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Guadalcanal establishes association to boost tourism

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BY JUNELYN KELLY

Guadalcanal Province has established its tourism association in a move to strengthen and promote the province’s tourism sector.

The association was formally launched on Wednesday last week, bringing together tourism operators from across the province in a meeting convened by Tourism Desk Officer Jacinta Vagha.

Members were guided through the association’s constitution before proceeding to elect its inaugural executive body, a statement by the Guadalcanal province Wednesday last week said.

The statement said that members elected to lead the association are; Ms Amanda Riniu as President, Ms Debbie Lukisi as Vice President, Ms Cynthia Luza as Secretary, and Mr Stanley Habu as Treasurer.

The executive is further supported by ordinary members Ms Ileen Sulukonia, Mr Joseph Tausuli and Mr Olivera Shannon.

The newly formed leadership team brings together a wide range of experience in areas such as law, travel and tours, local food promotion, accommodation and hospitality.

Meanwhile, following the election, members of the executive expressed their commitment to serving the association with dedication and call on all tourism operators to work together to advance the sector.

GPG media said they also highlighted plans to roll out activities within the year aimed at promoting Guadalcanal as a vibrant and attractive tourism destination.

The establishment of the association marks an important step forward for the province, reflecting a shared commitment to harness Guadalcanal’s natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and hospitality for sustainable tourism development.

The initiative aligns with the Guadalcanal Provincial Government’s policy on good governance under the leadership of Premier Willie Atu.

Photo credit:  GPG

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ASLA members to train rural farmers 

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By RODRICK DESURI 

Auki 

The Alisuri Sustainable Livelihood Association (ASLA) in Malaita Province, which owns and operates a cocoa and copra shed in Auki, will send its team to Laribaolo in East Kwara’ae to conduct training for rural cocoa and coconut farmers in the area. 

In an interview, Elton Etega, the manager of ASLA, said that the plan is to provide training for farmers is to help and support them in acquiring essential knowledge on how to manage their farms to yield quality fruits. 

“So, the main aim is to provide essential training for our rural farmers to equip them with vital knowledge of rehabilitation, drafting, and pruning,” he said.

He said that quality fruits can determine good prices in the market.

He said that they have conducted such training in a few communities. 

He also said that the challenges they have faced include scarce resources.

“Like spades, knives, shovels, wheelbarrows, and other essential equipment,” he said.

Egeta appeals to the government to shift their focus to cocoa and coconut farmers, as these are the two commodities that the country depends on the most.

He said that supporting the rural farmers who continue to hold on to these two backbone commodities, cocoa and coconut, can positively impact the country’s economy.

“These two commodities, cocoa and coconut, are the only ones that led us to our independence way back, so the government should focus on them and prioritise the rural farmers who are still committed to them,” he said.

Island Sun understands that the prices for cocoa and copra have fluctuated and dropped since the beginning of April this year, which has impacted many rural farmers in the country.

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M-Selen can now be used in all Island Enterprises retails

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BY JUNELYN KELLY

Island Enterprises Limited (IEL) has taken a significant step forward in its digital transformation journey with the successful rollout of M-Selen across its retail outlets in Honiara (Ranadi and Kukum), Auki, and Noro.

Customers can now enjoy fast, secure, and cashless payments using the M-Selen mobile wallet or USSD (*123#), with zero transaction fees, a statement by M-Selen yesterday said.

This enhancement reflects IEL’s ongoing commitment to improve customer convenience while supporting the broader shift towards digital financial services in Solomon Islands.

Beyond customer-facing benefits, the integration delivers substantial operational efficiencies for IEL. From its head office in Ranadi, the company now has centralised control over branch financial operations, including real-time transaction monitoring, streamlined fund transfers between outlets and bank accounts, and improved management of outlet liquidity.

This capability strengthens IEL’s financial oversight, enhances responsiveness across its network, and enables more informed, data-driven decision-making at the management level.

Majidul Haque, head of M-Selen, said Island Enterprises Limited’s adoption of M-Selen demonstrates how forward-thinking businesses can enhance both customer experience and operational efficiency.

“Customers benefit from seamless payments, while IEL gains real-time visibility and control over its retail network,” he said.

