boost communities in terms of conservation and other related programs.

According to AHNRA, a recent 3-day training was held for women from communities under Apunepara conservation association.

The training was conducted by the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) in collaboration with the Solomon Islands Small Business Enterprise.

It was funded by the Commonwealth of Learning and a number of women from Sawarokau and We’a communities attended and benefited from the training.

AHNRA said the training focussed on the integration of business and gender, which will help the women go into business and have broader understanding of gender.

It added that the training also introduced basic book keeping, an important tool that will assist women when going into business.

The training has boosted the capacity of women in terms of knowing how to manage funds, spend and do record keeping.

As noted, women also learned more about gender and responsibilities which means knowing more in regards to managing a family.

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AHNRA continues to inspire tribal groups into conservation

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

The Apunepara Haamwora Natural Resource Association (AHNRA) in Small Malaita, Malaita province has continued to inspire tribal groups in Maramasike passage on conservation initiative.

AHNRA is a leading community conservation group in Small Malaita region – joined by other renowned conservation groups like; Wai-Hau, Taka-Taka and Ahetaha from West and East Are’Are regions.

As part of AHNRA’s efforts to promote conservation and sustainable management of resources, a one-day meeting was recently convened for tribal groups within Maramasike passage.

A statement from AHNRA said the meeting was basically for tribal groups to sign an agreement with neighbouring tribes on their proposed conservation areas.

The two conservation groups that took part in the agreement signing were; Pautaimwane and Suluoaoa tribes.

Three other new tribes AHNRA has helped were also part of the ceremony.   

Within the past years; conservation has been observed with an increasing trend in South, West and East Are’Are region – the southern region of Malaita province.

Also known as a region for logging activities, there are currently a number of active logging operations in the region with some pending.

Despite this, conservation is making a mark and people are showing more interest for conservation in the region.

The AHNRA and Mai-Maasina Green Belt are the two champions of the conservation initiative in the southern region.

Their effort, leadership and determination has created new era for people in the region to understand the importance of conservation.

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FFA cornerstone of regional fisheries governance

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The ocean is the greatest resource of the region and tuna stocks as the backbone of Pacific Island societies and economies.

“That is why the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency remains central to sustaining that legacy,” said Forum Fisheries Agency Director General Mr Noan Pakop.

He said established in 1979, FFA was born of visionary leadership.

“Our founding members foresaw and recognised the transformative legal moment that would be created by the UNCLOS, specifically, the recognition of sovereign rights over 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zones,” he said.

“Since then, the FFA has served as the cornerstone of regional fisheries governance, amplifying the collective voice of its 17 Members in global negotiations such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and ensuring that the benefits of our shared ocean resources are secured for our people,” said Mr Pakop.

He said recent successes demonstrate that Island States can achieve greatness when they come together.

He said that in 2021, the Western and Central Pacific Ocean was the only region in the world where all four key tuna stocks, skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore were assessed as healthy and sustainably managed.

“In comparison to about 5 other regions in the world. Since 2020, our waters have contributed over 55 per cent of the global tuna supply, reinforcing our role in both regional and global food security.

“Annually, FFA Members earn approximately USD 500 million in access fees and over USD 1 billion in tuna export revenues, which directly support national budgets, health systems, education and livelihoods across the region,” he said.

“In fact, 1.4 million MT in our members’ waters. Valued at – 2.7 billion USD. Employment – 28,000 jobs,” he said.

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Strong wind warning

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

A strong wind warning is current for waters of Rennell & Bellona, Makira, Temotu, Guadalcanal, Malaita and Central provinces.

The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service (SIMS) said the situation: a general southeast trade wind flow persists over the Solomon Islands.

SIMS said there is an expected southeast wind of 20 to 25 knots over waters of Rennell/Bellona, Makira, Temotu, Guadalcanal, Malaita and Central provinces.

Additionally stated, seas will be moderate to rough with moderate swells (2.5 to 3.0 meters).

People in the above areas are advised to take precautionary measures as such strong winds have the potential to impact lives and properties.

SIMS stated that sea travellers are urged to consider safety actions, as such winds can produce dangerous wave conditions, which are hazardous to small boats.

“A strong wind warning means that winds of 20 to 25 knots, which may gust up to 33 knots, are expected to produce hazardous sea wave conditions to small crafts. The decision as to the degree of hazard will be left up to the boatman, based on his experience and size and type of boat.

“Be aware that these wave forecasts are an average. the height of some individual waves can be expected to be as much as two times greater,” said SIMS.

