Home Blog Page 427

Australia supports international womens day 2025 in Solomon Islands

Written by
Press Release
-
0

The people and Government of Australia, and the staff of the Australian High Commission in Honiara, wish all Solomon Islanders a Happy International Women’s Day 2025.

As Solomon Islands’ number one partner, Australia is proud to be supporting the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs to host a three-day event, from 11th to 13th March at the National Auditorium.

The theme for this year is Accelerate Action: For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. which calls for faster action to ensure that all women and girls benefit from greater economic and leadership opportunities, and greater freedom to shape the future of this beautiful country.

Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Rod Hilton highlighted Australia’s commitments to creating opportunities for Solomon Islands’ women and girls to thrive.

“As a global champion for gender equality, accelerating progress for women and girls is central to our development efforts,” High Commissioner Hilton said.

“We are proud that our support across the breadth of our partnership, including in health, education, economic growth and infrastructure, continues to have a positive impact on gender equality.”

“For example, in just the past five years, the Solomon Islands Australia Partnership has provided over 4,000 women entrepreneurs with financial and business development services.”

The three days of International Women’s Day events will focus on three different themes: leadership and inclusion; peace, security and wellbeing; and women’s economic empowerment.

Everyone is invited to join the events to share, network, advocate, collaborate and celebrate the various vital roles women play in Solomon Islands.

Women entrepreneurs will have stalls of products, and there will be a charity drive to purchase wheelchairs for the Gynaecological Ward at the National Referral Hospital.

SIBC will livestream the events which can also be viewed on the International Women’s Day – Solomon Islands Facebook page.

Auki police charge 26-yo man with rape

Written by
Admin
-
0

Police in Auki, Malaita province, have arrested and charged a 26-year-old man with rape.

The complainant is a 23-year-old female and the incident allegedly occurred on February 25, a police media statement yesterday said.

Malaita PPC Chief Superintendent Tex Tafoa said the complainant was drunk and asleep in her room when the incident allegedly occurred.

Tafoa said the complainant’s girlfriend witnessed the incident.

The matter was reported to Auki Police and the suspect was arrested on February 27.

The suspect was charged with rape contrary to Section 136 (f) of the Amendment Sexual Act and is currently remanded at Auki Correctional Centre awaiting court appearance on a later date, the police statement said.

Man charged with sexual offence against minor

Written by
Admin
-
0

Taro police in Choiseul province have arrested and charged a man over allegations of multiple sexual activities with an underage girl.

Police media statement yesterday said the complainant is a relative of the suspect.

Choiseul Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Superintendent Berry Pogesopa said these incidents occurred on different dates and locations between January 2023 and January 2025.

Pogesopa said initial report shows the first incident took place when the complainant was 14 years old.

Police allege the last incident occurred on January 21, 2025.

That day members of the community conducted a search for the girl and found her with the suspect, police media statement said.

A report was filed at the Taro police station and the suspect was arrested.

The suspect was charged with the offence of Persistence Sexual Abuse of a Child Contrary to Section 142 of the Sexual Offence Amendment Act 2016.

Pogesopa said the suspect is remanded at Gizo Correctional Services awaiting court on a later date.

He said investigations into this matter is ongoing therefore appealed to any person with relevant information to come forward and assist police with their investigation.

Police arrest 23-yo male under warrant for domestic violence

Written by
Admin
-
0

Police arrest 23-yo male under warrant for domestic violence

Auki police in Malaita province have arrested a 23-year-old male who was under warrant for domestic violence in Honiara last year.

Police media statement yesterday said Auki police acted following a report from the office of the Public Prosecution in Honiara of the man’s status.

The suspect failed to attend court after he was charged with domestic violence and went home, the police statement said.

The warrant was issued on the man for evading and failing to attend Magistrate Court.

The suspect was arrested on February 27at his home village in West Are’are and will be escorted to Honiara, where he will appear before the Honiara Magistrate Court, the statement said.

Malaita Provincial Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Tex Tafoa said, “Failing to attend court does not mean that the courts will sweep their cases under the carpet.”

He also thanked community leaders and individuals for their ongoing support to the police in upholding the laws.

Man, 21, sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment for stealing

Written by
Admin
-
0
A gavel rests on sounding block next to a brass scale of justice in front of a long row of law books on a desk in a law office. Photographed with a very shallow depth of field.

BY ROMINAH FAKA

The Magistrate Court has sentenced a man to one year, two months’ imprisonment for housebreaking and stealing.

The ruling was delivered on March 4 by Principal Magistrate Felix Hollison.

For count-one the defendant was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment for one count of housebreaking and committing felony contrary to section 300 (a) of the Penal Code [Cap 26].