Meanwhile Jess Bradford, CEO of Island Enterprises Limited, said the rollout of M-Selen is a key milestone in our digital strategy.

“It not only simplifies the payment experience for our customers but also significantly strengthens how we manage and optimize our operations across all locations. This positions IEL for continued growth in an increasingly digital economy.”

The initiative reinforces IEL’s position as an industry leader embracing innovation and modern financial solutions.

It also highlights the growing role of digital payments in driving efficiency, transparency, and scalability for businesses across the Solomon Islands.

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Deceased identified

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The young man who sadly lost his life in a fatal accident on Monday this week at the western end of Lunga Bridge was identified as being from Ngella, Central Islands Province.

The deceased was identified yesterday morning by his uncle at the morgue according to National Referral Hospital (NRH) Morgue spokesperson.

The morgue spokesperson told this paper yesterday that the body of the teenager who is between the age of 16 and 18 was transported to the morgue on Monday at 2pm.

The Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) meantime is launching an investigation into the matter.

RSIPF in a statement released yesterday said that RSIPF at the National Traffic Department (NTD) are investigating a fatal accident involving the death of a young man at the western end of Lunga Bridge.

The incident occurred on Monday April 13 afternoon.

The RSIPF statement said that Director NTD Superintendent William Foufaka said the accident happened when a dump truck traveling in a westerly direction at the Lunga bridge hit the young man.

Mr Foufaka said the deceased was rushed to the National Referral Hospital (NRH) after the accident, but was pronounced dead by the medical authority upon arrival.

Foufaka said the NTD investigation team has already arrested the suspect who is the driver of the vehicle involved for further questioning, and laying of charges.

He reminds vehicle drivers and road users to prioritise safety and adhere to traffic and pedestrian rules at all times.

The RSIPF meantime share its deepest condolences to immediate family members and friends for the loss of their loved one.

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Workers Union and Ports authority given another 2 weeks to negotiate

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BY IRWIN ANGIKI

The Workers Union of the Solomon Islands (WUSI) and Solomon Islands Ports Authority (SIPA) have been given another two weeks to negotiate their disputes.

The Trade Dispute Panel (TDP) has directed both parties to negotiate and come up with a collective agreement within 14 days starting yesterday. WUSI is representing SIPA workers.

WUSI Secretary General Adrian Tuhanuku said WUSI is hoping to sign the collective agreement to be presented to the SIPA Board when the board meets on April 28.

SIPA could not comment when sought yesterday.

The dispute between SIPA and WUSI culminated in a strike on Thursday last week (April 9).

The strike lasted 16 hours, beginning 12 midnight, ending at 4pm, and reportedly costing SIPA millions in losses.

WUSI called off the strike after SIPA referred the matter to the TDP. WUSI later made a counter referral that day.

Mr Tuhanuku said WUSI and the SIPA workers committee are scrutinising the response from SIPA to make their counter response.

The collective agreement has three parts. Part 1, called Appendix 1, is the recognition part – in which SIPA had to officially recognise WUSI as representing its workers. Appendix 2 is the workers’ working conditions. Appendix 3 is the wages, incentives and entitlements.

The contentious part is Appendix 3, Tuhanuku said.

Connected to wages and incentives are (1) the normal ‘increment’ and (2) the Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) – which SIPA has claimed it has met for the workers.

However, WUSI doubts this arguing that it was not present when SIPA implemented the increment and COLA.

“SIPA had said that it had complied with everything that we had demanded for the workers. What we had argued for fall into two categories, increment and COLA,” Tuhanuku said.

“In a normal collective agreement, we should be present during the increment in which we will input the interest of the workers. But, since we were not present, we relied on the reports from the SIPA Human Resources based on their own internal processes since 2018.

“The other one is COLA. We had asked for 5 percent across the board since 2018. SIPA claimed it had complied. So, we asked to see the percentage of the COLA they had given to the workers.

“Discussions yesterday [Monday, April 13] we agreed that if SIPA has done as it claims, then we want to know how many percentage is for increment and how many percentage is for COLA.”

Other discussions focused on entitlements and privileges, which include education and holiday and other entitlements, Tuhanuku said.

