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Disability association gets new hilux from Australia

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Disability People Association Solomon Islands (DPASI) has received a new two-cabin Toyota Hilux from Australian Aid through the Australian High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands.

The handover took place at the Development Service Exchange (DSE) on yesterday at New Chinatown.

Speaking at the handover DPASI Vice-President Anika Kingmele said the association continues to face many challenges in its effort to run its operations and this donation is timely for the association.

She said the new vehicle will enable staff to smoothly run operations of the office among other transportation needs of the association.

“This timely donation is a significant contribution towards the efficient operations of the office of DPASI. It will allow DPASI to reach out to other areas out of Honiara boundaries in its effort to continue to advocate and implement its programmes and activities,” said Anika Kingmele.

She believes the new vehicle will propel DPASI towards the realisation of its vision for people with disabilities.

“I, on behalf of the DPASI Board, the Chief Executive Officer, staff, and members of DPASI profusely thank the people and the Government of Australia through the different implementing agencies for the past, present, and future support to the association,” she said.

“Your partnership has been essential to our operations; your unwavering commitment and your vision for a better Solomon Islands through the work of DPASI. We appreciate and value very much your loyalty and trust and we look forward to continuing this journey for the betterment of our people,” said the DPASI Vice-President.

The affiliate member representatives of DPASI at the handing over include Disability Women Empowerment Association, the Solomon Islands Deaf Association, the Blind Visual Impairment of Solomon Islands, and the psychosocial group.

Case of 51-yo man charged with rape of 5-yo girl returns to court July 25

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

The case against a 51-year-old man who allegedly raped a five-year-old girl will come back to court on July 25 for plea and possible committal hearing.

Prosecution on Thursday this week, made an application in court under section 201 of the Criminal Procedural Code (CPC) to substitute the initial charge of sexual intercourse to rape charge against the accused.

The presiding Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea granted the substituted charge.

Defence sought 14 days adjournment to look through the substituted charge and obtain instructions from the accused for plea.

The accused who name cannot be named to protect the allege victim’s identity is charged with one count of rape on a child under age of 15.

The victim in this case is a five-year-old girl.

The allegation said on May 17, 2024 around 4.30pm the victim was playing outside their house at Burn Creek, east Honiara.

While she was playing the suspect called her to go to him in his house.

The suspect was their close neighbour and while calling the victim he also told her that he would give her a packet of twisties.

The victim then went to the suspect and he took her into his house.

It was further alleged the suspect removed his clothes and the victim’s clothes and did sexual actions on the child.

It was alleged that during the course of sexual activity, the victim’s mother who was in their house realised that her daughter was missing so she went out looking for her.

She called the victim but she did not answered. She then came to the place where the victim was playing but she was not there so she walked towards the suspect’s house which was beside the place her daughter was playing.

As she was approached the house of the suspect, she heard a noise inside the house so she peeped through a window and saw the suspect half naked and her daughter standing naked in front of him.

The mother was angry and shouted saying “[Suspect] what have you done to my daughter, my husband and I we always help you and your family, why did you do such thing to my daughter”.

The victim’s mother walked into the house and took the victim outside and walked away.

Later the mother took the victim to one of their relatives and asked her daughter what the suspect did to her and the victim told her mother.

On May 20 the victim was assisted by her mother to Sexual Assault Squad and reported the matter to the police.

The suspect escaped to an unknown location, but was later located by police on June 4 at White River and was formally arrested.

Herrick Lautola appears for crown and Delilah Kukura appears for suspect.

Solomon Islands to host country investment roundtable forum

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BY NED GAGAHE

Solomon Islands will be hosting a one-day country investment roundtable forum next week.

Robert D Kaua, Deputy Secretary Governance of the Ministry of Provincial Government & Institutional Strengthening said that forum will be held on Friday, July 19th, 2024 at the King Solomon Hotel Conference Centre, from 9:00am – 2:30pm.

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP) is implementing a Technical Cooperation Programme in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) to facilitate the delivery of effective and inclusive rural financial services in selected five countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Nepal and Solomon Islands) in the Asia Pacific region.

This effort targets enhancing rural financial services’ effectiveness and inclusivity amidst noted challenges in financing rural and agricultural enterprises.

According to the forum’s concept note, during scoping studies in the countries, it was generally observed that there is a gap in financing the rural and agricultural enterprises due to various factors.

