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Three buses involved in market pile-up

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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By EDDIE OSIFELO

A traffic incident at the Honiara City Council bus-stop has resulted in a “chain reaction” involving three buses running into each other on Wednesday afternoon.

Luckily passengers in all three buses escaped unhurt with no casualties.

This after an oncoming bus (Driver C) hit the back of the parking bus (Driver B), which forced it to hit the waiting bus (Driver A) in front of it.

The oncoming bus sustained big damage to its front screen and door.

The middle bus sustained big damages to its screen and back door because of the collision.

The bus infront sustained minor damage to its back screen and back door.

Island Sun was at the screen to witness the accident which attracted a huge crowd near the Magistrate court.

One woman passenger in the middle bus said the collision nearly gave her a heart attack.

She was about to get off the bus when the incoming bus hit the back of it.

The Honiara City Council law enforcement and Police Traffic attended the scene and dealt with the issue.

It is unclear whether police has made any arrest after the accident.

Foreign ships keep front-liners busy

Written by
Ben Bilua
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Vessels berthing outside Gizo. FILE PHOTO

BY BEN BILUA
Gizo

FRONTLINE workers in Western province have been busy the past month as international vessels continue to arrive in the country.

Speaking to SunGizo, Director of Western Province’s Health and Medical Services, Dr Dickson Boara said the swab team has been carrying out testing on incoming and outgoing international vessels since the beginning of this year.

He said three cargo vessels are currently under quarantine outside Gizo this week.

“Over the cause of this week, our Swab Team has carried swabbing on crews of the ships as part of COVID-19 test procedures.

“We are determined to make sure everyone entering the country via Western Province must satisfy all the COVID-19 test requirements and procedures before proceeding to the purpose of their visit to the country. 

“We understand that these vessels pose risk to our country in some ways and the responsibility is for to make sure the virus is not entering our country via these vessels,” Boara said.

He told this paper that a total of 10 incoming international cargo ships are expected to arrive in the next two weeks.

Boara said protocols of covid-19 testing will be enforced on these ships upon arrival at outside Gizo.

Two men arrested over sex assault on children

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

Two men have been arrested on alleged sexual crimes against children in Choiseul province.

The first, a 28-year-old is accused of sexual assault of his four-year-old stepson.

The second, a 76-year-old, is alleged of sexual intercourse with his grand-daughter who is just seven years old.

The 28-year-old man is accused of indecently assaulting his four-year-old stepson last month.

Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau said the step-father took his stepson out for fishing when the incident occurred.

Mangau said after the two arrived from the fishing trip the mother noticed her son’s trousers had blood stain on it; it was at that time that the mother checked her son’s trousers and saw blood coming out from the victim’s private parts.

Mangau said police were alerted and the man was arrested for the said incident.

A second incident occurred on June 10, 2021, involving a 76-year-old male allegedly having sexual intercourse with his seven-year-old granddaughter. It was alleged that the accused took her to the garden prior to the incident.

Mangau said it was on their way to the garden that the accused pushed the victim who fell on the ground, following which he committed the offence.

Mangau said the two suspects were arrested on different dates and times and were placed in police custody.

Mangau again calls on parents to look after their children and not leave them to the care of men as some men have different mindset when with children and girls.

“I further appeal to all men to respect our young girls and boys as such incidents will affect them for the rest of their lives. It is also against the law and police will not tolerate this type of action,” Mangau said.

Vaccinate before flight: Fiji, Vanuatu students told as flight set for July 31

Written by
Brian Lezutuni
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BY JARED KOLI

Solomon Islands students completing their studies in Fiji and Vanuatu will be repatriated on July 31, 2021, however, they must undergo covid-19 vaccination before the flight.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) Dr Franco Rodie confirmed the flight in an email circulated to students yesterday.

Mr Rodie said the government oversight committee has endorsed the list of students pending additional passengers to fill the seats to the maximum, which will now include four students to be picked up from Port Vila.

“However, one of the key requirements is for students coming on 31 July to have their Covid-19 vaccine.

“So inform all students coming on the flight to be vaccinated before they travel. Any student who fails to vaccinate against Covid-19 will not be allowed to travel,” Rodie said.

He earlier told Island Sun that this includes those who will be completing their studies at the end of semester one, 2021 and those who have decided to complete their semester two studies at home via online mode.

Meanwhile, the Education Attache in Fiji Mr Francis Tavava said those who wish to go home but their names are not on the list must write directly to Director National scholarship Division. 

“Information for travelling will be circulated to students as soon as received from the Over Sight Committee and those travelling will be able to complete and send it to Honiara,” Tavava said in an email sighted by Island Sun.

