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Why Anti-Government Protests in the Solomon Islands Are Targeting Chinatown

(CANBERRA, Australia) — Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Friday blamed foreign interference over his government’s decision to switch alliances from Taiwan to Beijing for anti-government protests, arson and looting that have ravaged the capital Honiara in recent days.

However, critics blame the unrest also on a lack in government accountability and services as well corruption. They claim that Chinese business owners are giving foreigners jobs instead of those of their own.

Honiara’s Chinatown and its downtown precinct have been focuses of rioters, looters and protesters who have demanded Sogavare, who has intermittently been prime minister since 2000, to resign.

Two days of chaos saw the National Parliament Building, a Police Station and several businesses set on fire by the mob.
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Sogavare angered many in 2019, particularly leaders of the Solomon Islands’ most populous province, Malaita, when he cut the country’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Malaita leaders claim that their island was unfairly denied government investments since the transition.

A plane carrying Australian police and diplomats arrived late Thursday in Honiara, where they will help local police efforts to restore order, Australia’s Defense Minister Peter Dutton said.

Sogavare said he stood by his government’s decision to embrace Beijing, which he described as the “only issue” in the violence, which was “unfortunately influenced and encouraged by other powers.”

External pressures were a “very big … influence. I don’t want to name names. We’ll leave it there,” Sogavare said.

“I’m not going to bow down to anyone. We are intact, the government’s intact and we’re going to defend democracy,” he added.

Marise, the Australian Foreign Minister Marise Paine did not believe that countries were causing unrest.

“We have not indicated that at all,” Payne said.

“We’ve been very clear. Our view is we don’t want to see violence. We would very much hope for a return to stability,” she added.

Gina Kekea, local journalist, said that Beijing’s foreign policy change without any public consultation led to protests. Also, there were complaints about foreign corporations not creating local jobs.

“Chinese businesses and (other) Asian businesses … seem to have most of the work, especially when it comes to extracting resources, which people feel strongly about,” Kekea said.

Kekea stated that protesters were replaced Friday by looters, scavengers and others in Chinatown.

“It’s been two days, two whole days of looting and protesting and rioting and Honiara is just a small city,” Kekea said of the home to 85,000 people.

“So I think that there’s nothing much left for them to loot and spoil now,” she added.

Scott Morrison, the Australian Prime Minister, committed troops and police to assist local police in restoring order and protecting critical infrastructure.

Australia refused to assist with the protection of both the National Parliament (and the Executive Buildings), in an indication that Australia wasn’t taking sides.

Some experts believe Australia intervened swiftly to stop Chinese security forces from attempting to restore order.

Morrison stated that Sogavare asked Morrison for assistance because he believed Australia to be trustworthy.

“The Solomon Islands reached out to us first … as family because they trust us and we’ve worked hard for that trust in the Pacific,” Morrison said.

“That is our region and we’re standing up to secure our region with our partners, our friends, our family and allies,” he added.

Sogavare sought assistance from Australia in accordance with a bilateral security agreement that was signed since 2017 when Australian peacekeepers left the Solomon Islands.

Australia was the leader of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, an international military and police force that brought peace to the nation after years of ethnic violence. It took place from 2003 to 2017.

Morrison asked if Chinese businesses and citizens were being targeted. He described the unrest as “a bit of a mixed story” and noted Chinatown was the scene of rioting before Australia’s 2003 intervention.

China has expressed grave concern at recent attacks on Chinese citizens and institutions. However, it did not give details.

“We believe that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sogavare, the Solomon Islands government can restore social order and stability as soon as possible,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

Both sides have benefited from economic and other co-operation since establishment of diplomatic relations, he stated.

“Any attempts to undermine the normal development of China-Solomon relations are futile,” he said.

Dutton stated that a plane with 23 federal officers of police and several diplomats was flown from Canberra, Australia to Honiara on Thursday night.

The arrival of up to 50 police and 43 members of the defense force with a boat patrol boat was scheduled for Friday.

The Australian force would also be equipped to “provide a medical response,” Dutton said.

“It’s certainly a dangerous situation on the ground. We’ve seen the rioting that’s taken place, the arson and the general disorder that’s there at the moment as well,” Dutton said.

“So there’s a lot of work for the police to do on the ground,” he added.

After about 1000 protestors gathered in Honiara demanding Sogavare’s resignation, Sogavare ordered a lockdown on Wednesday.

The government stated that the protesters broke into the National Parliament building. They also set fire to the thatched roof of nearby buildings. The protesters also set fires to other buildings and a police station.

Sogavare ordered the capital locked down from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 7 p.m. Friday after saying he had “witnessed another sad and unfortunate event aimed at bringing a democratically elected government down.”

The Solomon Islands police announced that increased patrols would be conducted through Honiara as a result of the lockdown. However, protestors took to the streets on Thursday.

Local media claimed that the majority of protesters hail from Malaita. Its premier Daniel Suidani is at odds with Sogavare whom he claims to be too close by Beijing.

Suidani claimed he wasn’t responsible for violence in Honiara but said that he had agreed to Sogavare’s call for him to step down.

The Solomon Islands were located approximately 1,500 km (1,000 mi) northeastern of Australia. They witnessed bloody fighting during World War II.

U.S. Marines landed in Guadalcanal, August 1942 after it had been captured by Japan to retake control. Although they were successful, fighting continued in the Solomon Islands until the end.

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Bangkok: Rising report.

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