The other highlights of the assessments are limited financial infrastructure, a nascent digital finance landscape, and significant gaps in financial literacy and access in rural communities.

However, one major issue flagged by the financial institutions that there is shortage of bankable projects, and the farmers/agribusiness companies (except few large companies) are not able to bring good and investible proposals.

To resolve this stalemate and disconnect, there is a need to demystify the bankability issues for the small/medium sized rural and agricultural projects which could be done through bringing all the actors in agricultural value chains to a common platform in the form of an investment forum.

The one-day investment forum has been planned in the five selected countries to learn from both the sides on the issues and challenges to reduce the gaps in financing.

MEHRD urges education stakeholders to comply with Education Act

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Christina Bakolo.

BY NED GAGAHE

The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) is urging education providers in the country and stakeholders to comply with the Education Act 2023.

The Education Act 2023, effective from January 1, 2024, mandates strict adherence to registration requirements for educational institutions and teachers alike.

Speaking during the MEHRD’s Tok Story session on SIBC on the socialization and implementation of the Education Act 2023 this week, Christina Bakolo, Policy Analyst and Team Leader at MEHRD, emphasized the importance of adhering to the Education Act 2023.

“Now that Education Act 2023 is being implemented or enforced education providers, teachers, school leader and other stakeholders who are implicated by the education act should now comply with the provisions provided in the act.

Mrs Bakolo highlighted key directives for education providers, stressing the need for registration of all owned or operated schools, including new ECE centers, primary, and secondary schools.

“The education providers are expected to register all the schools they own or they operate, that is if they have not registered yet, they are new ECE centres, primary schools or secondary schools. Education providers are not expected to register their schools if they have already registered them.

Bakolo stated that newly recruited teachers must apply for registration using forms available at the Ministry of Education.

“Education providers must make sure that new teachers whom they recruited at the beginning of this year and are teaching in the schools should be registered. The new teachers must apply to become registered teachers.

“There is a teachers registration application form which is available now in the ministry that new teachers must complete. MEHRD can supply the teacher registration forms to the education providers on request. Please contact the officer in charge at the Teaching Service Division.

She further urged ongoing teachers without registration certificates to complete the registration process within the stipulated two-year transition period ending January 1, 2025.

“Ongoing teachers who have already registered and have been issued with their registration certificate need not apply to become a registered teacher, however, if you are an ongoing teacher and has been teaching for some years but have not yet obtain a teacher registration certificate, you would need to complete the teacher registration application form.

Bakolo appealed to education providers to support teachers in obtaining necessary qualifications and ensure compliance with the Act’s provisions.

“Let me reiterate and appeal to education providers. Education providers are reminded that teachers who are teaching in their schools currently but do not have full registration as a teacher must endeavored to support the teachers so that they can obtain their teaching qualification or complete the teacher registration process.

“Education providers must support their teachers who have other qualification but not teaching qualification to ensure they acquired their teaching qualifications.

“Ensure that all teachers are registered and teacher registration process within the two-year transition period that is currently allowed under the Education Act 2023 for teacher registration which is effective from 1st January 2024 to 1st January 2025.” Bakolo said.

Woman charged in husband’s murder case to return to court for plea  

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

The case against the woman accused of inciting her husband to return and kill the deceased will return to court on July 25 for a plea.

The prosecutor updated the court on Friday July 11, stating that the disclosures had been served to the defense counsel last week.

The defense counsel requested a 14-day adjournment to review the evidence and obtain instructions for the plea.

The court granted the adjournment and extended the remand for the accused.

The incident allegedly occurred in the early hours of December 17, 2023, between 1 am and 2 am. Nelson Magi (the first accused), his wife Zilma Ben (the second accused), and another female were on their way back to Jackson Ridge after attending a party at Lau Valley.

They stopped on the main road next to Lau Valley SDA church, appearing drunk, loud, and arguing.

Opposite the church, a group of people was sitting under a tent. Magi turned to them and asked, “Who of you is strong?” When one person responded, Magi approached, grabbed a chair, and threw it at the person.

The deceased’s niece ran back to her house and woke up the deceased, who then went to the scene to separate Magi and the other person. As the deceased led Magi away, Magi assaulted him, causing him to fall backward. Magi then walked away towards his wife, Zilma Ben.

