Police arrest Chinese miner over masterminded assault and robbery of 2 Asian Australian miners
BY LORETTA B MANELE
Police have arrested a Chinese miner following what is reported to an arranged attack on two other miners.
Two Australian citizens, of Asian origin, were reportedly assaulted and robbed on Sunday afternoon, March 8, by three locals outside the Meat Lovers Kukum shop.
The locals were hired by four Chinese men who were senior figures in a mining company, sources told Island Sun on Sunday.
The incident is connected to the mining operation on Rennell island, Renbel province, sources said.
Police Media told Island Sun last night “One of the Chinese businessmen who masterminded the hiring of the locals to harm the two persons has been arrested by police. Investigations have been initiated and ongoing on the matter.”
Four Chinese individuals had masterminded the attack and hired the three locals, police said.
At this stage, it is not clear whether the plan was to kill the two persons or just threaten them, police told Island Sun.
Island Sun has sighted a video which was recorded by one of the two persons during the attack showing the three locals assaulting and robbing them.
The faces of the three local men are clearly visible in the video as they entered the vehicle, assaulted and snatched the vehicle key, and snatched a mobile phone from the two Chinese Australians.
The incident occurred in broad daylight with vehicles passing by. Bystanders reportedly came and persuaded the attackers to return the vehicle keys.
The mobile phone remains missing.
The four men who allegedly masterminded the attack are senior figures of one of the mining companies operating on Rennell, sources told Island Sun.
The two Asians, Australian citizens are also senior members of another mining company, and were embroiled in business disputes with the four men, sources said.
It is understood that an injunction case between the parties is before the courts, to be heard this week.
Meanwhile, this is not the first violent incident to happen connected to extractive operations in Rennell.
The most media-covered incident took place on the morning of Saturday, November 8, 2014, when a prominent landowner of West Rennell was attacked with a 60-centimetre bushknife and got his arm nearly chopped clean off. The attackers were hired by a logging company following dispute with the victim.
In September 2016 then Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare ordered an urgent investigation into “deepening violence” in West Rennell logging operations. The violence resulted in at least two people sustaining knife wounds. An attacker was taken into police custody in Honiara.
In May 2017 two cases of alleged arson occurred near Kanava Village in West Rennell. Police investigators from the National Crime Intelligence department were deployed from Honiara to assist.
In January 2020 an Indonesian national employed by the Bintang Mining Company was fatally stabbed on Rennell Island following an argument with two local men. The victim died at the Tigoa clinic, and two suspects in their 30s were arrested.
For feedback, contact: [email protected]
Editor: [email protected]