“The timeline given by TDP is we will meet on Friday with SIPA, then next week either Tuesday or Wednesday, then finally on Friday to hopefully sign the collective agreement.

“We have 14 days to negotiate and sign the collective agreement before TDP calls us back to the table,” Tuhanuku said.

Background

The issue between SIPA and WUSI, representing SIPA workers goes back to 2018, and runs through terms of three chief executive officers (CEO) of SIPA.

SIPA since 2018 refused to recognise WUSI as representative of SIPA workers. However, the current CEO was forced to recognise WUSI after a secret ballot on March 17, 2025 saw 374 out of 383 workers choosing union representation by WUSI. SIPA has 499 permanent workers.

Negotiations between SIPA and WUSI proceeded, but then broke down when SIPA demanded that the log of claims be back-dated to 2024. WUSI refused to budge and argued that the log of claims should be back-dated to 2018.

Failure to reach a compromise led to WUSI issuing the 28-day strike notice on February 25, 2026.

Further negotiations could not come up with resolutions and a 14-day extension was given, starting March 24.

The extension lapsed on April 8 with no resolution and the strike took effect April 9.

Log of claims

SIPA in its statement on April 9 said the log of claims covered wage increase, allowance adjustments, bonuses and covid-allowances.

“We also wish to clarify recent media reports regarding the grounds for the strike. The strike action was centred on matters relating to wage increases for the period 2018–2025, allowance adjustments, bonuses, and COVID-19 related payments. Solomon Ports confirms that no other matters formed part of the official log of claims submitted by the Workers Union of Solomon Islands (WUSI), contrary to suggestions made in recent media articles,” SIPA said.

However, according to the WUSI February 25 strike notice, the workers’ claims included few more items:

– Deliberate Avoidance and Delay of Settling negotiations on Terms & Conditions of Service of the Employees of SIPA.

–  Preferential Award of Benefits to employees (eg. Education funds, Special advances, School fees, Bonus payment, Acting Allowance, etc)

– Salary structure not reviewed since 2018

– Preferential appraisal

– Unfair and preferential disciplinary

– Sexual harassment

– Nepotism – current employment recruitment

– Covid allowance

Photo: Tony Iroga

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Tropical cyclone warning downgraded, strong wind warning cancelled

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The tropical cyclone warning previously issued for cyclone Maila over the western province has been downgraded over the weekend.

The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service (SIMS) said this comes after, tropical cyclone Maila, category one with a central pressure of 990 hectopascals was located near 8.2 degrees latitude south and 154.4 degrees longitude east).

According to SIMS this is located approximately 84 nautical miles, 156 kilometres, southwest of mono island, western province in the Solomon Sea on Saturday April 11.

The SIMS said cyclone Maila is slowly move southwest towards the southeastern part of Papua New Guinea.

SIMS, on Monday this week also cancelled the strong wind warning previously issued for waters of Western, Choiseul and Isabel provinces at 9ma on Saturday, April 11.

“Strong wind warning cancellation issued by the Solomon Islands meteorological service at 2:00pm this afternoon on Monday April 13. The strong wind warning previously issued for waters of western province is now cancelled. Situation: a general northeast to east wind flow is over the Solomon Islands,” SIMS issued on Monday.

SIMS said the expected winds of 20 to 25 knots, 37- 46 kilometres per hour, over the waters of Western province is now easing and below warning threshold.

SIMS however said that a strong wind warning means that winds of 20 to 25 knots which may gust up to 30 knots are expected to produce hazardous sea wave conditions to small crafts.

“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 wave can be expected to be much as two times greater,” SIMS said.

Photo: Michael West Media

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By-election for West Baegu/Fataleka ward today 

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By RODRICK DESURI 

Auki 

The by-election for the West Baegu/Fataleka Ward Five, Fataleka Constituency, Malaita Province, takes place today. 

The election was scheduled for today after their ward representative, former member of the assembly and Premier, the late Daniel Suidani, passed away after battling a long illness. 

Today, a population of 2,846 eligible voters in the ward will be exercising their democratic rights to vote for their preferred candidates. 

In a media briefing session for media personnel who have been selected and accredited to cover the election, Electoral Communication Officer Philothia Paul said they will report on the ground to show that the election event has taken place. 

