China has donated 50,000 doses of the Sinopharm covid-19 vaccine to Solomon Islands.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare echoed this in his nationwide address yesterday.
He said Solomon Islands expect the vaccines to arrive in the country on April 11, this week.
Sogavare said the Technical working group together with the National Covid-19 Coordinating Committee will shortly be looking into the roll-out plan for the Sinopharm vaccine.
“More than 50 countries have received and are using Sinopharm Vaccines under their own ‘Emergency Use Authorisations’ either through donations or direct procurement.
“We are closely monitoring the approval process by the World Health Organisation of the Sinopharm vaccine to guide our roll-out planning.”
Police officers patrolling the Western border with Bougainville. PHOTO ABC
BY JENNIFER KUSAPA
One of four men from Tasman, PNG, has been sent to prison for illegal entry into the country without the prime minister’s exemption.
Thomas Poraka was charged with three others for illegal entry under the covid-19 regulations.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea yesterday said the accused with the others, who are yet to have their cases dealt with, entered SI territory at Pelau Islands between 7am to 8am on December 26, 2020.
DCM Iomea said when approached by police officers at Ontong Java, the accused did not have a valid PNG passport or an exemption from the PM to enter Solomon Islands border, the accused was then arrested at that time and was charged with illegal entry.
Iomea said considering all the circumstances surrounding the case and also the status of the accused being unemployed and having no relatives in the Solomon Islands, the court imposes a sentence of six months on the accused as his penalty for entering country illegally.
He said the accused will be unable to pay the fine and so six months jail is appropriate for the case.
Iomea also said the sentence will be backdated to the time the accused was placed in custody. Meanwhile the other three accused Lester Kapua, Frensly Keapu and Steven Atoka their case will be mentioned again in court on April 9 for possible re-arraignment
Bail has been refused for two men alleged of attempted murder.
The incident occurred at a village in Northeast Guadalcanal on December 26 last year.
Defence yesterday sought bail reasoning that the case is still ongoing and that the two men are innocent until court finds them guilty, according to constitution.
Prosecution however, argued that it is because the case is still ongoing that the two men cannot be allowed bail.
There is the likelihood that the two men would interfere with police investigations, prosecution says.
Furthermore, two other suspects are still at large.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea in refusing bail for the two men, explains that another factor supporting prosecution’s argument is the safety of the two accused, since there is no reconciliation between them and the victim’s family.
The incident occurred at Radebati village in the North East Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal province.
Police alleged that the two men Clive Pei and the other accused, a juvenile, unlawfully assaulted a man by cutting his face, head, back and shoulder with a 26-inch bush knife in December last year.
Iomea said the two accused were arrested on December 29 and were remanded in custody on the same day.
Hon Daniel Besa, Simon Vuto, Willie Kokopu and Samuel Siovi preparing to release the Olive Ridleys hatchlings into the wild (Photo Credit: Willie Atu)
ON Thursday the 1st of April, four hatchlings (baby turtles) of Olive Ridleys were released by Daniel Besa, (Guadalcanal Provincial Government Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture), Willie Kokopu (Guadalcanal Provincial government senior Fisheries Officer), Samuel Siovi (Class Six Student of Veralingi Primary School) and Simon Vuto of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) near the coastal areas off Rere plantation beaches in East Guadalcanal.
There are seven species of marine sea turtles in the world.
They are leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), Green turtle (Chelonia mydas),
Out of these seven species, five are found in Solomon waters.
They are the leatherbacks, the green turtles, hawksbills, loggerheads and the olive ridleys.
However, out of these five; only the leatherbacks, green turtles and hawksbills have been known nesting in the beaches in Solomon Islands.
Not until the recent national turtle assessment in 2019 that confirmed for the first time that olive ridley also do nest in the Solomon Islands as well.
It nests in Makira near Kaonasughu and a very recent accidental finding shows that olive ridleys also nests in East Guadalcanal, near the Rere plantation areas.
This is the second confirmed nesting site for Olive Ridleys in Solomon Islands.
