Heavy police presence continues

Heavy police presence is expected to be still seen across the country, city and parts of Guadalcanal in the coming days. Police Commissioner Matthew Varley said since Monday his officers in Honiara and Guadalcanal are involved in the high visibility patrols across the country and city following the government’s decision to switch diplomatic recognition from…

Backhoe case sentence, Friday

THE magistrate court today will sentence the man who drove a Backhoe Excavator into the Coral Sea Resort’s reception last year. Dickson Irofinao had pleaded guilty to the charges of intimidation, wilful and unlawful damage. Principal Magistrate Felix Hollison will hand down the sentence this morning in the Honiara Magistrates’ Court. Irofinao is facing charges…

NEW CALEDONIA PRESIDENT MEETS WITH PM 

PRESIDENT of the New Caledonia Congress Roch Wamytan this week met with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare at the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The two leaders discussed potential trade relations between New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Both leaders acknowledged the trade agreements within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) framework.  The two leaders…

US $2.5b OFFER IN DOUBT

Suidani: switch to China, a blow to Malaita-US deal By WILSON SAENI In Auki   GOVERNMENT’s decision to switch ties from Taiwan may cost Malaita province from receiving SBD$2,468,445,000.00 ($2.5b) in funding support from United States (US). This was revealed by the Malaita provincial premier Daniel Suidani who has hit out at Malaitan Members of Parliament…

Manele denies Opposition claims

FOREIGN Affairs minister Jeremiah Manele has refuted claims by the Opposition leader that the Prime Minister has ordered him not to meet with the Taiwanese delegation on Monday. Opposition Leader Matthew Wale in a media statement on Wednesday has claimed that Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has advised Manele not to meet with the visiting Taiwanese delegation upon…

CSOs: rush to switch arrogant, undemocratic

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) describes the government actions on the switch from Taiwan to China as arrogant and undemocratic. At a meeting organised by the Development Services Exchange (DSE) on Tuesday CSO members expressed their frustrations seeking answers as to why there was no consideration to their presentations to the Foreign Relations Committee in response…

Gov’t meets to identify gaps

THE Government’s Core Ministerial Coordination Committee (CMCC) met on Wednesday to discuss and identify the development gaps in relation to the current change in the government’s foreign policy on the ‘One China Principle’.   Permanent Secretaries from various government ministries were summoned to attend the meeting on ROC-funded projects and identify issues that require urgent attention, particularly…

Danny on diplomatic friends

MEMBER of Parliament for Rendova -Tetepari Danny Philip calls on the world’s liberal democracies to negotiate an acceptable deal with China (PRC) on the Two-China question at the highest level so that Taiwan can be treated as an equal amongst the family of nations at the United Nations. He made the call following the decision…