BY SAMIE WAIKORI
Leader of the Independent Group in Parliament and Member of Parliament for East Malaita, Deacon Manasseh Maelanga, urges government to immediately ratify the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
The UNTOC is a critical international treaty designed to protect nations from the escalating threat of cross-border criminal networks.
A statement from the Independent Group said while Solomon Islands signed the Convention years ago, it remains unratified, leaving what Maelanga describes as a “dangerous gap in our national and regional security armour”.
“Criminal enterprises do not respect borders, they exploit them. While we sleep, syndicates are awake, weaving their illicit networks through our pristine waters and across our islands,” Maelanga warned.
He cautioned that the Pacific region is facing a rising tide of transnational organized crime, with the Solomon Islands now exposed to drug trafficking, human smuggling, and maritime exploitation.
“The tide is rising, and its wake is already lapping at our shores. The silent testimony of damaged boats found on our beaches with floating crime scenes, evidence of drug routes cutting through our own territory,” Maelanga said.
Maelanga, who is also an Anglican deacon, further identified a major legal vulnerability, the absence of specific laws enabling prosecutions of foreign nationals involved in transnational drug trafficking.
“This is a glaring loophole that turns our nation into a soft target. Ratifying UNTOC will give Solomon Islands the legal tools and international backing needed to close this gap and defend our borders,” he stressed.
Chair of Foreign Relations Committee and MP for East Are’Are, Peter Kenilorea Junior also supports Maelanga’s call, reaffirming that ratification in this instance is both urgent and straight-forward.
Currently, the Solomon Islands remains among a small number of nations worldwide yet to ratify the UNTOC, despite growing security challenges and regional cooperation commitments under the Pacific Islands Forum framework.
“Our message is simple, act now, ratify the convention, strengthen our laws, and protect our nation,” the statement said.
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