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SI attends Triennial to sustain momentum towards gender equality

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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Solomon Islands women attending the online 14th Triennial conference.

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

SOLOMON Islands including Pacific Islands countries are currently attending the 14th Triennial Conference for Pacific Women conducted virtually aimed at sustaining the momentum towards gender equality in the Pacific.

Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Women, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) Cendrick Alependava says the 14th Triennial is vital because it provides a space for women and girls in Solomon Islands Pacific Island Countries for them to be able to voice issues affecting them, they can be able to meet, congregate and simultaneously to share experiences, skills and learning specially to identify measures to advance women and girls.

Alependava said it also provides an opportunity to improve women’s participation in economic development.

 “At the moment this momentum is for women’s empowerment and gender equality.”

 “Basically, to raise issues pertaining to women as we faced in Solomon Islands and these issues will then have recommendation made forward by members attending the conference,” he said.

 Alependava further stressed according to past triennial meetings and meetings in Beijing they have noted some critical areas to focus on to be able to help women.

He said particularly on 13 areas some health, education and training, economic empowerment, agriculture and fishing, legal and human rights, shared decision making, environment, culture and family, mechanism to promote the advancement of women, peace and justice, gender-based violence, poverty reduction women to name a few.

Alependava said these are important areas on this 14th Triennial conference which we will be also trying to address.

 On the same event Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Honourable Marisa Payne said Australia will to support programs such as empower women which is training and enabling women leaders across Pacific Islands who represent and advocate for justice climate polices.

 “I hope the discussions during the triennial can deliver practical suggestions on these issues, it is what women and girls in the Pacific expect and frankly deserved.”

 “Australia will continue to play an active role to deepening our ongoing partnership across the regions to accelerate progress of gender equality for women and girls,” Payne said.

 Fiji’s Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Honourable Mereseini Vuniwaqa during the opening of the Triennial yesterday said this is a critically important meeting.

“A year since the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic, life as we knew has been on pause, changed and transformed while the inequalities we lived with before the pandemic have carried over to the new normal, left unchecked and sadly increased.

“In short, COVID-19 revealed and intensified the precarious situation of women and girls across the globe and in the Pacific, especially in terms of their economic security, physical safety, health and access to decision-making spaces.

 This is the backdrop against which we are combating and trying to recover from,” Hon. Vuniwaqa said.

Women movements rally for Triennial Pacific meeting

Written by
Ben Bilua
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BY BEN BILUA

 WOMEN movements in the region have spent the whole of last week brainstorming issues surrounding the theme for 14th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women and 7th Meeting of Pacific Ministers for Women conference.

“Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future – Empowering All Women in the Blue Pacific Continent” is the theme of the conference which begins next week.

 Experts from various organisations will present their views on Women Economic Empowerment (WEE), Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Gender Responsive Climate Justice (CJ) while moderators took stock of key points that would later be compiled into a discussion paper to be presented before the leaders.

Impacts of the Covid-19 on all national and regional commitments surrounding gender equality in general is also a key challenge for the participants going into next week’s 14th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women.

Journalists from the Pacific region are also following the discussions after undergoing a brief workshop on how to report effectively and write impactful news during the conference.

Speaking to journalists during the workshop one of the trainers and Solomon Islands senior journalist Priestley Habru said these meetings provide a forum for meetings and consultations that aim to sustain momentum towards gender equality in the Pacific.

 He told journalist that the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the challenges that women and girls face and that re-affirmation of gender equality as inextricably linked to achieving sustainable development for all is paramount.

 Habru emphasized that journalist must approach the conference with knowledge of women’s economic empowerment, deliver audience focused story telling on women as development leaders and overall provide a wide rage coverage of the progress made by Pacific governments in realizing gender equality and the commitments made by Ministers to Pacific women at the 2021 ministerial meeting.

 Habru is supported by Australian-based trainer and ABC journalist Prianka Srinivasan with 18 journalists trained to cover the Triennial meeting.