Ben shouted aggressively at her husband, saying, “Go back and kill the deceased,” while also throwing stones at the deceased’s house. Magi turned back and attacked the deceased in the rib/chest area with a piece of timber, causing the deceased to lose balance and fall unconscious.

The deceased was rushed to the National Referral Hospital (NRH) but was pronounced dead. Steward Tonowane acts for the crown, and Lazuaus Waroka represents Zilma Ben.

Audit reports and final handovers in progress

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NHA Executive Director Christian Nieng-PHOTO ELTON LONARATHA JNR.

BY ELTON LONARATHA JNR

THE National Hosting Authority (NHA) is in the final stages of winding down its operations following the successful conclusion of the Pacific Games 2023.

NHA Executive Director revealed to SunSPORTS that their primary focus is to ensure that all operations are completed without leaving any outstanding debts.

“We are currently progressing with audit reports,” the Executive Director said. “Most staff members have departed, leaving a few Secretariat Staff to oversee the final report preparations. However, we still maintain the Legacy team, which will be handed over to the National Sports Council (NSC) in the third quarter, coinciding with the completion of our reports.”

He emphasized the importance of concluding all remaining matters before the NHA signs off. “We need to properly finalize contracts, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), and sponsorship agreements. We are committed to not leaving any debts behind.”

The NHA is yet to conduct the final phase handover of the Pacific Games 2023 (PG23) facilities to the NSC and the National Olympic Committee of the Solomon Islands (NOCSI) through the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Earlier this year, the first phase of the handover was completed, including the distribution of vehicles to new owners.

In May, the former Prime Minister and Minister for the Pacific Games 2023, Manasseh Sogavare, handed over seven facilities built for the games to the NSC and NOCSI through the MHA.

Shortly thereafter, the newly elected Prime Minister, Jeremiah Manele, distributed 20 Tata buses donated by the Government of India to 11 recipients, primarily government ministries and institutions, including an Anglican Church of Melanesia College.

At the same event, Manele announced the distribution of 43 vehicles donated by the Government of Korea and 16 vehicles purchased by the NHA to 17 recipients, mainly government ministries.

NHA Chairperson, Dr. Jimmy Rodgers, confirmed that the majority of payments to contractors involved in the successful hosting of the PG23 have been settled, with only a few payments pending.

He assured that the issues faced during the hosting of the Festival of Pacific Arts (FOPA) in 2012 would not be repeated.

“We have already settled 99% of these payments, and we are proud of this achievement. NHA is ensuring that we leave no debt behind,” Rodgers stated.

He added that efforts are being made to settle the remaining payments with available funds before finalizing the audit report.

The completion of the audit report will be marked by one more handover ceremony, after which the report will be presented to Parliament.

With the NHA nearing the end of its operations, it aims to leave a lasting legacy while ensuring a debt-free conclusion to its duties.

The Pacific Games 2023 facilities yet to be handed over include Solomon Islands National Institute of Sports (SINIS), Multipurpose Hall at East End Sports Park and Sports Legacy House Administration at the Sport City.

The first seven facilities that were successfully handed over are National Stadium (10,000 seats), National Aquatic Center, National Tennis Center, Friendship Hall, East End Sports Park at KGVI, Hockey Field at KGVI and the Iumi Water Sports Park at DC Park

FINAL STEP

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Tahiti's Kamalani Bennett & Solomon Islands' Joash Houkulu at the OFC Men's U-19 Championship 2024, Tahiti v Solomon Islands, FFS Football Stadium Apia, Thursday 11 July 2024. Photo: DJ Mills / www.phototek.nz

….National U19 team on Verge of Historic World Cup Qualification

BY ELTON LONARATHA JNR

THE Solomon Islands Men’s U19 football team is writing their own remarkable story, with their eyes firmly set on the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile.

Their journey in the Oceania U19 Championship, held in Apia, Samoa, has been nothing short of impressive, ending their Pool A matches with three victories and a solid defense that conceded no goals.

In their latest triumph, a hard-fought 1-0 win over Tahiti, the young side booked their place in the knockout stages, a crucial step towards their World Cup dream.

Head Coach Batram Suri couldn’t hide his pride in the team’s performance, acknowledging the intensity of the match and the strength of their opponents.

“I’m incredibly proud of our boys,” Suri expressed. “Playing against Tahiti has always been a challenge, and our players gave their all, especially in the second half. I credit them for their hard work and determination.”