Samuel and his father showing the actual site where he found the hatchlings in March 2020. (Photo credit- Willie Atu)
The accidental findings of the Olive Ridley hatchlings at the beaches near Rere plantation was made by Samuel Siovi, a class six student of Veralingi Primary School, East Guadalcanal in March 2020.
Samuel was returning home from school when he saw some baby turtles (hatchlings) were crawling out from their chamber in the sand.
This arouses his curiosity of which he further investigated and found out there are some more turtle eggs in the chamber that are in the process of hatching.
He took out his shirt and took home some baby turtles and about 40 eggs that are still to be hatched home.
He dug a hole in the sand next to his house and buried the eggs with the intention of keeping some as pets.
The next morning, he was surprised that many of the eggs have hatched and crawled out into the ocean.
Some of the remaining hatchlings were then kept in an abandoned broken water tank with sea water that he replaces every day and fed them with sliced meshed fishes.
It so happened that Daniel Besa (Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries) of Guadalcanal Provincial Government was returning to Honiara on that day from his ward tour that he saw some of children were playing with baby turtles on the beach in the village.
He was shown the other hatchlings of which he was offered some of the hatchlings to keep if he desires.
Besa took some of the hatchlings to Honiara and then informed The Nature Conservancy (TNC) office that he had some baby leatherback turtles at his residence if we would like to come and have a look.
On seeing the hatchlings, we could tell immediately that they are not leatherbacks.
They are not hawksbill or green either.
We then sent the photographs of the hatchlings to Dr Collin Limpus (the Indo-Pacific turtle expert) in Australia of which he identified the hatchlings as that of Olive Ridleys.
The news is an exciting one as it can now be further confirmed that Olive Ridleys do nest in the beaches in Solomon Islands as well.
They do nest in Waihaoru beach near Kaonasugu village, Makira and now in the Rere Plantation areas in East Guadalcanal.
Last Thursday a party from the Fisheries Division of Guadalcanal Province and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) were able to travel up to Rere areas and conduct awareness to schools and communities and together with Samuel Siovi and were happy to release the one year Olive Ridley hatchlings into the wild.
Willie Atu and the team is about to release the one-year Olive Ridley hatchlings into the wild. (Photo Credit- Simon Vuto)
Hoping that one day some of them will return to nest on these shores again.
The threats that these amphibian reptile faces in their life processes is enormous.
First, human beings are their major threat.
This is both direct and indirect.
Humans hunt for turtles during nesting seasons by digging up their eggs and killing the mother turtles when they come to the beaches during nesting seasons.
Or they even shoot them with harpoons whenever they come up to the surface for breathing during their turtle hunting trips for special occasions in their communities.
Or indirectly, they destroy their habitats by destroying the nesting beaches of which they come up to nest in the name of developments.
The lives of the hatchlings were also threatened by other natural predators.
Statistically, the ratio of their survival is very low.
Out of every 1000 hatchlings that go out into the wild, only one will return to nest again at the nesting beach of its birth.
Climate Change is also one of the major threats as sex of the hatchlings of sea turtles are determined by sand temperatures.
The increased in sand temperature will result in the likelihood of more female hatchlings.
With these predicaments at hand in relation to the life cycle of sea turtles, it requires a concerted effort of every member of the community that includes churches, schools and tribal groupings to ensure the continuity of the survival of these sea creatures into the future.
Otherwise, the future generations will just see them as pictures in books and magazines.
Samuel Siovi, a class six turtle rescuer is to be applauded for rescuing a rare species of sea turtle at the Rere beaches in East Guadalcanal, giving them a chance for survival.
MALAITA Premier Daniel Suidani is seeking a judicial review of the constitutionality of the controversial Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
He expressed his Government’s intention, Monday.
Suidani said the national constitution provides for three arms of the Government – the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary.
He pointed out these three arms have powers and functions that are separated but supported each other, making sure there are checks and balances in the governing of the country.
But he said CDF is a scheme where the elected members of parliament who are legislators have been allocated funding to carry out activities in the name of development in their constituencies.
