Welcome To Solomon Islands In Focus

As a long­time friend of the Solomon Islands, let me say the aim of this website is to bring you news about the Solomon Islands, promote tourism to the "Happy Isles” and generate donations for causes in the Solomons that will provide income for charitable institutions dependent on aid and help to give much needed money for local craftsmen and women.

I would encourage you to see for yourself a most unique and different part of the world and meet friendly, hospitable people while enjoying the sheer delights and beauty of a easy accessible Pacific paradise.

SAMOA PM COMMENTS ON TUVULU PACIFIC FORUM MEETING

Samoa PM downplays Tuvalu tension

Quoting Radio New Zealand – 20 August 2019

“Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, has downplayed tension between Australia and other Pacific nations during last week's Pacific Islands Forum summit in Tuvalu.

“He said the tension was to be expected.

“The Samoa Observer reported Tuila'epa saying the leaders' retreat at the forum summit was a place where leaders were encouraged to have frank exchanges of ideas to resolve difficult issues confronting the region.

“Part of the tension in Tuvalu was the way Australia drove its perspectives home by reminding leaders of the aid Canberra had provided the region, he said.

But Australia should pay attention to climate change for its own benefit, Tuilaepa said.

“Australia's prolonged drought, forest fires, cyclones, flash flooding, bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef and the consequential threat to marine resources are well known effects of the climate crisis, Tuila'epa said.”

Copyright @ 2019, Radio New Zealand.

TATAMBA RURAL MEDICAL CLINIC - A REBUILDING INITIATIVE

Honiara :  25  February 2017
Letter to the Editor,  Solomon Star and Island Sun Newspapers.
After first learning that up to 7000 people are without access to medical services and health care due to the derelict state of the Tatamba Rural Medical Clinic, I wrote several letters to the local media and contacted the Canadian Government in order to try and get some funds to have the rural health facility reconstructed.
The village and community leaders in the Tatamba area have expressed to me the urgent need to get the clinic functioning as soon as possible and I am very pleased to have learned that several meetings have taken place to initiate short-term self-help measures while awaiting information I have sought from the Canadian Government’s ‘Canada Fund’ for a possible monetary grant.
With the help of the local MP for Gao Bugotu, the Hon. Manetoali, one staff house has already been renovated and community members, including youths, have began to patch up the clinic to get the facility running until the outcome of my pursuit for external funding is known.
I am told that a resident nurse has been requested from Buala.
In the event of a successful grant from the Canada Fund, a new clinic will need to be located on higher ground due to rising sea levels.
Arising from the community meetings, I was very pleased and encouraged to learn just last week that the community will see to the levelling of a new site, provide gravel, sand and timber and provide a borehole for water.
The Provincial Director of Planning will also be working on a project proposal for the coastal protection to be forwarded to the MP who is also the current Minister for Environment for possible funding by donors.
A retired builder currently living in Australia wrote to me following my stories highlighting the plight of the community in accessing medical care and said he would be prepared to voluntarily supervise the construction of a new clinic.  This man recently did similar work as a volunteer at Namunga where he oversaw the building of the hospital initiated by Dr. Chris Miller and his wife.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all concerned in Isabel Province for taking up the challenge of seeing to the restoration of medical services at Tatamba and I will continue to do my best in trying to secure what funds I can to augment the contribution of the local community being put into the re-building of the Tatamba Rural Health Clinic.

DREAMING OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS TRAINING

3 June 2018

 

MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE SOLOMONS

As one who has been keen to follow the good work of the Youth@Work programme in the Solomon Islands in providing vocational skills training aiding the job prospects for young Solomon Islanders, I was pleased to read an article in the Island Sun last week about a proposal for a new rural training centre.

The proposed rural training centre was raised by Pastor John Hugo when he was speaking at the official handover of a newly built six room double story building providing extra classrooms at the Global Harvest School in Gilbert Camp.

Pastor Hugo envisaged the concept of a new rural training centre, although still seen as a dream, could lead to an upgrade of the east Honiara school.

The Pastor likened his dream as a challenge to educational stakeholders for he felt the development of a rural training centre would enhance the Human Resource development aspirations of many in the Solomon Islands in the years to come.