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OCEAN CRIME

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-IUU fishing costs Pacific economies over USD 333 million each year

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Despite major progress in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the threat continues to undermine the hard-won gains of Pacific Island states in safeguarding their tuna resources.

Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Director-General Mr Noan Pakop, addressing regional judicial leaders at the 2025 Regional Judicial Symposium in Honiara, warned that the fight is far from over.

“While these achievements are significant, they are not guaranteed,” said Mr Pakop.

“IUU undermines conservation efforts, drains vital revenue and erodes the long-term viability of our tuna stocks.”

IUU fishing is estimated to cost the Pacific over USD 333 million annually — funds Mr Pakop says are stolen from the region’s future.

“Every dollar lost to IUU fishing is a dollar taken from our children’s classrooms, our health systems, our vaccinations, our infrastructure and our communities,” he stressed.

While the Pacific has managed to reduce IUU-related losses by 50% since 2017, the Director-General made it clear that the battle is not yet won.

He called on the region’s legal custodians to play a more active role in strengthening fisheries protection.

“Strong legal frameworks, vigilant enforcement and responsive judicial systems are indispensable,” he said.

“I hope that through your rulings, your gavels become powerful deterrents against IUU fishing.”

The Regional Judicial Symposium, which concluded on Friday last week, brought together chief justices, high court judges and international fisheries law experts.

The aim is to deepen legal understanding and cooperation on fisheries management across national, regional and global levels.

Tuna fisheries is one of the Pacific’s most valuable natural resources, generating billions in economic benefits across the region.

But experts warn that continued vigilance and legal reform are crucial to preserve them for future generations.

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Challenges of being a female chief

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BY LORETTA B MANELE

There are some challenges I face a long the way as a female chief.

Rose Irene Nida, a female chief from Central Province voiced this during a recent interview with the paper at Leitongo village over the weekend during a consultation meeting for chiefs from the province.

She stressed that one challenge she experiences is people not following what she says.

Nida said at times, when this happens, she decides just to stay out of the way but at the end of the day she doesn’t let this stop her from carrying out her duties as a chief.

“But this doesn’t affect me all the time. I just continue to do my work as a chief.”

Nida mentioned that in her community, as female chiefs they are also responsible for solving issues or problems that may occur between couples and even between women.

When asked about her advice for a woman who will soon become a chief, she said as a female chief they must carry themselves with the character of a woman that is caring for her community, people and strangers.

She was one of a few female chiefs who attended the recent two-day “Sandfly Buena Vista House of Chiefs Consultation Meeting” from Sunday, June 15 to Monday 16 in Leitongo village, Central Province.

The meeting was held accommodating three Houses of Chiefs namely; Vatilau, Sandfly and Ravu Houses of Chiefs.

Chiefs in attendance at the meeting came together and on the second day of the meeting voted to form a new House of Chiefs called “Sandfly Buena Vista House of Chiefs” of which Nida is now a part of.

Prior to being a part of this new setting, Nida comes from Vatilau House of Chiefs.

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Soltuna supports Biabina youth, children festival

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BY NED GAGAHE

Soltuna Limited donated 15 cartons of tuna to support upcoming Biabina Youth and Children Festival scheduled to take place at Poro village, Isabel from July 1-7.

The weeklong event is expected to bring together well over 1000 youths within Gao/Bugotu Constituency to participate in various activities.

The cartons of tuna will supplement prizes that will be presented during the competitions and will also be used for consumption.

During a brief handover yesterday at Soltuna, Marketing Manager Mr Kenwood Harry said Soltuna is happy to support the Biabina Festival.

Mr Kenwood said Soltuna Ltd as a locally owned company with NPF as a major shareholder always supports initiatives like this.

He said the company has been here for more than 40 years and helps a lot in the communities.

“As part of our corporate social responsibility we are proud to be part of nation building in terms of youth development in the country,” Mr Harry said.

He said Soltuna Ltd is very encouraged to support young people who will become leaders in the near future.

“How you choose to use the donation—whether as prizes or for consumption—is entirely up to you. What matters is that this contribution reflects our commitment to supporting our communities. Initiatives like this are vital for shaping young people to become valuable members of society in the future,” Mr. Harry said.

Coordinator of Biabina Festival Fr. Ellison Gito has acknowledged Soltuna for their kind support on behalf of the organizing committee.

He said seeing local companies supporting our young people is encouraging.

“I sincerely thank Soltuna for these cartons of tuna that will be used during the festival,”

“On behalf of the local organizing committee I would like to register our sincere acknowledgement for kind donation,” he said.