Tavava continues to remind Fiji students to “adhere to health protocols and safe hygiene”.

Yesterday Fiji Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr James Fong warned Fijians should expect the next wave of the covid-19 virus to arrive in four to five days.

He said the virus moves in waves and the next wave to come, they expect will be the most severe yet.

The Solomon Islands Students Association (SISA) executive has also warned Solomon Islands students in Fiji not to take the current situation lightly.

“The Ministry of Health of the host government has issued a strong message that indicates the difficulties and complications that lie ahead in terms of personal health and wellbeing. The days ahead will not be easy, we must brace ourselves to face the difficult situation,” SISA told students.

Cash box case today

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

SENTENCING and mitigation submission on the case against a man convicted of stealing a cash box containing local and foreign currencies will likely be made today.

The case was listed before Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea.

This is the case of Ian Pias Walelabua who was convicted on the last occasion for stealing a cash box or safe box containing SBD300,000, AUD20,000 and 5000 British Pounds at a dwelling house, Henderson area.

Walelabua was convicted of one count of Burglary in relation to the incident which occurred on August 28, 2020.

Police alleged that he and another male entered the complainant’s house by climbing the wall, and removed the security camera.

The allegation said it was when they were inside the house, they removed a cash box that contained the amount of $300,000SBD, $20,000AUD and 5,000 Pounds.

It was also alleged that Walelabua before committing the offence called another employee, who also worked for the complainant to find out the couple’s movement on that night.

The phone conversations were made by the accused and his phone call was to check on the couple whether they were out of their residence.

Police also said Walelabua worked as an electronic officer for the complainant.

109 travel under local holiday package here

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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By EDDIE OSIFELO

ABOUT 109 passengers have travelled with Solomon Airlines so far under the ‘Iumi Tugeda Holidays’ travel bubble initiative introduced in March this year.

The Government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is trying to keep the ailing tourism industry afloat following international travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

This has propelled Solomon Airlines, the Public Service Ministry, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism along with other tourism stakeholders to launch the travel bubble initiative.

Solomon Airlines Commercial Manager, Collin Sigamanu said since March this year 109 passengers have taken the Iumi Tugeda Holiday packages, with forward bookings strong, particularly with the Independence Day public holiday next week and the opportunity for an extra-long weekend.

Sigamanu said Gizo and Munda in Western Province are still the most popular destinations accounting for 60% of bookings, with interest in Marau also increasing and currently accounting for about 25%.

He said the he remaining 15% of travellers visited other developing tourism destinations such as Seghe and Auki.

Josefa Tuamoto, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Solomons:

“Together with Solomon Airlines, we are focusing our efforts to expand awareness of the other destinations on offer as part of Iumi Tugeda Holidays through advertising, social media and recent trips by the Tourism Solomons and Solomon Airlines teams to other provinces including Temotu, Choiseul, Rennell and Bellona.

“Currently there are 11 destinations and 40 operators partnered under the Iumi Tugeda Holidays initiative, and we are working to expand that and also build trust in existing and lesser-known tourism operations within our country.

“This will have multiple benefits including growing awareness domestically and internationally, ensuring an avenue to support survival of our local tourism operators and to ensure readiness for when international border restrictions ease.

“The Iumi Tugeda Holidays initiative was introduced as a direct result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector. Our tourism industry is severely affected and our priority right now, while international borders must remain closed is on survival for our domestic operators.

“Another initiative we are working on with the Ministry of Public Service is development of a program for public servants to redeem accrued leave towards Iumi Tugeda Holidays, and likewise encouraging Human Resources teams within the private sector to adopt this initiative.  Solomon Airlines has already introduced a similar program internally to enable this.

“This idea and opportunity was presented recently to SICCI members and we are continuing to encourage support for the tourism industry through this and signing new operators up to join the initiative.

“Together with the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Tourism Solomons has already set down our five-point plan aimed at preserving our tourism operators and infrastructure and later working hard on the process of reviving the Solomon Islands tourism sector through adapting to a post-COVID-19 climate. ‘Iumi Tugeda Holidays’ is an important part of that plan. If we can encourage our citizens to travel more while we await the return eventually of international visitors, we not only support our local operators, we will be prepared and ready to receive international tourists again.

“Our focus must also be to learn to go about our tourism business within the new context of COVID-19. That means we must accept, that we will be living with COVID-19 in our daily task execution for quite some time yet.”