“We have seen that media plays an important role in showing that the election is happening,” she said.

She said the polling day process must be respected and not be disturbed by the media unless permission is granted by the election officials.

“It is just the same as all election processes. So, we must be neutral and not disturb the processes.

“If you want to take a film or photo of any candidate or people during the poll, you’ll have to seek permission before you can do so,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said the polling officials supervising during polling day have completed their training at Sisifiu and are ready for the day.

She said that there are seven polling stations in the ward and everyone is ready to cast their votes.

She added that the opening time for polling day is from 7 am to 4 pm, and the counting of the votes will be on Thursday, April 16.

“The opening time for casting the ballot paper is at 7 am and it will close at 4 am.

“After polling day, the police will guard the ballot boxes and transport them to Auki for counting,” she said.

The expected outcome of the election will be announced on Thursday, April 16, 2026.

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‘RESIGN OR CALL PARL’

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-High Court rules in favour of majority Opposition coalition upholding judicial review claim, clarifying Governor General has authority to call parliament and PM refusing to convene parliament unlawful

-PM Manele appeals ruling

BY MELVILLE TITIULU

In a landmark decision that reshapes the Solomon Islands’ constitutional balance, Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer yesterday ruled in favour of the 28‑MP opposition coalition, finding that the Governor‑General has the residual authority to convene Parliament and that the Prime Minister’s advice refusing to summon Parliament was unlawful.

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele last night issued a statement saying he will appeal the High Court’s ruling. [See separate story]

Claimants’ Lawyer Gabriel Suri told Island Sun outside court after the ruling that the judgement was a victory for parliamentary democracy and a victory for the people, as the Chief Justice has plainly said it is the power of the people that the three arms of State exercised. Thus, not the sovereignty of the prime minister and government.

Chief Justice Palmer in delivering his ruling, gave two options for the Prime Minister as either to resign or advice accordingly for the convening of parliament within the next three days and face the motion of no confidence (MONC) on the floor of parliament.

The Court also ordered cost on indemnity basis upon the Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele and the Attorney General John Muria Jnr.

Besides, the court found that the Speaker of Parliament acted within the bounds of the standing orders, therefore, no order for cost imposed upon the speaker. Otherwise, the speaker is to facilitate the MONC withing the next three days.

Additionally, there is no order against the Governor General as it is the Executive’s failure not to advise.

The ruling orders the PM to summon and convene Parliament within three days without further delay so that the pending no‑confidence motion and the outstanding business on the provisional paper can be considered. In an event of failure, the GG is to engage and convene parliament.

“The PM cannot use standing order to block convening of parliament,” the Chief Justice said while delivering his judgement in court.

He further said, the ‘Constitutional impasse exists’ and that the PM failed to discharge timely constitutional duty for the MONC to be brought at the earliest. Failure to do so is unlawful.

The Chief Justice said to do that would be characterised as an ‘abuse of constitutional power’. Thus, it is incumbent upon parliament to convene at the earliest, as failure to do so would be deemed as an ‘overreach of parliamentary accountability’.

The court also dismissed the respondents’ strikeout application brought by Attorney‑General Muria Jnr. Instead ruled that the judicial review claim raised serious triable and constitutional issues to consider.

He further reminded parties that much of these constitutional issues were already covered in his earlier ruling for dismissed security for cost last week.

However, Muria Jnr told Island Sun outside Court that he will appeal the Chief Justice’s decision.

When asked by Island Sun if the decision to appeal runs contrary to what the PM said in his recent press release that he will accept whatever outcome of the High Court, Mr Muria said, abiding by what the High court decision could include as well the last determinative decision of the Court of Appeal (COA), suggesting that the COA is the final determinative outcome of the matter.

The claimants include Opposition Leader Matthew Wale, PFP Wing Leader Fredrick Kologeto, Independent Members Leader Manasseh Maelanga, and six political parties forming the new majority coalition of 28 MPs.

The claimants were represented by counsels, Gabriel Suri, John Taupongi, James Ronnie Kaboke and Francis Waleanisia.

Respondents are the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Attorney General.

Attorney General John Muria Jnr with his legal team represented the respondents.