Fr Ellison Gito said he looks forward to future partnerships with Soltuna Ltd to develop youth through such festival.

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Man gets 12-and-half years prison time for rape

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

The High Court has sentenced a 37-year-old man to serve 12 years and six months in prison for rape.

The sentence was delivered last month by Deputy Chief Justice Rex Faukona.

In delivering the sentence, High Court-imposed 12 and a half years’ imprisonment for each count, and ordered that the sentences run concurrently, this means that defendant will only serve 12 and a half years in prison for the three counts of rape.

Court also ordered that any pre-sentence custody to be deducted from the 12-and half year’s term.

The sentence aims to deter the defendant from reoffending and for other like-minded individuals from considering to commit the crime.

The defendant’s apparent lack of remorse and disregard for others is the kind of behavior the community strongly condemns.

The defendant who cannot be named because of the vulnerable victim was charged with three counts of rape contrary to section 136 F (1) and (b) of the Penal Code as amended by the Penal Code (Amendment) (Sexual Offences) Act 2016.

When the charges were read to the defendant, he entered a plea of guilty to all the charges.

The facts of the case said at the time of the offences, the defendant was residing at Central Island Province. He was 37-year-old at the time of his first offence and 38 years old during the second and third offence.

The complainant was 10 years old during the first incident and 11 years old at the time of the second and third offence.

The defendant is the victim’s uncle. He is married to her aunt, who is a sister of the victim’s father.

The first offence was committed on an unknown date between January 1 and December 31, 2022, inside the victim’s house.

The second incident occurred on October 28, 2023.

The third incident also occurred on the same date as the second incident.

The defendant was arrested and remanded in custody on January 23, 2024.

The court, relying on the authority of Sinatau, was satisfied that the starting point in this case should be eight years for all three counts, having considered that the victim was 10 and 11 years old at the time the offences were committed, which is below the age of consent of 18 years.

The aggravating factors noted is breach of trust and respect, because the defendant is the victim’s uncle. So, raping his niece, a child of 10 and 11 years of age is an absolute breach of trust and respect. It also brings shame to the family with a diminished character.

The trust vested in the defendant was violated, as he failed to recognize that he was breaching both custom and law. Additionally, the victim’s tender age is an aggravating factor, as established in the Sinatau case. The significant age difference between the defendant and the victim further increases the severity of the offence. It also appears that the defendant may have planned the sexual assault on the victim.

The repeated offending represents the most serious scenario and the defendant’s actions have brought disharmony and shame to the complainant’s family, destroying their previously good relationships. The community is likely to view them as a troubled family, caused by the actions of the defendant.

Lastly, the resulting anxieties will affect both the victim and her family. Any psychological harm or trauma she experiences cannot be questioned hence; court takes judicial notice of the real and lasting impact of these offences.

Having considered the aggravating factors and the circumstances they reflect, the court concluded that the case is serious and warranted an uplift of seven years in addition to the starting point of eight years, resulting in a total sentence of 15 years for each count.

However, the court noted and gave credit to the defendant for entering an early guilty plea at the first available and reasonable opportunity. By pleading guilty, demonstrated remorse for his actions and a willingness to accept responsibility for his conduct.

Furthermore, the guilty plea saved time and resources by avoiding a full trial and spared the complainant from having to testify, allowing her the chance to move forward with her life.

The court likewise considered the defendant’s cooperation with the police, his lack of any previous criminal record and the time he has already spent in custody as mitigating factors.

Upon considering the mitigating factors, the court decided that a reduction of two and a half years should be allowed. Therefore, the actual sentence to be served is 12½ years for each count and to be run concurrently.

Monica Rehomora act for the crown and Mr. Ron Dickey Pulekera for the defendant.

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Interim mention for Tech Hub break-in case

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

The Magistrate Court heard an interim mention of the case involving four individuals allegedly charged in connection with the break-in at the Tech Hub shop at Koloale earlier this year.

The four defendants Stephen Yim, Jared Meke, Andrew Kiriau and Jimmy Kiriau were jointly charged with one count of shop breaking and have pleaded not guilty to the charge.

There were no issues raised in court yesterday regarding the voir dire trial, which was set in the previous hearing to commence from September 8-15.

The three defendants, namely Stephen Yim, Jared Meke, and Jimmy Kiriau, challenged the record of interview on the grounds of unfairness and involuntariness, except for defendant Andrew Kiriau.

The court adjourned the matter to July 17 for next interim-mention.  