Importantly, Pastor Hugo was reported to have said, “Once established, vocational education and training (VET) would aim at creating opportunities for productive employment and provide access to adequately paid work, which could enable people to lead a self-determined life.”

Citing the need for a rural training centre, the Pastor told his audience, “The demand results from the outcomes of primary education, which has placed heavier pressure on secondary educational systems, because a growing number of primary school-leavers are entering the labour market directly or need further training.

 “The steady growth of the informal sector is also coming to the attention of international education policy debate”, he had added.

The proposal for a rural training centre is a sound idea given a growing focus locally on secondary and tertiary education and I would hope Pastor Hugo’s dream will be realized and coupled with job creation, added gender equity and much better health and environmental improvements.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

 

 

 

 

ACCURATE SECURITY ADVICE REBUFFED IN '98 AND '99

Honiara :  23 January 2017
Letter to the Editor,  Solomon Star and Island Sun Newspapers.
I read with interest the letter in the Island Sun newspaper this morning, 23 January, by Joseph Baetolingia in which he referred in a couple of paragraphs to the advice I tendered to the Solomon Island’s Cabinet of the looming security situation and the way in which it was disregarded.
Joseph said in one paragraph, “However, well before trouble had even started, Commissioner Short in giving his usual Cabinet security brief one morning reported on the oncoming troubles, however, cabinet surprisingly enough simply scoffed at the Commissioner’s report.”
My security advice to the cabinet was not given on “one morning” as might be implied but advice tendered over many months and, as far back as November 1998, I wrote this letter to the Prime Minister,
“There is a political dimension to the whole situation and this must be addressed in the shortest possible time frame if we are not to see growing militancy that could cause untold damage to national unity and inter-island relations, let alone serious infringements of the criminal law.

There is a need for an effective and reliable, trustworthy police service capable of providing accurate and informed intelligence on which to base advice and action.

The situation cannot be allowed to continue and the police service is coming under increased pressure to deal with crime trends, let alone having to deal with politically motivated activities that seem to develop from misinformation and a lack of national unity and provincial loyalties.

Despite the often lack of in-depth intelligence, this report must be taken with seriousness and looked at in the political context to avoid an escalation of the situation.”

That report to the Prime Minister was prompted by what one could see as an unfolding and potentially serious security concern. A key factor here was also because of the uncertain mind state of the police service, the nature and composition of the armed NRSF elements within the force’s ranks and the overt political dimensions featuring significantly.

It was clear from the onset that a protracted ethnic conflict could lead to a civil war which would be disastrous for the country and one which the police service, as then constituted, under-strength, ill-equipped and still recovering from years of neglect, would be unable to contain.

Time proved that I was right, but the Cabinet and our regional partners ignored my warnings with the consequences that are still evident to this day.
As far as Joseph refers to my letter writing to the media is concerned, I can truthfully say I took my pledge of loyalty to the RSIPF and the Solomon Islands seriously and I have remained so for 20 years, always seeking to support and aid the Solomon Islands in whatever practical ways I can, including developing and funding my charity based website for the purpose.
I have expressed my thanks to the Australian Government and RAMSI for the development assistance given to the Solomon Islands, in all respects, since 2003, but regret that my sound intelligence advice, supported by a British counter intelligence analyst that I recruited was not heeded because, as we now know, Australia did not want to become involved in the unfolding ‘ethnic crisis’ as confirmed by what the then Australian Foreign Minister said as late as 8 January 2003 and I quote.

“Australia is not about to recolonise the South Pacific, nor should it. These are independent sovereign countries … Sending in Australian troops to occupy Solomon Islands would be folly in the extreme.

“It would be widely resented in the Pacific region. It would be very difficult to justify to Australian taxpayers. And for how many years would such an occupation have to continue?

“And what would be the exit strategy? The real show-stopper, however, is that it would not work—no matter how it was dressed up, whether as an Australian or a Commonwealth or a Pacific Islands Forum initiative.

“The fundamental problem is that foreigners do not have answers for the deep-seated problems afflicting Solomon Islands.”
The true facts about the security situation in the Solomon Islands, the parlous state of the police service in 1997 and my handling of the initial stages of the ‘ethnic tension’ are contained in my book ‘Policing a Clash of Cultures’ published on Amazon Kindle’s bookshelf. 
 Several chapters of that book are still available in the Opinions column of the Solomon Times on Line.

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