Cease the shipping grant

CONGRATULATIONS to Northwest Choiseul Constituency and its Member of Parliament Connelly Sandakabatu. You have demonstrated to the nation what transparency and accountability is when you produced the first ever report on the $5 million shipping grant allocated to you. The shipping grant, managed within the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, has been in existence for many…

Malaita premier to lead trip to Fiji

MALAITA Premier Peter Ramohia will lead a 22-man delegation on a one-week education tour to Fiji onTuesday to visit the Native Land Trust Board, Native Land Commission and Land Registration Office. Mr Ramohia will be accompanied by Deputy Director of Malaita Peace and Reconciliation office, Francis Kairi, six provincial members, 13 chiefs representing every language…

Rescued PNG nationals to returned home

THE 14 Papua New Guinea nationals who drifted for six weeks at sea returned to Port Moresby last Saturday. The PNG High Commission office in Honiara confirmed. The Solomon Star understood High Commissioner Fred Yakasa had hosted a reception last Friday to farewell his country’s citizens. Mr Yakasa earlier said his office met the airfares…

SI forge bond with Langley

The Solomon Islands is planning to re-locate its consulate to Langley, the first diplomatic post to be established in the Township. Last Monday, Premier Anthony Veke of the Solomons’ Guadalcanal Province visited with Langley RCMP officers. The local police have established a relationship over the past several years with Ashwant Dwivedi, head of the Solomons…

Red eye affect delegates

TWO members of the Solomon Islands delegation to the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts are reportedly stuck in Manila, Philippines after contracting red eye. Reports reaching the paper over the weekend said, they are under medical observation before they can be allowed to continue their journey. The paper understands that the first group of delegation…

TSI hails junior cops

TRANSPARENCY Solomon Islands (TSI) has commended the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force junior officers of Guadalcanal Province who refused the bribe offered by their superintendent. Instead they did the right thing and reported him to authorities. It is alleged that the junior officers were offered bribe money from their superintendent presumably from the Chinese as…

Gov’t has 14 days to settle arrears

GOVERNMENT has been given another 14 days to settle nurses’ arrears of almost $10 million for the past two years since 2013. This was agreed following a meeting between Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Ministry of Public Service and Solomon Islands Nurses Association in Honiara last Friday. This came…

Accused cleared off rape

A MAN has been discharged of rape following a committal hearing conducted on his case in the Honiara Magistrates Court. A long form preliminary inquiry was conducted on Malcolm Akoforau’s case and the court found no evidence of rape. Principal Magistrate Shepherd Lapo said he agreed with the prosecution that the purpose of the preliminary…