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Malaita’s chazon development to be revived

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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PS of Malaita Province Jackson Gege

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

THE Malaita Chazon Development Authority (MCDA) committee will regroup and revive the once thriving business arm of Malaita province.

This was confirmed by the provincial secretary of Malaita province Jackson Gege during the provincial planning development committee meeting with the heads of Department (HODs) earlier this week.

He said the MCDA formerly known as Malaita Development Authority (MDA) has not been functioning well for the last decade, thus the idea to regroup for the betterment of the people of Malaita province.

Mr Gege added MCDA upon revival will revisit its operations that will help the province in terms of its revenue.

At the moment the MCDA committee members manning the office for the past few years are yet to be reorganised and take up new responsibilities.

“We will call for a meeting soon for all our members to regroup and started of our developments for the future of this province.”

MCDA will also be looking at reviving and revisiting their assets including fisheries and agriculture and livestock in Auki and around Malaita province.

Students without book allowance

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

LIVING stipend allowance for Solomons Government sponsored students in Fiji have arrived – but no book allowance.

While the students acknowledge yesterday’s receipt of their living stipend, they have called on the government and the ministry of education to make-quick with their book allowances.

Book allowance is equally important since textbooks by which lecturers base their lectures on can only be bought with the book allowance, and the majority of Solomon Islands students have been to classes since day one without any text book, course guide or assignment book.

This is very serious, the students say.

“Usually the book allowances are received with our monthly allowances but today, only monthly allowances were facilitated.

“We have still not heard of updates over our book allowances but hopefully we should receive them soon.”

An attempt for update from the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) was not possible yesterday.

The night the Russians dropped in

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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One of the two buses taking the Russians into town after they arrived on a private jet last night.

By Alfred Sasako

IT is not a normal sight in Solomon Islands – that a group of Russians drop in on a private jet. This week they did – all six of them – four men and two women.

Perhaps it is one of the reasons why the timing for their visit was kept under wrap as such arrival would no doubt have attracted quite a crowd if it were to have taken place in broad daylight.

One social media commentator suggested the private jet touched down at 6:50pm – 10 minutes earlier than scheduled.

One of the two buses taking the Russians into town after they arrived on a private jet last night.

Of much contention was an eyewitness account which Island Sun carried about the fact that Civil Aviation Authority electricians were late in turning on the powerful floodlights for more than half an hour.

Island Sun was at the international Airport precinct for about two hours – from shortly after 7pm to around 8pm. Between 7pm and around 7.30pm the floodlights remained off.

This shows the airport in total darkness without flood lights.

This was at the time the Russian jet was parked outside the international terminal building and being cleared by Customs and Immigration officials.

The only lights that could be seen in the pitch-black darkness were those from inside the Terminal Building, the lights inside the jet as well as the blue tarmac light. There were no flood lights.

The only light seen on the left here is the one coming from the tail of the Russian jet.

I took a number of photographs including two which show the aircraft parking area in total darkness. The explanation which I was given was that the electricians arrived late, possibly because they were not informed about the jet’s arrival time in good time.

Why the lightings became an issue is because our people simply do not have the bona fides of the Russian individuals. Were they businessmen, for example? Or were they using businesses as a cover for their visit?

The other vitally important question is who in the new government invited them? I am inclined to believe that Prime Minister Ricky Houenipwela was cautiously guarded about the visit.

So security concerns should be a major consideration for all Solomon Islands people if we care about our country. Surprisingly, even senior people in this country are still accusing us of creating the story.

The timing of the visit is another concern. Why invite the Russians when the government is still finding its feet? So many unanswered questions.

One of the two buses taking the Russians into town after they arrived on a private jet last night.

Foreign affairs ministry explains Russian visit

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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THE Ministry of foreign affairs (MFAET) has explained the ‘Russian visit’ which was reported in yesterday’s Island Sun Newspaper front page.

In a media statement, the MFAET said, “A six-member delegation from the Russian Federation “Bid Committee EXPO 2025” arrived in Honiara on the evening of Monday, February 19, 2018.

The visit is part of the delegation’s Pacific campaign tour to rally support for the bid by the Russian city of Ekaterinburg to host the World Expo in 2025.

Prior to arriving in Honiara the delegation had visited Samoa, Fiji, and Vanuatu. They will be visiting Nauru next.

The delegation is led by the Russian Resident Ambassador in Australia and are in the country to meet with senior Government officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & External Trade and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

During the visit the delegation showcased their bid under the theme “Changing the World: Innovations and Better Life for Future Generations”. The Expo is schedule to be held from March to November 2025.