Solomon Airlines Commercial Manager Colin Sigimanu agrees:

“In the present time, the ‘Iumi Tugeda’ campaign provides an excellent platform for the nation’s tourism and aviation sector to adjust to the ‘new normal’ requirements now existing worldwide in travel and hospitality.

“Iumi Tugeda Holidays is a long-term initiative to ensure that together we can encourage our local Solomon Islands residents to visit operators and provide essential revenue and support during this difficult time.

“For the last few domestic schedules, Solomon Airlines has planned the schedule to cater for increasing long weekend demand generated by Iumi Tugeda Holidays activities, including Friday departures from Honiara, returning Mondays to Honiara making long weekend getaways possible.

“Solomon Airlines latest domestic schedule (announced last week and effective from 28 June) includes enhancements to support the Iumi Tugeda programme.  The changes were made possible by the introduction into daily service of our newest Twin Otter H4-SIC, including direct services being Honiara and Marau being established as a result of this demand.

Gov’t says it’s on track with relocation efforts

Written by
Press Release
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One of the artificial Islands in the Lau lagoon facing impacts of sea level rise.

TECHNICAL studies and community consultation for the development of relocation guidelines for low-lying atolls and artificial islands vulnerable to climate change will commence soon as preparation and logistic work is finalised.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has contracted an international group in partnership with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey (MLHS) to develop the relocation guidelines for Solomon Islands in the context of climate change and other slow and sudden onset disasters.

This work is undertaken under the guidance of a multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee with representation from both Government and Non-Government stakeholders co-chaired by the Permanent Secretaries of MLHS and the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology.

The study will involve consultations and interviews with stakeholders throughout the country including in-depth field studies in four communities that have been relocated to their present locations.

The key output of this study is to develop relocation guidelines for Solomon Islands. The project has been designed to ensure these guidelines will:

  • Respond to the priorities identified by the Advisory Committee and stakeholders,
  • Be informed by experiences with planned relocations in Solomon Islands, elsewhere in the Pacific, and globally,
  • Shaped by the widest possible consultations that available resources will allow, including with communities, and provincial and national-level stakeholders. As such, the results of the work will be widely communicated and consulted on throughout the project
  • In addition, the Solomon Islands Government for the benefit of all Solomon Islanders, especially those who may need to be relocated now and, in the future, will own the final product – the relocation guidelines –.

The Development of Relocation Guidelines is a Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) policy priority to guide the process to find amicable solutions for communities that are facing on-going challenges because of climate change and other disasters in their original islands.

The Advisory Committee will ensure that the national consultations are conducted in a transparent manner, and the rights and dignity of relocated persons are respected, and all due processes are fair, and sensitive to our cultures and the needs of our people and the Government.

—GCU

EDITORIAL- Why not reduce or abolish the CDF?

Written by
Admin
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PRIME Manasseh Sogavare has promised to increase government funding for the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF).

He made the assurance in Tulagi, Central Province, Tuesday at the province’s Second Appointed Day.

Initiated in 2008 with donor support and an annual funding of $10.8 million, PCDF has since funded thousands of solid infrastructure projects across the country’s rural areas.

These include schools, clinics, market houses, community meeting space and others.

Sogavare told those who attended the Tulagi celebrations that his Government is going back to the drawing board to ensure the PCDF is more effective in-service delivery to address developmental issues faced by provincial governments.

He explained the PCDF funding will be increased in two stages – details of which will come out later.

This is welcome news and one the people of this country will look forward to seeing materialized.

Compared to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which is managed by MPs, the results PCDF had achieved was telling.

It is only logical that the Government increases funds for PCDF.

While it was encouraging to hear Sogavare talking about the PCDF, it was disappointing he made no mention of CDF.

It was not a surprise though!

The prime minister chose not to talk about CDF because it was a political slush fund that has been misused by most politicians, bringing very little or nothing in terms of rural development.

Solomon Islanders would have expected Sogavare announcing during such occasions that his Government would be diverting CDF funds to PCDF.

That would be the greatest news for the country.

As it is now, CDF will remain a curse to this nation and an absolute waste of public funds.

The nation looks forward to the day a prime minister will announce the abolition of the controversial CDF!

More than 70 public servants upskilled

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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0

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

MORE than 70 public servants graduated with certificates after completing a training delivered by the Institute of Public Administration and Management, (IPAM) a division in the Ministry of Public Service (MPS).

IPAM is a mandated body involved in building capacity of Solomon Islands Public Service work force.

Guest speaker at the occasion, John Kouni, Director General of the Solomon Islands Independent Commission Against Corruption, said the occasion marks the successful completion of the various short courses that the participants have undertaken.

