By Mike Puia

ELDERS from a community in the Henderson area, East Honiara, are disappointed at how police is ignoring their reports.

One of these elders, Junior Tangi, claimed he made a report to the Henderson police but they failed to show up.

According to Mr Tangi, the matter they reported is a serious matter that involved a man producing illegal home-made spirit (kwaso) in their community.

Tangi, a former police officer himself, says this failure of duty by the police officers at the Henderson station undermines the reputation of the RSIPF.

He says it also is an indicator of the force’s incapability to deal with matters of concern of the community.

He said police have been going around promoting community support toward the work of the police but police’s recent non-response is frustrating.

“We want to support the work our police is doing- this is why we reported this matter. Since it failed to respond, we might as well decline to report anything case to the police,” Tangi said.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

PRINCIPAL Magistrate Fatimah Taeburi has raised concerns over the long delay in allocating a lawyer for an accused.

She said several times public solicitors (PSO) have appeared in court, they keep repeating the same excuse of not having received any instruction to the case, therefore assuring to relay any court instruction to their superiors.

This has been their excuse for eight months – since July last year.

The accused is Gordon Mark, in the case against him and fellow accused Nelson Maeta and John Nelson Ross.

This case is pending trial as Mr Mark is still without a lawyer to represent him.

Mark told court that he has visited the PSO several times, and the recent visit was just last week, and still no lawyer has been allocated to represent him.

The trio are charged in relation to the allegation 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 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 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, Taremae was convinced.

Then on various occasions between July and November 2011, the accused men allegedly handed 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 LYNTON AARON FILIA

JAPAN Embassy in Solomon Islands signed out SBD$695,362.05 for Uluga primary School’s double-storey classroom yesterday.

The grant is under the Japanese aid scheme known as Grassroots and Human Security project.

Yesterday, Japan Ambassador His Excellency Kenichi Kimiya officially signed a contract with officials from the Uluga Primary School in Malaita province.

The support of Japanese government to Uluga School is purposely for two-storey building from grade one to six and two tanks.

Japan Ambassador to SI, HE Kimiya said the aim of the funding is to provide better learning environment for the children of Uluga School.

“I want to emphasise that today is just the beginning day for you to start implementing this project properly, while keeping in your mind that this is a present from the Japanese taxpayers,” HE Kimiya said.

Chairman of the Uluga School Board, Pr Kemuel Mauta said the assistance meets priority areas for developing the school.

“For the last three years we’ve been running the School and have tried our best in promoting its development aspect, and our development action plan from 2017-2020 is to have permanent building,” Mauta said.

Mauta pledges that the school will work to completion, value the facilities, care for it and maintain its precious asset.

Attending the signing ceremony yesterday has convened Staffs of Japanese Embassy and Uluga officials comprises of Chairman for School Board Pr Kemuel Mauta, Head Teacher Mr Mosten Talonia and Landowner Mr James Naga.

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

PROJECT construction of classroom building for Peava Primary School at East Gatokae, Western Province, has been given approval by the Embassy of Japan in Solomon Islands.

Ambassador of Japan to Solomon Islands Kenichi Kimiya during the Grant Contract signing Ceremony yesterday with two representatives of Peava PS including the Premier of Western Province Hon Wayne Maepioh congratulated them for the official approval which they submitted to the Embassy in August 2016.

The total amount of assistance for the school to build a two-story classroom building reaches SBD$ 636,663. 60.

“On behalf of the government of Japan, I would like to take the opportunity to say that we are very pleased to contribute to the development for the people of Solomon Islands.

He emphasised to Peava PS representatives that yesterday was just the beginning for them to start implementing the project properly while keeping in their mind that it is a present from the Japanese taxpayers.

“I would like to see the successful completion of your project together in the near future resulting in composing cordial relationship between Japan and Solomon Islands,” said the Ambassador.

Headmaster for Peava PS Mr Webber Patovaki representing the school, community and stakeholders expressed their profound appreciation to the government and people of Japan for accepting and approving to fund the classroom project.

“We will do our best to adhere to the conditions governing this project. At the end of the day, the success of this project depends very much on our partnership.”

Maepioh during the ceremony also took the opportunity to thank Japan on behalf of the people of Western Province.

“Your support through this grassroots project reduces some difficulties the government is also facing. We continue to be inspired by your support in the many projects you have contributed with.”

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

A study on Solomon Islands women’s savings groups in rural areas of Makira and Malaita provinces found that while women face difficulties in saving, others opt out simply because they did not have any surplus to save.

Associate Professor Richard Eves of the Pacific Affairs Department of Australian National University stressed that the women had very limited options available to earn cash and couldn’t save money because there just wasn’t enough capital circulating or prices of cash crops was just too low.

“A recurring theme in the rural fieldwork sites of Makira and Malaita is that it is hard, if not impossible, to save when there is just not enough money circulating, or the price of cash crops, such as copra or cocoa, is very low.”

Eves said some women they interviewed expressed being dependent on remittances while one voiced that she would be poor if it was not for her children who live in the capital.

He furthered that in Malaita, women spoke of how they found it challenging when trying to save with of them who stressed on how hard it is to save money when there is so little of it coming through.