In other words, politicians have taken on a role that should be of public servants serving under the executive.
This is a welcoming development.
We encourage Suidani to pursue the matter on behalf of Solomon Islanders.
CDF is the biggest fraud to have happened in the life of this nation.
It has enriched mostly politicians while denying ordinary Solomon Islanders the much-needed economic development they deserve.
We don’t have to look elsewhere to see the evidence that CDF is not achieving its intended purpose.
The evidence is right before our eyes in the 50 constituencies.
That despite the millions of development funds allocated under the scheme each year, there’s nothing CDF could show for in the constituencies.
It’s a scheme that is controlled and dictated by politicians for their own political ends.
Since the politicians are in control of it, and is difficult to end the scheme, let’s take it to the courts.
This is why the whole nation must stand behind Suidani’s intention.
If the courts rule the scheme is illegal, those development funds could be put to better use for the benefit of our country.
Removing the scheme from them would also allow them to concentrate of their legislative role.
UN Women- Market for Change Programme has reached out to Gizo Market Vendors with machineries to improve food productivity. Members of Gizo Market Vendors Association took ownership of a mini ploughing machine and a power tiller ploughing machine during a handover ceremony at Western Province's Agriculture Research Centre, Gizo, Western Province yesterday. (Pictured) Ms Granly Ravu tries out the machine. PHOTO BY BEN BILUA
BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
UN Women – Market for Change programme has reached out to Gizo Market vendors with machineries to improve food productivity.
Members of Gizo Market Vendors Association took ownership of a mini ploughing machine and a power tiller ploughing machine during a handover ceremony at Western Province’s Agriculture Research Centre, Gizo Western Province yesterday.
The handover was witnessed by delegates from Honiara including officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), UN Women Programme and officials from Western Province Agriculture division.
Technical Officer of MAL demonstrates how to start the machine
“The main objective of this programme is to help market vendors to improve food productivity. Main focus is on addressing threats to food security,” McDonnell Hiva, Chief Field officer of MAL said.
He told vendors that the machineries are new and that more practice will unable perfect usage of the machines.
Hiva said the presence of vendors during the handing over demonstrate the importance of the project and its future.
McDonnell Hiva delivers his speech during the handover ceremony
“I want to highly emphasis that, more practice will make perfect. Furthermore, I urge you to establish effective network and communication so that these equipments bring equal benefit to all vendors,” he said.
Secretary of Gizo Market Vendors Association, Alecs Padakana welcomes the assistance saying that the machines will have an impact to vendors’ production.
Hands on training by MAL Officer
Further training is needed to help vendors to familiarize on how to use the machines.
“These are new machines and I’m of the view that we need more training to handle these things,” Padakana said.
One of the vendors, Granly Ravu said the machines are easy to handle and suitable for women.
“Women are the ones who spent more time in the garden and these machines are a great relief to our vendors.
“Our Vendors will no longer use their strength to plough the ground but instead the machines will to the job which is a good thing,” she said.
Gizo Market Vendors Association is an umbrella body representing vendors from the surrounding islands in Western Province and members acknowledged UN Women Program for the great assistance.
The new born babies born around the Easter period at the National Referral Hospital were presented with gifts on Easter Monday.
The presentation of the gifts was made possible from a surprise visit by the students and staff of Woodford International School.
Speaking during the handing over of gifts, team leader, Jessey Koli, highlighted that this idea was initiated by the students and staff of team Mataniko.
Team Mataniko is one of the house teams of Woodford International School. Each year, the team decides on a project and the team members work towards achieving it through fundraising and donations.
“The project has to be community related, so whatever donations collected or funds raised is geared towards community service,” he stated.
“In fact what we have witnessed today is a fulfillment of last year’s project. We could not do it last year because of the Covid 19 restrictions. However, today it is a joy that these students and staff can come to present the gifts on behalf of their team members from Team Mataniko,” he added.
A student leader, Joshua Pryor, explained that the gift pack was a mixture of diapers, baby soap, baby oil and other baby necessity.