Count-two the defendant was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment for one count of housebreaking and committing felony contrary to section 300(a) of the Penal Code [Cap 26].

Count-three the defendant was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for one count of simple larceny contrary to section 261 (1) of the Penal Code [Cap 26].

Court ordered that sentences for counts one and two be served concurrently, and consecutive to the sentence of count-three.

Time spent in custody prior to sentencing will be deducted.

The defendant has 14 days to appeal.

Zivoka Lamani, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of housebreaking and committing felony and one count of simple larceny.

Court facts on counts one and two said that on January 22, 2022, the complainant did a stock take of his liquor shop and returned home.

Lamani unlawfully entered the liquor stop twice between January 22 and 23 using a spare key and took two cartons of whiskey cola drinks.

The complainant found out about the missing cartons on January 23, 2022, and together with other people followed a trail of foot prints behind the shop.

The trail led to Mr Lamani’s house.

Upon arrival they saw Lamani still drinking and the area surrounding his house scattered with empty cans of whiskey cola.

The matter was reported to Buala police and Lamani was arrested and charged with housebreaking and committing felony.

Court facts for count-three said on January 25, 2024 Lamani and two friends stole an electric guitar from a nearby CRC church.

The guitar was found on February 2, 2024 in a drain near Lamani’s home.

Mr Jonathan Lui Auga acted for the Crown and Kevin Maelanga for Lamani.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Man, 38, pleads not guilty to rape of minor

Written by
Admin
-
0

BY ROMINAH FAKA

A man, 38, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape before the Magistrate court.

The accused, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the under-aged complainant, is accused of raping the 16-year-old girl.

After the defendant’s not-guilty plea yesterday, defence asked court for a 14-day adjournment to decide on the form of preliminary inquiry.

Court adjourned the case for March 28.

Allegations said the incident occurred on October 22, 2024 along a footpath at Titinge road.

Prosecution alleged the girl was on her way to her uncle house to collect water between 3pm and 4pm.

The defendant allegedly met her on the road and had sexual intercourse with her, without her consent, and in the process used a scissors to cut up the girl’s clothes.

The matter was later reported and the defendant was arrested and charged with rape.

Georgina Oroi is prosecuting the case with Voice Law firm representing the defendant.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Gov’t & PRC lauded on Auki Road Project

Written by
Admin
-
0

LEADER of Opposition Matthew Wale has acknowledged the Government and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the launching of the Auki Road Network Rehabilitation Project.

Wale also adds that similar projects must also be considered for the rest of Solomon Islands.

The launching took place in Auki, Malaita province on Wednesday this week.

Mr Wale in a statement yesterday acknowledged the collaborative efforts between the national government and PRC for this milestone project.

He said this project when completed would go a long way in benefitting the people of Malaita in the transport sector, trade and investment.

The Opposition Leader encouraged the people of Malaita to take ownership and pride in the project.

“I must thank the Government and PRC for this milestone project. It will surely benefit Auki and Malaita province as a whole,” Wale said.

Wale said road infrastructure project in Auki is essential for the development aspirations of the province.

The Opposition Leader encouraged the Government and PRC to also extend their good gesture to other road projects and developments in Malaita province.

“This will be essential for connectivity and it will greatly assist our people around the whole of Malaita province,” he said.

Wale said the Government must also move ahead with other major developments in Malaita such as the Bina Harbor project, Suava Bay project and others.

“These projects need political will and I urge the Government to make it a priority. These projects have progressed on a snail pace over successive governments,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wale said the Government and our donor partners must also prioritise road projects in other provinces around the country.

He said this would enhance economic growth, connectivity and improve transportation.

“This is an important sector that needs not only investment but strategic planning,” he said.

FFA has important role in global market access

Written by
Admin
-
0

By Loretta B Manele

The Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) plays an important role in assisting its members to access global markets.

Chris Reid, Director of Fisheries Development for FFA spoke briefly about this at a side event called “Sustainable fisheries development initiatives” at the recent Honiara Summit which focused on discussions on Sustainable Development Goal 14.4 “Achieving Sustainable Fisheries”.

He said assisting FFA members to access global markets is a core activity of FFA.

Reid explained that they have a small dedicate team who work with members of industry to facilitate market access primarily to the EU (European Union) and North America.

He added that this work is expanding to other markets including Vietnam and China as their requirement for market access increases.

“Key activities in this area include seafood safety training, capacity building and technical competency development, DG Sante audit preparation and compliance and compliance monitoring and IUU regulatory changes all of which assist members and exporters to assess the lucrative access of the lucrative northern hemisphere markets for our channel.”