The Solomon Islands’ defensive prowess has been a key factor in their success. Coach Suri attributed this to the organization and resilience of his defenders, who have executed the game plan perfectly. “Our defenders have been outstanding,” Suri added. “We haven’t conceded a single goal in the group matches, and that’s a testament to their focus and dedication.”

As the team advances to the semifinal stage, Suri is keenly aware of the increasing challenges that lie ahead. “Semifinals are always a tough battle, but we have a strategy in place,” he stated confidently. “We will step up our preparations and ensure that our boys are ready for the next level of competition.”

The Solomon Islands’ path to the FIFA U20 World Cup is now within touching distance. Sitting atop Pool A with 9 points, they are joined by Fiji, who also advance with 6 points. The semifinal matchups will be decided soon, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the crucial knockout stage.

The Oceania U19 Championship semifinals will be held next week, and the winners and runners-up will secure their spots at the prestigious FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025.

For the Solomon Islands U19s, this journey is about making their mark on the world stage and inspiring a nation.

As the team from the Solomon Islands continues their remarkable run, they carry the hopes and dreams of a nation eager to see their footballing talent shine on the world’s biggest stages.

Their story is one of determination, talent, and a strong belief in their abilities.

MSIP paid courtesy visit to OPMC

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The 2024 MSIP Contestants with the Supervising PM Tovosia ( fourth from left) with reigning Miss Solomon Islands Tiare T Haro (fourth from right).

BY INDY MAEALASIA

THE 2024 Miss Solomon Islands Pageant’s (MSIP) contestants paid a courtesy visit to the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet yesterday afternoon.

Supervising Prime Minister, Bradley Tovosia warmly welcomed the six contestants, who were accompanied by their respective chaperones, the MSSIP organizing team and the reigning Miss Solomon Islands, Tiare Taisia Haro

During the visit, each contestant seized the opportunity to introduce themselves and passionately discuss their advocacies. Issues discussed included climate change, gender equality, law education, domestic violence, women reproductive health and non- communicable diseases.  

In response, Tovosia outlined the government’s current initiatives and strategies aimed at addressing each of the challenges. He also welcomed questions from the contestants. 

Director of MSIP, Joyce Konofilia, conveyed heartfelt appreciation to Tovosia for availing himself to listen and speak with the contestants.

Echoing this sentiment, Tovosia praised the MSIP as a vital platform for empowering young women to voice their concerns and advocate for issues impacting Solomon Islands society. He acknowledged the contestants’ dedication and commitment to making a difference in their communities.

The Pageant is schedule for 30-31st of August.

Alleged killers face court for plea

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

Three men accused of killing two complainants at Koivo village, Guadalcanal, will face court for a possible plea on July 25.

During the court session yesterday, state prosecutor Olivia Ratu Manu applied for a substitution of charges under section 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).

 The charge against the three accused has been changed from attempted murder to murder.

The reason for the substitution is that one of the two complainants was pronounced dead after being admitted to the National Referral Hospital (NRH).

Manu informed the court that the only outstanding document from the police investigator is the autopsy report from Dr. Maraka, who is currently on annual leave in Choiseul.

 The prosecution requested a 14-day adjournment to liaise with the police investigator and contact Dr. Maraka to obtain the autopsy report.

The court has adjourned the case to July 25 for a possible plea on the amended charges and for the prosecution to serve the remaining documents to the defense counsel for arraignment.

A man found guilty of DV and child cruelty

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

On Wednesday, the court found Harrison Forau guilty of one count of domestic violence and one count of cruelty to a child.

The court extended Forau’s remand warrant until July 17 for sentencing submissions from the crown and defense counsels.

Forau, currently serving a two-year and six-month prison sentence for raping a minor, faced these new charges and pleaded not guilty. The trial was conducted before Principal Magistrate Elma Veenah Rizzu Hilly.

The court heard that Forau, from NFD Area of Tulagi Township, Central Islands Province, psychologically abused his de facto wife by swinging a bush knife at her, causing her to be very frightened. On the same date, while heavily intoxicated, Forau took an infant child from the safe custody of his de facto wife and put human feces into the child’s mouth and over the child’s body.

The matter was reported to the police, leading to Forau’s arrest. The Police Prosecution Department appeared for the Crown, while the Public Solicitor’s Office represented Harrison Forau.

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