“Your participation have been based on various reasons,” Kouni told participants.

“For some of you may be an opportunity to learn new things, re-enforced what you have already learnt earlier, as a refresher, or just an opportunity to be excused from offices. Whatever the reasons may be, two things are clear.

Guests and upskilled public servants

“From your part-you have successfully completed those short courses. It is another achievement.

“From your employer’s perspective –there is an expectation.

“That you will return to your respective offices with an added flair that will collectively make our public service a better, stronger and more efficient one.

“This is a fundamental expectation and the onus is on you to deliver the expectation to standard. I am sure you will do,” Kouni said.

Lina Suiomea from MHMS receives her certificate

Solomon Manea, director of IPAM, congratulated participants for completing their training.

He said the skills, knowledge and reflections they had in the training room was to sharpen their competency and practise.

“I hope those are still sharp. I would like to encourage you to continue to become good public officers to serve with an attitude of serving. Your office needs it, your ministry needs it, the government needs it and the nation needs it,” Manea said.

The theme of the occasion reads “Upskilling public officers for quality service delivery.”

Celebrating women’s leadership here

Written by
Press Release
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[from left to right] Mr James T Bradford, SolRice General Manager, Ms Jane Waetara, Chief Electoral Officer, H.E. Dr Lachlan Strahan, High Commissioner of Australia, Mr Berdi Berdiyev, UNDP Country Manager and Ms Ellen Paieke, elected as one of the 2 Outstanding Women in Honiara; (Photo: UNDP/Anastasiia Tiurmenko)

The UN Development Programme, SolRice, and the Government of Australia have joined forces to acknowledge women’s leadership and their role in achieving social change through the dissemination of 85 000 copies of the Outstanding Women (OW) of Solomon Islands booklet.

SolRice is one of the country’s largest rice distributors.

The “Outstanding Women” initiative was launched in 2019 as part of UNDP’s Strengthening the Electoral Cycle in the Solomon Islands Project (SECSIP) to advance women’s leadership and promote gender equality in Solomon Islands.

 Communities throughout Solomon Islands were invited to nominate and conduct elections to choose women valued for their contributions and achievements.

The names of 120 women nominated may be found in this booklet which features the stories of 11 women who received the highest number of votes in nine provinces, including the capital Honiara.

Group picture; (Photo: UNDP/Anastasiia Tiurmenko)

During a press briefing on the launch of the Outstanding Women booklet and the SolRice distribution partnership, the Australian High Commissioner, Dr Lachlan Strahan, highlighted the significance of working together with the private sector in promoting women’s roles as leaders in Solomon Islands.

“Gender equality and women’s empowerment is not an option,” said Dr Strahan. “All the data from across the globe indicates that any society that does not empower women, economically, socially and politically, struggles.”

Dr Strahan said, “Empowering women is the right thing to do because it’s about fundamental human rights, it’s also the smart thing to do.”

“The Outstanding Women recognized in this booklet act as role models and play a catalyzing role driving social change,” said Dr Strahan. “Australia is very proud to be part of this big team effort for social change.”

Echoing the same sentiments, Mr James Bradford, the SolRice General Manager said, “Gender equality is a core principle of SolRice.

 We are committed to supporting and promoting women’s role in Solomon Island communities. We are happy to partner with UNDP to distribute the “Outstanding Women” booklets because when business and international organizations work together, the outcome is much faster.

Emphasizing the importance of teamwork, Mr Berdi Berdiyev, UNDP Country Manager said, “This is the third time SolRice works with UNDP on a pro-bono basis to implement civic engagement initiatives. It is an example of what can be achieved when national authorities, civil society, development partners and socially committed companies, such as SolRice, work together.”

Representatives from SOLRIGHT Women Football Cup (WFC) who assisted with the OW booklets’ packing; (Photo: UNDP/Anastasiia Tiurmenko)

“I would also like to thank the SOLRIGHT Women Football team who has assisted in the packing and adhering of the booklets to the bags of rice. This team effort will help not only spread the word on the “Outstanding Women” initiative but also advance gender equality in Solomon Islands,” Mr Berdi Berdiyev concluded.

With the 2030 Agenda as a guiding thread, UNDP works to advance women’s participation in civic and political life, their economic empowerment and their role as builders of peace and resilience.

The ongoing dissemination of the “Outstanding Women” booklet and the accompanying press briefing were organized by the Strengthening the Electoral Cycle in Solomon Islands Project (SECSIP). SECSIP is implemented by UNDP Solomon Islands and has received financial assistance from the Australian Government, the European Union and UNDP.

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