Elections for the hosting of the Expo are due to be held in November this year in Paris, France at the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) headquarters. Solomon Islands is a member of the Bureau International des Expositions.

The approval for the visit was granted by the Office of the Prime Minister and was conveyed to the Russian Embassy in Canberra through the Solomon Islands High Commission in Canberra.

Solomon Islands and Russia are yet to establish formal diplomatic relations.

The delegation had departed for Nauru yesterday.

–GCU

UXO scare

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Area at Henderson where the UXO was sighted

BY GEORGINA KEKEA

THREE unexploded ordnance (UXO) were reportedly unearthed by an excavator digging at an area in Henderson yesterday.

In a telephone conversation to Island Sun yesterday, owner of the machine said it was in the morning when his boy found the three UXOs.

He said upon sighting the bombs, they called the police to dispatch a team to check and remove the bombs from the site.

“But since I am in the business of digging up area where UXOs are rife, we were already cautioned by the bomb disposal team on what we should do in the event our team come across a bomb,” he person who wants to remain anonymous said.

He said that his boys are well aware of the standard procedures in place and this is not the first occurrence for them.

“What we were advised to do was to cover the bombs and not to tamper with them but to keep them away from exposure to heat or the sun and only allow the bomb disposal team to have access to the bombs. At this stage, no one else will be allowed to come close or to touch the bombs except the bomb disposal team,” he said.

Upon Island Sun’s arrival at the site where the UXO was sighted, the excavator operator was already continuing into his task at hand as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Reports reaching this paper said the bomb disposal team had already moved in to remove the bombs.

Island Sun has not been able to get verification from the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Media Unit on these UXO.

AS Magenta and Lupe Ole Soaga arrives

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Members of AS Magenta during their arrival in Honiara on Tuesday

BY ROMULUS HUTA

TWO of the four clubs that will compete in the Oceania Champions League Group D competition have arrived in Honiara yesterday.

They are the 2017 semifinalist AS Magenta of New Caledonia and the group’s underdog Lupe Ole Soaga of Samoa.

The two teams arrived on the same flight yesterday via Nadi and Port Vila respectively.

Both teams are in camp at the Honiara Hotel.

The other two teams in Group D are hosts Marist and Team Wellington of New Zealand.

Team Wellington will fly in tomorrow afternoon.

The Group D competition will kick off on Saturday 1pm at Lawson Tama with AS Magenta taking on Lupe Ole Soaga in the first match.

The second match at 4pm is between Marist and Team Wellington.

The competition continues for its match day two Tuesday next week while the final pool matches are scheduled for Friday.

We’ll take one game at a time: Ualesi

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY ROMULUS HUTA

LUPE Ole Soaga coach Paul Ualesi says they will take one game at a time in the Oceania Champions League Group B competition that will get underway this Saturday at Lawson Tama Stadium.

Ualesi and his boys landed in Honiara and admit that they are drawn in a very tough pool where they will come up against AS Magenta, Team Wellington and hosts Marist starting this weekend.

“This is our first time here. The boys are really happy to be here, especially for the tournament

“This is a really tough pool for us. We’ll take one at a time. It’s a really tough one,” Ualesi said.

Lupe Ole Soaga is a four-time champion in the Samoan national soccer league and they are the last to qualify into the Oceania Champions League group stage.

This came after they finished as runner-up behind Cook Islands’ Tupapa Maraerenga in the preliminary qualifiers held in American Samoa last month.

Lupe Ole Soaga will open their campaign 1pm this Saturday at Lawson Tama taking on AS Magenta of New Caledonia.

“AS Magenta is one of the top clubs in New Caledonia.

“We played against them last year coming out with a narrow loss but this time will be different.

“It’s a good challenge for the boys to play against magenta.”

Following the encounter this Saturday, four-time grandfinalist Team Wellington awaits them on Tuesday 1pm for their second match.

Their final match is against hosts Marist on Friday 4pm at Lawson Tama.

Japanese peace boat arrives tomorrow

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Peace Boat also conducts activities with 2017 Nobel Peace Prize winner the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) around the world, and the ICAN logo is also featured on the ship

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

A Japanese boat which promotes global peace will arrive in Honiara tomorrow.

The visit of Japan-based International NGO Peace Boat, also known as MV Ocean Dream, is part of 56-day Oceania voyage to promote grassroots exchange and education about global issues.