PARTNER TO STAY AFLOAT

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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Solomon Airlines airbus

By EDDIE OSIFELO

SOLOMON Airlines is working with other airline companies in the region to stay afloat during this covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking through zoom from Australia, Chief Executive Officer, Brett Gebers told media yesterday that he took over as Chairman of the South Pacific Airlines a couple of years ago.

“At that time, I said to all of my colleagues in the South Pacific that are actually small airlines.

“Being small airlines, we have a lot of inefficiencies and if we actually start working together, we can eliminate some of these inefficiencies,” he said.

Gebers said Nauru, Air Kiribati, Air Niugini, Air Vanuatu and Solomon Airlines are all searching on how to work together that will serve them money.

“For example, do we have to have airport officers at each airport that we fly to.

“Then we discovered, we don’t have to, we can share some of the airports,” he said.

Gebers said at the moment he is working with Air Kiribati particularly to see how to actually help them.

“One thing we did for them is we sub lease a twin outer that we don’t need and they desperately need it.

“We have been doing some flights for Air Kiribati. They do have their own aircraft which currently they are not able to use for the purpose, that may change,” he said.

However, Gebers said he had worked with former CEO of Air Vanuatu, but is yet to discuss a proposal with new CEO of Air Vanuatu.

Newly appointed Chairman of Solomon Airlines, Frank Wickham said the current COVID issue has posed some national airlines to look at potential partnerships to try and realise some more economic of scale and it may work out that working together would be better for all of us

Furthermore, Wickham said he looks forward to further constructive interaction with the media and stakeholders and welcome constructive ideas.

“This is our Airline and would like to make it work and I am sure the CEO and management team would like to see that we have good and strong involvement by our shareholders and the people of this country to make our Airlines continue to fly through these difficult times and soar high when the skies are clearer,” he added.

Health calls on targets ‘come and get jabbed’

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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Correctional Officers who earlier took their Covid-19 jabs

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

The ministry of health is calling target individuals to come forward and get vaccinated.

This call is aimed at frontliners in Honiara and other people connected to this line of work.

Health permanent secretary Pauline McNeil echoed this in the recent Oversight Committee radio talkback show on covid-19 updates in the country.

“I would like to call on those who have not yet vaccinated to come forward and get your jab,” she said.

McNeil stressed the ministry of health will continue roll out the vaccination programme until the fully utilise the seven thousand allocated AstraZeneca does for Honiara.

She said hopefully vaccination rollout will be completed this Friday, April 30, 2021.

“I encourage the remaining front-liners to please go and take your covid-19 vaccines this week before the end of this week,” said McNeil.

She said 7,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been allocated for Honiara to be administered, so, far only 4,289 patents have been vaccinated in the first roll out this gives 61 percent of people have received their jabbed.

McNeil said those to be vaccinated are frontliners, those who are above 40 years of age, public figure, 18 years old above, parliament members, public figures, members of the diplomats, former Governor General, Church leaders and community leaders, sporting groups and others.

Airline can soar high, says new chairman

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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New SOLAIR chair confident of overcoming challenges

By EDDIE OSIFELO

SOLOMON Airlines newly appointed Chairman, Frank Wickham is confident the airline will continue to fly through these difficult times and soar high when the skies are clearer.

Wickham in a press conference yesterday said the national carrier has experienced the impact of COVID-19 that has affected its operations and revenue generation.

He said Solomon Airlines is flying over turbulence skies.

“We have been through similar challenge in the past during the ethnic tension and have built some resilience and perseverance.

“But the scope and scale of the challenge for us now is quite significant,” he said.

Wickham said their flight path remains clear to see through this turbulence period of COVID-19 restrictions and would be in a position to do better when the skies are clear and travel restrictions are lifted in our region.

He recalled that between 2012 and 2016, Solomon Airlines Ltd has been making and accumulating loses.

“However, the Airline posted a profit in 2017 and 2018 and it is a testament to the hard work of the Chief Executive Officer, management and staff and does indicate under normal operating environment the airline can be viable and profitable.