Students and staff of Woodford International School posing with the gifts. Photos supplied
“We are happy to be part of this, most especially to help a new born baby with this Easter package,” he said.
He further explained that none of this could have happened without the support of their parents as well.
And on that note thanked the parents for their continuous support towards Team Mataniko’s plans and projects.
Receiving the Easter package donations was the postnatal Nurse Manager, Gusto Roberts. She thanked the students and their teachers for their kind donation.
“We are so thankful and grateful indeed on behalf of the mothers and newborn babies who are going to benefit from your generosity,” she said.
“It is so unexpected to receive such gifts from students who are concerned about our mothers and babies and also to love and care for them during this Easter season.
“At this time, more than 2000 years ago, Jesus our master shows his love and care to die for us. Such love is indeed shown by your presence here today with the gifts you offer.”
After a brief handing over, thirty (30) Easter packs were distributed. Each new born baby received a pack. A special package was given to a baby that was born exactly on the time of the visit.
Ms Kate Ulufa’alu and Ms Nastassia Dara, two of the staffs who accompanied the students thanked the nurses and doctors of postnatal ward for giving the opportunity to visit the mothers and babies and bid all of them a happy Easter as we commemorate our risen Lord.
A weekend excursion by young people from the Lau valley SDA church has helped heal a long-standing division within a village on Ngella, Central Islands Province.
On Thursday, the Youth and Pathfinder missions of the Church travelled across the waters with the theme ‘reflecting God’s love’ to Vunuha village, an Anglican dominated community.
With the mission of reaching out to the small SDA church in the community, the turnout was unexpected as days of mistrust and division that exists between the two denomination was buried and both seeking ways to work together going into the future.
Pathfinders pose for a photo with an old lady during their visitation to the village elders
Village Chief and SDA minister, John Kara was all smiles as he reflected on the blessings that the Lau Valley SDA church youth and pathfinder mission has brought to them.
“This is the first time for our SDA and Anglican Communities here in Vunuha to unite and work openly together with each other to ensure our guests are feel welcomed into the community.
Members of the pathfinder platoon on their command
One of such gestures was during heavy rain on Saturday and the chiefs from the Anglican Community approached the campsites and invited all of them to come into their homes.
Chief Kara said the community in the past had only allowed the SDA church to set up in the village, but relations have not been cordial.
On news of the proposed visit, the Anglican community was approached and the visit was allowed.
The SDA community were grateful that despite the busy weekend with easter celebrations in the Anglican calendar, they are able to assist during the duration of the programme.
Minister John kara in front of New Vunuha SDA ChurchFew girls from Vunuha in line with the pathfinders
Mr Kara said apart from mending relations, the trip had also been a learning point for him as the leader of the new Vunuha SDA church in the community.
“It is a spiritual and physical awakening as my community are able to participate with our brothers and sisters from the Lau Valley SDA church.
He said there are needs within the community and if there are lending hands it would go towards completing the work of God in this place.
Among the activities conducted by the youth and pathfinder missions were trainings on marching drills, camping skills, visitation to the sick and old people in the community and social games where the Vunuha kids came to enjoy.
1 Star & 2 Star Entertaining the crowd during their closing programe
He would like to acknowledge youth leader of Lau valley church, Edwin Mark, Pathfinder group leader, Hilton Bekepio, organizer of the trip, Ben Waitara and the administration office of the Lau valley church for allowing the group to travel across.
To seal the new found relationship, the Lau valley church donated some gifts to the community at Vunuha to show their commitment towards fostering the relationship.
A bird’s eye view of Vunuha village
Anglican Church member and Community chief, John Selwyn thanked the young people of Lau valley church for visiting their community.
“We look forward for a bigger programme than this where you can come and visit or we come to visit you.
Anglican community chief, John Selwyn welcomes the visit by the SDA Lau Valley group into his community
He made mention of the need to refurbish the old Anglican Church in their community and is looking for assistance, given the news that the Adventist men of Lau valley church have been involved in building churches in communities within Ngella and around the provinces.
THE Democratic Coalition for Government Advancement is going to table a $4 billion ‘superficial’ budget in this sitting of Parliament.