Reid said four FFA member countries, namely; Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea have an EU approved status which allows them to access the EU market without imposition of heavy tariffs.

He noted that work continues with three other countries; Federate States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) and Tuvalu to attain this status.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Fisheries support in filling in gaps in unassessed stocks through science

Written by
Admin
-
0

By Loretta B Manele

Filling in gaps in unassessed stocks through science is one way of supporting fisheries sustainability.

Dr Eva Plaganyi, Senior principal research scientist and research group leader based at CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Environment, Australia spoke about this at the Honiara Summit last month.

Speaking as a panellist on Session 4: Supporting fisheries sustainability through science, she expressed that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in filling some gaps around the numbers of unassessed stocks.

Plaganyi touched on the urgent need to address climate change through science.

In the case of applying science in fisheries sustainability, she outlined management strategy evaluation, forecasting techniques and modelling as scientific methods to test how resilient harvest strategies are.

Plaganyi said approaches like management strategy evaluation can be used to build the robustness of management methods that they are trying to use to help manage stocks sustainably.

On top of that, she stated that we can use some forecasting techniques and mentioned that there are a number of scientific advances in seasonal forecasting.

“That’s an example where we’re able to, again, use our scientific knowledge, share those outputs and enable better forward planning to respond to climate change.”

She went on to talk about modelling and stressed that to have adaptable and responsible frameworks there is the need for new modelling and data collection systems.

Plaganyi highlighted that modelling is a really powerful tool because it helps to test different strategies for how are we going to respond to future extreme events or climate events without actually having to first experience those events.

“We can try to figure out beforehand which strategies are winners and which ones are not likely to help us down the line.”

Plaganyi said that from the work being carried out by scientists around the world, there are a number of tools and methods that are now increasingly becoming available, like climate adaptation handbooks and seasonal forecasting tools.

She stressed that these are important not only in planning when is the best time to fish, but also to look after the fishes and communities themselves.

“In northern Australia, for example, we try to provide a heads up of when it might be too hot to go fishing, both because it’s harmful to the fishes as well as to handle the actual products and it would lose value if they fished at the wrong times.”

She furthered that these are the sort of gaps which she thinks science is being done at the moment on a case study basis, however, they are starting to pull that together and will be able to support the community.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Auki road network rehabilitation project officially launched

Written by
Admin
-
0

The Auki Road Network Rehabilitation Project was officially launched Wednesday in Auki, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration between the People’s Republic of China and Solomon Islands.

Funded by China, the project is contracted to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and will involve the extensive repair and rehabilitation of a 3.8km main road, connecting Kilu’ufi Hospital in northern Auki Town to the Kwaibala Bridge in the south.

Furthermore, the project will enhance 16 critical connecting roads within Auki Town, totaling 5.5km, including a vital route to Kilu’ufi Hospital, ensuring improved access to essential services for the community.

In total, the project covers 9km of roadway in Auki, a media statement from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development said.

The main highway has been designed to accommodate vehicle speeds of 40 to 60km per hour, featuring a pavement width of 3.5 metres per lane.

The feeder roads will cater to vehicle speeds of 20 to 40km per hour, tailored to specific site conditions for safety and efficiency, the statement adds.

A key highlight of this project is the use of top-quality materials, akin to those utilised in the newly constructed roads in East Honiara. Each road will be equipped with a 50-millimetre-thick asphalt concrete pavement, ensuring durability and longevity. With proper maintenance, these roads are expected to serve the Auki community effectively for 10 to 20 years, significantly enhancing the local transportation network. Additionally, the project will incorporate improved drainage systems throughout Auki Town, facilitating efficient water management and safeguarding against erosion and flooding.

During the ground breaking ceremony, Minister of Infrastructure Development Manasseh Maelanga said, “We are building a stronger, safer, and more connected future for all citizens of Auki and the greater Malaita region. Together, let us take pride in our developments, ensure their longevity, and work hand in hand to create a thriving community that stands as a beacon of progress.”

Key guest speaker Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele highlighted the significance of this project as a grant rather than a loan.

“I urge the people of Malaita to take ownership of this project, a proud achievement stemming from the cooperative efforts of the Malaita Provincial Government, the National Government, and China.”

Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands, HE Cai Weiming emphasised the project’s importance within the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013. This initiative aims to enhance policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, and financial integration and strengthen people-to-people bonds, ultimately fostering conditions for win-win cooperation.

Malaita Premier Elijah Asilaua conveyed his appreciation to the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT), stakeholders involved since the project’s inception in 2023, the China International Development Cooperation Agency, and the People’s Republic of China.

1...426427428...1,671Page 427 of 1,671