After days of riots in the Solomon Islands during which protesters called for Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to resign, set buildings ablaze and looted stores, authorities on Saturday said they had found the bodies of three people in a burnt-out building.
They are the first reported deaths after days of violent protests in Honiara, the nation’s capital. The three burnt bodies were found in the remains of a shop in the Chinatown district, a police spokesperson said. Police were investigating the deaths.
A building burns in Chinatown, in the capital city of Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Friday.Credit:AP
It’s unclear if the deaths are directly linked to the protests, but they come after officials in China urged the Solomon Islands government to protect Chinese citizens and businesses. Honiara’s Chinatown was one of the areas most heavily targeted by protesters.
The decision by the Solomon Islands’ central government to switch its diplomatic relationship from Taiwan to China in 2019 has been identified as one of the driving forces behind the protests, with the move exacerbating social and political fault lines dividing the nation.
On Wednesday, a planned demonstration turned violent as protesters stormed Parliament calling for Sogavare’s resignation. On the streets, they clashed with police officers, who used tear gas and fired shots. Demonstrators burnt down a police station, a high school and numerous buildings in Chinatown. They looted stores and tried to ransack Sogavare’s personal residence before being pushed back by police.
Debris lies on the street outside damaged shops in Chinatown, Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Friday.Credit:AP
As the protests raged, opposition parliamentarians and Daniel Suidani, the premier of Malaita, intensified calls for Sogavare to step down. But he has refused, saying, “If I am removed as prime minister, it will be on the floor of Parliament.”
The Chinese embassy called on Chinese residents in Honiara to shut their businesses and hire security guards, while a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said China was “taking all necessary measures to safeguard the safety and lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and institutions in Solomon Islands.”
Police said on Saturday more than 100 people had been arrested in relation to the riots and the police commissioner appealed for residents to “respect each other, as well as our visiting friends from abroad”.
Australia and Papua New Guinea have sent troops to help quell the unrest at the request of the Sogavare government. In a statement, Foreign Minister Senator Marise Payne said Australia and PNG were “concerned about the violent turn that protests have taken in Honiara and jointly emphasise the importance of resolving tensions peacefully”.
Australian soldiers have arrived in Honiara to provide assistance to Solomon Islands authorities. Credit:Gary Ramage
Canberra has deployed about 100 police and army personnel and Senator Simon Birmingham said it now had enough resources on the ground “helping to provide protection for critical infrastructure and helping in particular to the Solomon Islands Police Force, and to be able to help to provide greater stability.
“It’s been a very difficult few days for the Solomon Islands, we are aware of the tragic destruction of buildings, the threat to life that has occurred. And of course, we want nothing more than to see that peace across the Solomon Islands restored.” Birmingham said he hoped the mission would last “weeks, not months”.
On Saturday morning, the rioting had largely stopped and the streets were quiet, according to local journalists and locals on social media, and police officers and peacekeeping troops patrolled the streets.
More than 1500 Asian migrants have reportedly been displaced by the turmoil, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times; with reporter
Most Viewed in World
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article