BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

POLICE have arrested a 26 year-old woman from Isabel province for causing death by reckless driving on a 15-year-old girl on September 15 night.

A police officer in Central Police station confirmed yesterday that the accused was arrested by the traffic officers and was charged in relation to the incident.

Meanwhile according to a statement from the Police Media Unit that 15-year-old female has died as a result of a car collision at the Honiara City Council (HCC) roundabout opposite the Solomon Water office last night 15 September 2018.

The statement says that Supervising Director, Kukum Traffic Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Michael Haomae says, “A 26-year-old female of Isabel Province was driving a motor vehicle along the Mendana Avenue in a westerly direction when the collision allegedly.

SSgt Haomae explains, “The motor vehicle was allegedly approaching the HCC roundabout at high speed when the vehicle went off the road and allegedly collided with the deceased who was walking in an easterly direction on the road near the Solomon Water office.”

Mr Haomae says, “Police attended to the fatal accident and assisted the victim to the National Referral Hospital. She was later pronounced dead by medical authorities.”

He says, “The suspect was transported to the Central Police Station and formally arrested for causing death by reckless and dangerous driving under the Traffic Act.

The suspect was given a Random Breath Test (RBT). Her alcohol blood reading was 0.184% well above the legal rate of 0.050%.”

SSgt Haomae adds: “The suspect was also arrested for driving an unlicensed motor vehicle which expired on 30 June 2018 and driving without a driver’s license.”

Mr Haomae says, “On behalf of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) I would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased after the sudden passing away of their young girl.

Police call on both parties involved to refrain from taking the law into their own hands but allow police to investigate and prosecute the matter before the court.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE trial into the case against three individuals alleged to have involved in fraud activities will continue today at the Honiara Magistrate Court.

The trial started a week ago and prosecution called its witnesses to testify in court.

The accused men; Gordon Mark, Nelson Maeta and John Nelson Ross were charged in relation to an incident which occurred in 2011 in Honiara.

The allegation said between November 1 and 30, 2011 where the two accused and other men obtained more than $300,000 by selling the victim fake gold bars.

Police alleged the men approached the victim, Hypolite Taremae, who is the former Minister of Truth Reconciliation and Peace, at his office at Anthony Saru Building.

Police said that the men went to see the alleged victim with the intention to obtained money through false pretence and also lure him into believing their made up stories.

The men and others allegedly told Mr Taremae that they were from Weather-coast in Guadalcanal. And in the coming days a reconciliation ceremony will take place in their village but they did not have enough money.

It was at that time they showed a picture of a gold bar to Mr Taremae which they claimed to be in their possession, Police said.

They allegedly said they have some gold bars which were stolen by the former Guadalcanal war-lord Harold Keke that was taken from the former Ross Mining during the height of the ethnic tension.

The men also allegedly showed Mr Taremae a certification letter from the Director of Mines that confirmed that the gold bars were gold and worth six million dollars.

Having heard from the accused and seen all the documents, Mr Taremae was convinced.

Then on various occasions between July and November 2011, the accused men allegedly handed Mr Taremae three gold bars in return they received $300,000.

The victim however, later found that the men lied to him and he took the “gold bars” to a dealer who confirmed they were fakes.

The bars were made from lead metal and painted with gold colour paint.

It was also alleged that the men threatened the case officer who was investigating their case that they will shoot him with a gun.

The allegation further said that the men claimed that they still have guns and will hunt for the case officer everywhere and will kill him.

BY GEORGINA KEKEA

PRIME Minister Rick Hou says installations for the undersea cable is expected to start by February 2019.

In an interview with ABC last week, Hou says due process for the undersea cable work is progressing well.

He says the issue of high and low water mark is now resolved with the Solomon Islands Cable company resolving the issue with land owners recently.

Hou said the only obstacle that government have to overcome is the foreshore issue.

“So the foreshore is beneath the high water mark, but above high water mark, it is all government land.”

He said Solomon Islands Cable Company have had consultations with the landowners over the past several months and has now resolved the issue of foreshore.

He said the progress is really good and he believes the project will be delivered on time, which is December 2019.

BY GEORGINA KEKEA

SOLOMON Islands position in countries and territories of conflicting interests was under scrutiny and questioned by the media in Australia recently.

Last week Prime Minister Rick Hou was in Brisbane for a Business Forum and was queried by ABC on Solomon Islands positions with Republic of China (ROC) Taiwan and West Papua.

Prime Minister Rick Hou says Solomon Islands continue to have strong bilateral and diplomatic relations with Taiwan while at the same time revealed that Solomon Islands recognise Indonesia as a sovereign country and does not advocate for independence for West Papua.

In the interview with ABC, Prime Minister Rick Hou said the government’s position will continue to remain with Taiwan and he is not aware of any overtures by Mainland China towards Solomon Islands. He said Solomon Islands have trade relations with Mainland China, a relationship that the government does not see any problem with.

