The Solomon Islands Government has formally requested assistance from New Zealand after days rioting, violence and unrest in the capital Honiara.
Stuff understands some personnel from 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, received orders on Tuesday to assemble back at their base in Linton ahead of a possible deployment.
No decision to deploy had been made by the New Zealand Government as of Tuesday evening. Any decision would have to come from Cabinet.
Australia has deployed about 100 soldiers and police officers to Honiara following a request from the Solomon Islands.
The troops returning to the Linton Military Camp, near Palmerston North, are part of the army’s High Readiness Task Unit, kept on standby in case they are needed urgently.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement on Tuesday New Zealand had received a request for support from the Solomon Islands.
“This afternoon New Zealand received a formal request for assistance from Solomon Islands Government, and we are urgently looking at options to respond to this request,” the spokeswoman said.
A spokeswoman for Defence Public Affairs would not answer questions on orders given on Tuesday, referring requests for comment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
An MFAT spokeswoman said in a statement Mahuta spoke with her Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele on Tuesday evening.
“The civil unrest and riots in Honiara are deeply concerning, and the New Zealand High Commission there continues to monitor the situation closely,” the statement said.
“We welcome the actions of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji in swiftly deploying police and defence personnel.
READ MORE
- New Zealand 'deeply concerned' over Solomon Islands riots
- Solomon Islands: Australia sends peacekeeping troops amid riots
- Taiwan cuts ties with Solomon Islands
- More on Threats, Less about Risks: New Zealand's Changing National Security Calculus
”The New Zealand High Commission in Honiara is providing SafeTravel advice to New Zealanders in Solomon Islands, including advising them to exercise care and follow the instructions of local authorities.”
On Friday, Trade Minister David Parker issued a statement expressing concern over the unrest, but at that stage no request for assistance had been received.
AP reports the rioting and looting began on Wednesday following a peaceful protest in Honiara.
The protesters were mainly people from Malatia, the most populous island.
There has been decades of tension between Malaita and Guadalcanal, where Honiara is located, director of the Lowy Institute think-tank's Pacific Islands programme Jonathan Pryke told AP.
The protesters demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who has been widely criticised by political leaders on Malaita for a decision two years ago to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, favouring mainland China, AP reported.
Downtown Honiara and its Chinatown district were a focus for protesters and looters.
Sogavare’s Government has been critical of the millions of dollars worth of aid from the US which was reportedly pledged directly to Malaita.
He blamed outside influence, a reference to the US and Taiwan, for the unrest.
Australian media reported that late on Friday three bodies were found by police in a burned-out building.
After Friday, the violence reportedly subsided, but tensions remain.
New Zealand has in the past sent police and peacekeepers to the Solomon Islands, following unrest and violence which began more than two decades ago.
More than 1000 NZ Defence Force personnel served in the Solomon Islands from 2003 to 2013, as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.