By Gary Hatigeva

FOREIGN Nationals with Solomon Islands heritage and Solomon Islanders holding on to foreign passports are anticipating the tabling and passage of the Dual Citizenship Bill 2017, which is confirmed to be tabled when parliament resumes.

Officials have confirmed that one of the much anticipated bills, the ‘Constitution (Amendment) (Dual Citizenship) Bill 2017’ has been confirmed for its first reading, along with The ‘Citizenship Bill 2017’.

This is something a lot of experts and officials familiar with the Bill believe will give people who have cultural connections to Solomon Islands the opportunity to take up Solomon Islands citizenship.

Island Sun took time to interview a good number of prominent figures who were part of the former Democratic Coalition for Change Government ((DCCG), who most of its policies have been adopted by the now SIDCCG, which includes the Dual Citizenship Bill, capturing their views on this.

Former Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Andrew Muaki in an online interview shared that the Bill if becomes law will surely allow for many families who live overseas that have very close and cultural ties, to gain citizenship in Solomon Islands and will also encourage those people to invest in the country.

Another official who was also part of the former DCCG now SIDCC Government and was also part of the drafting team of their policies, shared similar sentiments regarding the Dual Citizenship Bill, which he stressed have very good intentions and positive outlooks.

“In its drafting and consultation phases, the bill was obviously looking at how we can enable our nationals that have given up their legal rights to be Solomon Islanders, regain that status and even people with Solomon heritage that might see opportunities to invest in the country.

“Another aspect or positive outlook on this is to attract potential foreign investors who might have interests in the Pacific or Solomon Islands and choose to have a Solomon Islands legal connection to enable their business interests,” the official who wished not to be named explained.

Meanwhile, someone who recently came back from an official business trip suggested said with the Dual Citizenship in place, there is potential Solomon Islands can create a model to market it as another form of revenue for the country.

He then urged the government to consider nations like the Republic of China (ROC) Taiwan and others with similar status who can become great markets for the Dual Citizenship.

“Economically, we can rely on business people or millionaires from these nations to take up legal status with us that would enable them to make direct business interactions globally.

“All we need is for them to meet requirements, and one of which is to come with, say 10 million US Dollars, if stipulated in the Bill, then by having at least around ten of them, we should definitely see impacts to our economy,” another official suggested.

However, when asked about the downside of having this bill becoming law, Muaki and most stressed that application of this has to come with tough criteria and pointed out that the Bill should, also strongly restrict citizens of countries that can take up deal citizenship.

“As it stands any person from any country can take up Solomon Islands (SI) citizenship so long as it meets the grounds in the Bill.

“One obvious down side is that a dual citizen can now stand for election as the restriction imposed under section 49 of the Constitution will be lifted by the Constitutional amendment bill,” the former SSPM shared.

The Bills are expected to be tabled after parliament goes through two Reports from the office of the Auditor General, presentation of the Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands 2018 Budget and two other reports from the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Annual Report.

Around $2 Million has been projected to be allocated for the implementation programs of the Bill, anticipating its passing and enactment.

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

IN Solomon Islands, how women earn an income is not only challenged by local conditions but by social and gender norms.

Australian National University’s Associate Professor Richard Eves of Pacific Affairs Department discussed the above at last week’s Research Launch programme.

Mr Eves spoke on the kinds of social and gender norms that are perceived as appropriate behaviour for women and how it affects a woman’s mobility. Domestic labour and care responsibilities place restrictions on women in how they earn an income.

“Domestic labour and care responsibilities also impose constraints on women, so that they may not be able to devote long periods at markets or away from home earning an income,” he said.

Eves said although gender norms specify women as the responsible gender for unpaid household labour and childcare, some changes have changed these norms.

Regarding these changes, he said that what they found from communities that received gender awareness training, forums for discussions of gender roles and had economic empowerment programming introduced was a change in gender roles.

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

COMMUNITIES around Auki are calling on police to crack down on kwaso production and distribution in the town.

Speaking on behalf of the communities, Nelson Hugo said police should carry out raids on manufacture sites around the province.

He says the rise in anti-social activities related to consumption of kwaso is unbearable for the law abiding citizens of Auki.

He claims that there is a huge manufacturing site in the Tiki area near the Aligegeo school, but police have not raided it.

“Tiki is the main area where youths in and around Auki have come together almost every day to buy containers of mineral water containing Kwaso.

“Communities around Auki town appeal to again to Auki police to do a major operation to the Tiki area and do arrests for those producers.”

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

GIZO

WESTERN province premier Wayne Maepioh has praised the RSIPF Police Commissioner Matthew Varley for his visit to the province.

Maepioh said it was an honour to welcome the incumbent commissioner to the shores of the province.

More so, he stresses that the people of the province are indebted to the police for the fast and decisive action taken in addressing the recent scare involving 29 men from Bougainville who had crossed border last week.

“We thank you for the back up support rendered to our police officers here particularly with the availability of the two patrol boats, the PRT, other officers, the logistics.”

Maepioh also acknowledges the provincial police commander of Western province, Matthias Lenialu, for the remarkable policing done throughout the province since his appointment on the job.

“As the Premier of this Province, I am extremely satisfied with the level of security rendered and have a lot of confidence in our police force for the safety and security of our people, our communities and for the people of our nation Solomon Island.”