Police alleged that on January 31, 2025, the complainant was informed that someone had broken into her shop, the Tech Hub Shop situated at Koloale area.

She then went to her shop and upon entering saw a hole at the ceiling.

She also noticed that a glass counter which phones were displayed inside was broken and her lockup in which phones are stored was also broken and left open.

From there she checked all the properties inside the shop and confirmed that these following items were stolen 18 iPhone 8s worth $27,000, 65 iPhone 7s worth $65,000, 1 Samsung Galaxy S21 worth $3,800 and cash of $560.

The complainant checked the installed CCTV camera and saw footage of the thief who stole the mobile phones and cash.

Police alleged that prior to the incident, one of her employees at Tech Hub shop who is defendant Mr Jimmy Kiriau, provided information to the other four defendants about the business activity at Tech Hub shop, phone lockup storage at tech hub, cashier table, CCTV camera position inside the shop, the surroundings and security of Tech Hub shop.

The information was provided to his associates to help with their plan to break in and steal from the shop, police said.

In the early hours of January 31, 2025 between 4am and 5am, defendants Stephen Yim, Jared Meke, Andrew Kiriau and another suspect who is still at large boarded a dark tinted gray van.

They drove to Koloale area at Tech Hub shop and when they reached the junction, they dropped off the suspect who is still at large and drove back to a market stall located few meters away from Tech Hub shop.

It is alleged the market stall was owned by the security officer of Tech Hub.

The allegation said defendant Stephen Yim left the van while defendant Jared Meke and Andrew Kiriau remained inside the vehicle, and watched while Yim distracted the security officer from concentrating towards the Tech Hub shop.

Yim engaged in conversation with the security officer and started telling jokes to gain his attention.

Yim also allegedly played loud music from the vehicle to distract any noise from Tech Hub shop when the suspect who is still at large broke in through the shop roof and entered, police alleged.

After sometime the security officer heard loud banging noises coming from Tech Hub shop so, he walked towards the building to see where the noise was coming from.

He entered the main door and saw the back of the suspect, who is still at large as he was exiting Tech Hub and walking up Koloale road to the car wash area.

The security officer walked back to defendant Yim and told him what he saw, and in response Yim told the security that he would assist him chase after the suspect and so, he went inside the vehicle and drove after the suspect. But instead of chasing the suspect, Yim picked up the suspect.

It was further alleged that Yim drove back and slowly passed the security officer and asked if the security had seen the suspect. The officer replied saying he did not and defendant Yim drove off.

On February 3, 2025, officers from Central Response Unit and Central Police Criminal Investigations Department located defendant Yim, Meke and Andrew Kiriau at Namuruka, White River. Police said they all had in their possession the iPhones and were arrested. Police recovered eight iPhones from defendant Yim, seven iPhones from Meke and 18 iPhones from defendant Andrew Kiriau.

The complainant made identification on the recovered iPhones on February 3, 2025 and confirmed that they were iPhones stolen from the Tech Hub shop.

Police made two attempts to apprehended the prime suspect who is still at large but failed. He is reportedly holding onto a large portion of the stolen iPhones and cash, police alleged.

Fransica Luza from Office of Public Prosecutions is prosecuting and Donation Houa appears for defence.

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SUFFERING IN SILENCE

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People with disability neglected in Solomon Islands: HRMI Report

BY BEN BILUA

PEOPLE with disability in Solomon Islands are facing neglect, widespread stigma and limited access to basic services, according to a new report released by the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI).

The 2025 survey highlights the lack of inclusive infrastructure and social support forcing many people with disabilities into isolation, particularly in urban areas.

“People with disabilities are not only sidelined in education and health services but also forgotten in many aspects within the society,” the report said.

It states that disabled people often struggle to access public spaces, including schools, health facilities and walkways.

The report indicates that lack of accessibility has confined many individuals to their homes, stripping them of their independence and limiting their participation in public life.

Social stigma remains another major barrier linking disability with increased vulnerability to poverty, unemployment and abuse.

High levels of poverty and violence against people with disabilities were recorded in urban areas, with 50 out of every 100 facing high risks of both contrary to rural communities.

According to the report, disabled individuals in villages are often better cared for by their immediate and extended families.

HRMI is a global organisation dedicated to measuring and improving human rights with hopes that data will drive public awareness and policy changes in the Solomon Islands.

The organisation is part of a global movement to ensure that all people can live with dignity.

It provides reliable data to track how well governments uphold the rights of their citizens, enabling activists and decision-makers to advocate more effectively for change.

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