Monitors provide peace updates in Solomons
Honiara (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation/PINA Nius Online) – Leaders of former militant groups, the national government and the premiers of Guadalcanal and Malaita Provinces are being given constant updates on peace activities.
The Chairman of the Peace Monitoring Council, Sir Peter Kenilorea, said the Peace Monitoring Council makes regular confidential reports to all parties to the Townsville Peace Agreement.
He said these reports are based on information provided by monitors of the Peace Monitoring Council and the International Peace Monitoring team, the public, and observations made by members of the Peace Monitoring Council Executive.
Sir Peter said several reports also covered breaches of the agreement since the Signing of the Townsville Peace Agreement on October 15.
He said any decision to make the reports public or to undertake follow-up action are matters for joint consideration by all parties to the Townsville Peace Agreement.
Sir Peter added that there has been good progress in deploying weapons storage containers to East, West and Southwest Guadalcanal and Auki in Malaita Province.
He said more weapons storage containers will be deployed shortly to other selected locations on Guadalcanal and Malaita provinces.
In other developments:
Police Commissioner Morton Sireheti denied any police involvement in the killing of a man at Rove prison, Sunday night.
The burning of the building containing the offices of a Malaita Eagle Force leader and the killing are widely believed to have been the result of differences amongst members of the Malaita Eagle Force.
In a statement, Mr. Sireheti made it clear that after the burning of the Place Makers three-story building in Honiara his police officers suspected two men.
The two suspects were captured by former members of the Malaita Eagle Force at Auki and shipped to Honiara where they were taken to Rove prison.
However, he said at no time were the two suspects under official police custody.
Earlier Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations Wilfred Akao confirmed that the man was killed by a group of men who walked into Rove prison and shot him.
Three officials from the British Department for International Development, (DFID) are in the country to analyze the current peace process.
A statement from the British High Commission in Honiara says the trio will carry out a conflict analysis and develop an overview of current trends and peace-building opportunities that can provide overall direction for the department’s program.
The team leader is Debi Duncan, accompanied by Doctor Comfort Ero and John Penn, a media specialist.
While in Solomon Islands, the media specialist, Mr. Penn will analyze the current methods used to communicate and raise awareness of the peace process and make recommendations to DFID.
The first round of negotiations between the Solomon Islands Public Employees Union and the Public Service Office is said to be heading in the right direction.
Union general secretary Clement Waiwori says he’s optimistic the dispute will be resolved amicably without resorting to further industrial action.
The public servants are demanding a 40-dollars-a-day danger money allowance, to be backdated to June 5th, for working during the height of the ethnic crisis.
They have returned to work after walking off their jobs since Friday last week.