Hou said he is aware though of suggestions made by people, commentators and the media about Solomon Islands looking into having a relationship with Mainland China.

“But as a government and as a country, the position that I explained, we maintain,” he said.

The People’s Republic of China or Mainland China views Taiwan as their province while Taiwan maintained that they are a country of their own with a democratically elected government. UN does not recognise Taiwan. Taiwan wants to become a member of the United Nations but lost its seat in that body in 1971, when the UN chose to recognise the People’s Republic of China instead. There can be only one China in the world, the UN decided.

At the same time on the issue of West Papau, Hou was being questioned on the consultation work carried out by his government to seek opinions and views by people of the provinces on the West Papua issue.

Hou said what the government is trying to achieve was to find out what people know about the West Papua issue and Melanesians in Indonesia.

“We are not advocating independence, we recognise that Indonesia has sovereign rights over what they claim as their country and we as a country recognise that.”

In a nutshell, since the 1960s, the Free West Papua Movement have protested against the government of Indonesia for Independence. Indonesia and West Papua had been a Dutch colony.

When Indonesia and Netherlands hadn’t been able to resolve their differences, West Papua was handed over to the UN in what was known as UN Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA). From thereon, they relinquished the territory to Indonesia.

Then on in 1969, following a referendum which was claimed to be rigged, West Papua was formally integrated into Indonesia.

The conflicting interests in Indonesia continues till now so as Taiwan (ROC) and mainland China.

By Mike Puia

SOLOMON Islands stands the chance of benefiting from a centre that has been set up in Nauru to tackle Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) in the pacific.

The centre has started operation and doctors working in the centre are doing outreach programmes from there.

The Prime Minister, Rick Hou, who recently returned from Nauru while attending the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting, said having an agreement with this centre would enable NCDs experts to visit this country.

Prime Minister Hou said his officials will officials from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to start contact with the centre on the possibility of developing a same centre here to work as a branch for the Nauru centre.

He said this country needs to secure a site and build a clinic for NCDs and this centre linking with the Nauru centre.

Issues relating to NCDs were among issues discussed by Pacific leaders meeting in Nauru.

During the private sector dialogue, leaders talked about disaster resilience and NCDs where Prime Minister Hou made a presentation on NCDs.

In his presentation, Prime Minister Hou urged leaders to take leadership in the fight against NCD.

He said people tend to forget that NCDs are the “biggest killers in the Pacific”.

Prime Minister Hou said there must be political leadership in the fight against NCDs.

He said doing so will led to a healthy population and nation.

Prime Minister Hou said while this would take time, people must serious about prevention.

End///

By Alfred Sasako

A 15-year-old girl was cheated of life on Saturday night when a vehicle allegedly driven at high speed ploughed into her as she walked home with other youths after church, police said last night.

Police are yet to release the girl’s name.

Eye witnesses told Island Sun the vehicle went over the newly-built concrete embankment, taking with her the young girl as she walked on the footpath towards Lawson Tama.

An angry mob descended on the vehicle, a white sedan and its driver, shortly afterwards, setting it alight. The burnt out wreck of the vehicle has been condoned off at the scene of the accident.

Police, who arrived at the scene about the same time, said the young girl was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

A 26-year-old female has been formally arrested and faces multiple charges on a number of offences, including “causing death by reckless and dangerous driving under the Traffic Act”.

The suspect was also arrested for driving an unlicensed motor vehicle which expired on 30 June 2018 and driving without a driver’s license.

“The motor vehicle was allegedly approaching the Honiara City Council Roundabout at high speed when the vehicle went off the road and allegedly collided with the deceased who was walking in an easterly direction on the (footpath) near the Solomon Water Office,” Kukum Traffic Supervising Director, Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Michael Haomae said in a statement.

“The suspect was transported to the Central Police Station and formally arrested for causing death by reckless and dangerous driving under the Traffic Act. She was given a Random Breath Test (RBT), which showed alcohol blood reading of 0.184 per cent, well above the legal limit of 0.050 percent.”

Relatives told Island Sun the girl was from Takwa, North Malaita. She was walking home with other youths around 8.30pm last night after attending a Youth Rally at the Holy Cross Cathedral.

Her death marred two month of Catholic celebrations which concluded in Honiara on Sunday. Thousands of Catholics from the Central Islands Province, Makira/Ulawa province and Guadalcanal province attended the closing celebrations which marked the landing of two Franciscan Brothers at Point Cruz in 1568 – some 450 years ago.

Staff Sgt Haomae on Sunday extended sympathy and condolences to members of the family.

“On behalf of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) I would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased after the sudden passing away of their young girl.”

He appealed members on both sides to refrain from taking the law into their own hands but to allow police to handle the matter.