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PM Manele seeks Court of Appeal over High Court’s ruling for him to call parliament and face motion of no-confidence

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BY IRWIN ANGIKI

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has announced he will appeal today’s [April 14, 2026] High Court ruling directing him to resign or call for parliament within three days.

In a statement issued this evening PM Manele said Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer’s judgement failed to deal with ‘certain fundamental questions’.

“Specifically, the ruling raises profound issues regarding the interpretation of constitutional mandates and the established boundaries of the separation of powers between the Executive and the Judiciary,” Manele said.

“As Prime Minister, I hold a duty not only to the present administration but to the integrity of the Office of the Prime Minister and the constitutional framework of Solomon Islands for generations to come. It is essential that the powers of the Head of State, the advice of the Prime Minister, and the procedures of Parliament are balanced exactly as the framers of our Constitution intended.

“Therefore, I have instructed the Attorney General to appeal this decision to the Court of Appeal. It is necessary for the highest court in our land to provide a definitive ruling on these complex constitutional questions to ensure that the legal precedents set today do not inadvertently undermine the stability of our parliamentary democracy in the future.”

Manele said his government remains committed to the legal process, adding that the decision to appeal shows government’s respect for Solomon Islands’ judicial system and desire for ‘absolute legal certainty’.

Meanwhile, PM Manele calls for calm and peace from public.

“I urge all citizens and leaders to maintain respect for our democratic institutions as we navigate these significant legal developments,” Manele said.

Earlier today Chief Justice Palmer ruled in favour of the majority opposition coalition, finding that the Governor General has the residual authority to convene Parliament and that the Prime Minister’s advice refusing to summon Parliament was unlawful.

Chief Justice Palmer gave two options for Prime Minister Manele – resign or call for parliament within three days and face the matured motion of no-confidence.

The Governor General was signalled to engage and convene parliament if the prime minister failed to do this.

Palmer said the Constitutional impasse exists and that PM Manele has failed to discharge timely constitutional duty for the motion of no-confidence to be brought at the earliest.

Failure to do so is unlawful, the Chief Justice said, adding that it would be characterised as an ‘abuse of constitutional power’.

High Court also ruled out the strike-out application by the Attorney General.

Chief Justice Palmer upheld that the Opposition’s judicial review claim raised serious triable and constitutional issues to consider.

Kings apologise after heavy defeat to Tahiti United

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BY ELTON LONARATHA JNR

SOLOMON Kings FC have issued a public apology to fans in Honiara following a disappointing 5–1 defeat to Tahiti United FC in Round 5 action at HFC Bank Stadium over the weekend.

Head coach Ben Cahn admitted his side fell well below their usual standards, pointing to a lack of intensity and failure to contest key moments.

“We lost every second ball and didn’t bring the intensity we usually play at,” Cahn said post-match.

“For that, we owe an apology to our fans back home.”

Cahn acknowledged the performance was unacceptable but noted the team’s focus on a swift recovery.

“We understand it wasn’t good enough. We’ll reflect, move on quickly, and come back stronger.”

The coach confirmed that changes to the starting lineup are likely ahead of their next fixture as the team looks to regain form.

Captain Jezz Lofthouse, who scored his side’s only goal, echoed his coach’s sentiments, describing the performance as far below expectations.

“We just got outplayed and, honestly, everyone let go of us in that moment,” Lofthouse said.

“Everyone in that squad — myself included — we weren’t at it.”

Despite a positive experience in Fiji overall, Lofthouse did not hide his frustration.

“It was a rubbish performance. That’s not who we are, and we’re sorry.”

After a strong start to the competition, Solomon Kings FC have struggled to maintain momentum. A disappointing Round 4 saw them collect just one point from two matches, and the latest loss leaves them sitting fifth on the table.

With two crucial fixtures remaining, the Kings must deliver strong performances to secure a place in the Leaders Group — a result that would still cap an otherwise promising campaign.

However, the challenge is significant. They failed to win their earlier encounters against both South Island United and Vanuatu United FC, the very teams they now face in decisive matches.

Despite mounting pressure, Cahn remains confident his side can respond, with a crucial clash against Vanuatu United FC today evening.

The Kings now face a defining moment in their campaign — one that will test their resilience and determine whether they can turn early promise into a successful finish.

Photo: OFC Pro-League

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