According to Japan Grace Co Ltd, passengers will visit WWII memorial sites such as Bloody Ridge and Mt Austin, while others will visit tourist attractions including Bonegi Beach, National Museum and National Parliament.

One group will visit Kakabona Village to experience Solomon culture and tradition, where they also hope to impart a few Japanese cultural norms to the villagers in return.

These activities will be carried out with cooperation from many local partners from both public and private sectors.

“The passengers look forward to meeting warm and hospitable people of Solomon Islands,” the Japan Grace Co Ltd said.

Moreover, a delegation from Peace Boat, on behalf of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and including Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor Mr Miyake Nobuo and ICAN Ambassador / former Australian Senator Scott Ludlam, will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Solomon Islands, Hon Mr George Milner Tozaka.

“We hope to congratulate the Solomon Islands for being among the 122 states that voted last year to adopt the historic UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and share our message encouraging signing and ratification of the treaty.”

Peace Boat, a unique non-profit organisation, was founded 35 years ago by university students in Tokyo.

Since then it developed into an international NGO with United Nations consultative status with an influential presence in Japanese civil society and the global peace movement.

It organises three global voyages and two regional voyages each year, and to date has carried more than 60,000 participants to over 100 countries onboard a total of 95 voyages.

As a committed campaigner for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Peace Boat’s ship has since 2016 been sailing with the Global Goals logo on its hull, and conducting activities related to the SDGs in each of the ports it visits.

Peace Boat also conducts activities with 2017 Nobel Peace Prize winner the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) around the world, and the ICAN logo is also featured on the ship.

Warriors arrive

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Jodanna Molea greets his dad Judd Molea at the Honiara International Airport on Tuesday

By Taromane Martin

Jodanna Molea greets his dad Judd Molea at the Honiara International Airport on Tuesday

GROUP B runner-ups Solomon Warriors FC yesterday arrived back in the country after qualifying for the quarterfinal of the 2018 Oceania Champions League.

After losing 2-0 to Erakor Golden Stars in their opening match, Warriors fought their way back to finish second in their group with six points – thanks to victories over AS Lossi of New Caledonia and AS Dragons of Tahiti.

Head Coach Moses Toata told SunSPORTS yesterday the secret to their victory was because they had the opportunity to analyze Lossi and Dragons games after their loss.

“After our first loss we went back and had the opportunity to watch AS Dragons and AS Lossi play,” he said.

“That enabled us to identify their weaknesses and the good thing is that we had a convincing win over Lossi which placed us on the right path.

Coach Toata adds with the Telekom Soccer League (TSL) knockout championship set to kick off March 11 his side will switch focus for the domestic competition

“At the moment we will concentrate on the knockout which is also important and we will use it as our build up for the next stage of the Champions League.

“We are yet to confirm who we will play against so I will need to gather the boys back and prepare for the knockout and the next stage that is our immediate priority,” he said.

Solomon Warriors FC arrived 2pm yesterday on board Virgin Airlines.

Moizan rates Marist

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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AS Magenta Coach Alan Moizan.

BY ROMULUS HUTA

AS Magenta Coach Alan Moizan.

AS Magenta coach Alan Moizan has rated hosts Marist as the team to beat in the Group D actions of the Oceania Champions League here in Honiara.

Moizan, who is not new to Solomon Islands having led the senior New Caledonia side as head coach to reach the grandfinal of the 2012 OFC Nations Cup in Honiara, said they have a lot of respect for Marist in this upcoming competition.

“Marist will be backed by the home crowd and we expect them to be tough.

“We have a lot of respect for them and they are the team to beat.”

The Frenchman stressed that the competition is going to be tough but he is looking forward to a good performance from his team.

“We’ll play three matches and we are looking forward to them.”

AS Magenta will open their Oceania Champions League campaign on Saturday against Lupe Ole Soaga of Samoa at 1pm, Lawson Tama.

The match will be a rematch of their last year’s Oceania Champions League meeting where AS Magenta only managed to win by 2-1.

Moizan added that Lupe Ole Soaga is a good team and they fought very hard to beat them during their last meeting.

After taking on the Samoan outfit in the opener, hosts Marist awaits them next Tuesday at 4pm while their final match will be against Team Wellington next Friday.

Moizan outlined that they played three matches against Team Wellington in the past seasons losing twice and drew one.

Their last meeting was last year’s Oceania Champions League semifinal second leg where the NZ outfit won 7-1.

“We’ll remain focussed and that is what we are here for. We are hoping to win matches to qualify us into the quarterfinals.”

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