The 2021 estimate of the budget is not based on 2020 actuals but on 2019’s.
A professional accountant, who wished not to be name, said there is a big flaw in the estimate of the budget.
“Why is the government using the 2019 actuals?
“This 2019 actuals is already stalled or no longer relevant,” accountant said.
The accountant said the government should not have any problem to generate the 2020 actual especially in this computerised world where payments at Ministry of Finance and Treasury is done digitally.
The accountant believes there are two possible reasons for the government to use the 2019 actuals:
The 2020 actuals are still not finalised or summarised; and
The expenses from last year have not been legalised.
Island Sun understands the Government tabled two Supplementary bills.
The government could not table the 2021 Appropriation Bill 2021 last December because of the covid-19.
As such, the accountant believes the government is likely to bring Supplementary Appropriation Bills in this financial year to cover the 2020 actuals.
In the meantime, Solomon Star investigation found a huge ‘mismatch’ in the budget that appears to exist between the Budget estimates and the Government’s Redirection Policy.
At the same time, Solomon Star claimed what has been suspected all along that figures presented in the budget were rubbery and “misleading”.
The revelation comes at a time when one major donor has reportedly distanced itself from claims that it (the donor) is supporting the government’s development funding.
“Nothing in the Redirection Policy is reflected in the allocations in the estimates in terms of funding the cost of the Redirection Policy. It is a huge mismatch between reality and assumptions,” those in the corridors of power told Solomon Star.
“The government is saying one thing but in reality is doing completely the opposite,” they said.
For example, the DCGA government recently introduced a comprehensive review officially known as the Redirection Policy which is intended to focus on the growth sector of the economy.
“But when you look at the Budget and the Redirection Policy, they have nothing in common. In other words, there is nothing in the Budget estimates to reflect the cost of the Redirection policy. There is a huge mismatch,” they said.
Solomon Star has obtained a Draft Copy of the 96-page Redirection Policy, which outlined key priorities in the different sectors, which the government has identified in its Redirection Policy.
It has divided key priorities into four (4) main sectors – the Fundamental, Social, Resources, and the Productive Sectors.
According to the Draft Redirection Policy, five Ministries have been identified for the Fundamental Reform Sector. They are the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination, Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
In the growth sector, it envisages increased investment in Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, and Tourism.
“The Rollout of the Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) in supporting the agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and tourism is a manifestation of our drive to support (the) growth sector,” the Draft Redirection Policy said.
The government spent $306 million on the ESP, according to leaked Budget Summary papers, which Solomon Star has obtained.
According to the papers, the government expected a $12 million return this year on the ESP payout, a forecast described as “impossible” by economists.
“Even if you invest the entire ESP money buying stocks, it is impossible to get a $12 million return in just 12 months,” they said.
Ontong Java and Tikopia have not had any court visit for the last 16 years.
Chief Magistrate Emma Garo revealed this during the Public Accounts Committee hearing last week.
She said they have not managed to visit the two outliers due to funding.
“We haven’t visited the Malaita Outer Islands, Sikaiana, Lordhowe, Tikopia and Anuta for almost 16 years now.
“It would be fair for them to say is the Justice system only for those in Honiara, we have not managed to do that because of lack of funding, so it’s a challenge for us to organise and visit these areas.”
Ms Garo said the Magistracy have visited almost all the centres throughout the country and in terms of its performance in 2020 all courts from Western, Makira, Auki and Honiara hit more than 100 percent disposal rate for all cases civil, criminal and customary land appeal court.
She said they have brought those courts to a manageable level and want the government to maintain the effective performing level of the court to avoid going back to backlog of cases, because the challenge faced is funding to maintain the courts.
Garo said in this year’s budget they have been allocated with only $915,711 for the court circuits and CLAC and compared to 2020 budget this year’s budget has been reduced to 142 percent of last year’s budget.
She also said that their budget for this year was around $2million, calculated by their office managers, however that budget was reduced and she also posed a question whether those who do the budget-cut know better than those office managers who are based in the field.