“2020 saw a big hit in the Airlines finances, firstly through the impairment of the A320 jet which resulted in loses when we arranged for the sale and then off course the significant downturn of passengers numbers both internationally and domestically,” he said.

Wickham said the Airline has built up 2020 for good year not knowing that COVID-19 was around the corner.

H said there was already an order in place to get a new twin outer and the finances was strong ready to propel the Airline into another good year.

“However, the unfortunate event with the A320 repayments and downfall of passengers numbers has posed a big drop in our cash flow and also in our book numbers.

“The Airline board and management are working hard to improve the company’s finances, to ensure our operating costs and creditors are paid and services returned,” he said.

Wickham said they do not deny the facts that this a very very difficult financial year for the Airline.

“But Iam confident and I hope the country shareholder can see that fairing with other Airlines in the Pacific region, Solomon Airlines has done very very well.

“We are still flying a commercial international restricted route, our domestic services continue,” he said.

Wickham said their challenge now is to raise revenue and maximise revenue so they can see themselves through these very very difficult times.

Wickham replaced Austin Holmes as Chairman. Robert Bochman of Bred Bank is the Vice Chairman.

The Directors are Anthony Makabo, Josefa Tuamoto and Bob Pollard.

Two positions in the Board are still to be filled.

Airline needs govt support, good strategy

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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Solomon Airlines airbus

By EDDIE OSIFELO

SOLOMON Airlines still needs government support and good strategy to achieve a sustainable future.

Newly appointed Chairman, Frank Wickham told the media in a press conference yesterday that he is strongly confident of a sustainable future given:

  1. strong government support;
  2. strong management reviews of our current situations and
  3. coming up with a strategy that will maximise our revenues and make us a nimbler organisation by way of cost efficiency.

“We have a major consultancy report that the government has commissioned and has just presented and we will be using the findings of the report to fine tune our strategy going forward and also our operations.

“Going forward also, we like to see a more robust strategic and cooperate plan, capacity development for our Solomon Islanders in all aspect of operations, restructuring when necessary and to also maximise potential partnerships with other airlines in the region,” he said.

Wickham said the Government as the biggest shareholder has given $5 million as grant under the Economic Stimulus Package and a Concessional loan of $53 million.

He said the loan is for the purchase of a new twin Outer and additional relieve funds to support the airlines cash flow.

Furthermore, Wickham said over the past years up until 2019, the international route has been more profitable than the domestic route contrary to what is made public by various sources.

He said the passenger’s numbers domestically are greater but international route is more profitable and they hope once the dark clouds are over should return to some semblance of normalcy with better international passengers’ numbers.

Wickham said they are revisiting the domestic fare structure to see how we can make the fare work better for the Airlines.

He said there are some routes that are profitable and most are loss making routes.

“And this is also the area that we hope the nation and shareholders will appreciate that we are subsidizing many routes in this country.

“Even some routes that have airports that with run ways that create a lot of expenses for our airlines because they are poorly maintained and create the high maintenance and repair costs for our planes,” he said.

“So, with that back drop, we like to see that there is appreciation from Solomon Islanders and we know that Government recognises it and hence continues to support us through this difficult time,” he added.

Police continues hunt for suspect

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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The scene of the crime: PHOTO CHARLES KADAMANA

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

POLICE in Auki say they are still on the look-out for the suspect in the killing of a 44-year-old female Chinese national on April 13 this year.

A police officer spoken to yesterday told this paper that last week they went to Kwaibaita area, East Kwaio, following advice from their informer but was unsuccessful to locate the suspect.

He said they are still listening out for any information from the communities and also from their informer relating to the whereabout of the alleged suspect.

The officer said that police continue to call on the suspect to surrender himself, as continuing being in hiding will not do him any good but will be a burden on him.

“Therefore, he should surrender himself and let the law decide his innocence,” Auki police said.

This is regarding the suspect in the killing incident which occurred this year on the morning of April 13 at the White Angel building.

The allegation said the Chinese woman left her house in the Ranadi area, east Honiara to drop off her twin sons at school in the morning and then went down to her shop inside the White Angel Building in Point Cruz to open it as normal.

While the shopkeepers were waiting outside for the deceased to open the shop, the husband of the deceased arrived and sought assistance from a nearby shop to open their shop as the doors were locked from inside. However, that was unsuccessful and police were alerted in which the Police Fire Service came to their assistance and opened the shop and that is when the husband discovered his wife lying on the floor with blood all over her body.

Crime prevention roll out in Makira

Written by
Press Release
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Oneibia by-law launching group photo

THE Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) has continued roll-out of its Crime Prevention Strategy on Makira/Ulawa province from 19- 23rd April.

Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Makira-Ulawa Province Superintendent Peter Sitai said their team had visited communities at Oneibia, Heranigau, Anuta, Tawarao, Tawaraha, Hada bay and Omaraoru.

 He said these communities are in ward five and six on West Makira constituency.”

PPC Sitai stressed that the team had managed to conduct crime prevention related trainings on S.A.R.A (Scanning, Analyze, Response and Assessment) problem solving model, urbanisation, by-law launching, community by-law awareness and Clashes of cultures and its impacts in Solomon Islands.”

 “The trainings have been so fruitful and about 100 plus participants representing different community sectors have attended,” Mr Sitai remarked.

 Speaking during the closing ceremony at Oneibia Community, a women leader emotionally expressed her most appreciation about the police inputs into helping her community with law and order.

She said as a mother, the strategy is a milestone and the way forward to maintain peace and unity in the community.

He said Makira-Ulawa Province has more than 50 Crime Preventions Committees (CPC’s) formed and similar trainings will be conducted in the coming months.”

“I appeal to all communities in Makira Ulawa Province to come out in good numbers and participate during the awareness and trainings sessions.

“Police do not have all the resources needed, therefore I call for understanding and support,” PPC Sitai said.

—RSIPF

Rennell murder case set for committal hearing

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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0

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE committal hearing into the case of a man who was charged by police regarding the death of a 28-year-old boy at a village in Rennell will be made today before Principal Magistrate Fatimah Taeburi.

He had already entered a guilty plea in the last occasion and today’s court session is for counsels to make submissions to commit the matter to the High Court for sentencing.

Ashley Ghapuika of Rennell Island, Rennell Bellona province was charged for the murder of a man at Avatai village in West Rennell on February 15, 2021.

The allegation said that the deceased and his uncle were in their kitchen at Avatai Village in west Rennell trying to light a roll of cigarette.

It was when the deceased was trying to light his smoke, when the suspect entered the door of the kitchen with a long bush knife and walked straight to where the deceased was standing and allegedly cut the deceased once on the back of his neck.

It is believed the deceased was not able to defend himself due to the sudden attack. The suspect later went outside from the kitchen and he walked away with his bush knife full of blood.

The deceased was rushed to the Tigoa mini-Hospital in West Rennell in a vehicle but was confirmed dead by the nurse in charge.

Father on trial over alleged rape of daughter

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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0

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE hearing of evidence into the case of a father accused of raping his daughter at a school in Isabel is continuing at the High Court.

The trial started yesterday with the prosecution calling their first witness, the victim of the case to the stand.

The hearing was conducted virtually at the High Court.

Public Prosecutor Patricia Tabepuda during the opening of the trial said the issue for trial is whether there was consent involved during the commitment of the offence.

“Therefore, the crown must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the victim is forced into having sexual intercourse with her father,” Tabepuda said.

The girl told the court that her father forced her to have sex with him, even-though she refused.

She said the first incident occurred on 25 August2016 when she went to her father’s house to have some food.

She said that is when her father forced her to have sex with him.

She also told the court that she was raped twice by her father in that year.

Prosecution alleged that the man did have sexual intercourse with her daughter twice in 2016 on different dates.

The trial before Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer continues today.

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