Economy Archive January 2010

RAMSI's Special Coordinator, Graeme Wilson, today congratulated Nauru on the celebration of its Independence Day, noting the valuable role it played as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

A landowner in West Guadalcanal is asking the government to pay $30,000 dollars in compensation for damages to property.

Police have issued a traffic awareness to the public saying that they will be tightening traffic operations in Honiara starting today.

The National Training Unit, NTU, of the Ministry of Education says the Solomon Islands Government scholarship awards for 2010 will be released today.

Solomon Airlines has abolished its non-core activities departments and outsourced work previously done by those departments to local enterprises.

The new Dash8 operation, although going well since 7th December 2009, will be leaving for PNG to undergo a major Maintenance check called a "C-Check".

The national Government has assured Solomon Islanders, especially fee paying parents, that there will be no changes to its Fee Free Basic Education Policy.

Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Polycarp Haununu, says the Electoral Commission will be holding a free Official Public Information Day this week to give people the chance to find out more about voter registration.

The Speaker of the National Parliament, Sir Peter Kenilorea, said the vision of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands is to be the best Parliament in the Pacific.

A partnership of government and international development agencies today announced the next phase of the Solomon Islands Road Improvement Project (SIRIP).

The body of the missing two year old boy, washed away by flooded waters last week, was located by locals over the weekend.

Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Polycarp Haununu, says the Electoral Commission will be holding a free Official Public Information Day this week to give people the chance to find out more about voter registration.

People around burns creek and Lunga areas made their last harvest of what is left of their garden from the heavy rain and flood last night.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police are mounting up search operations for two children who went missing around the upper Betikama area since yesterday.

Flooding has destroyed the bridges of Poha and Tamboko rivers in Northwest Guadalcanal.

The low pressure system located north of Santa Cruz Islands in the Eastern part of the country has a fair chance of developing into a cyclone.

Prime Minister Derek Sikua has rejected as "unfair and misguided," recent criticism of the government relating to the foiled attempts by Chung Sol logging company to export tubi logs.

Detectives from the Honiara City Police executed a search warrant on Tuesday 19 January 2010 at approximately 8.30am, at a Motel in Honiara and seized a large number of goods believed to have been stolen.

Honiara City police have arrested a 47 year old father and his 17 year old son for the illegal production of kwaso and the cultivation of marijuana at Lunga area at approximately 9.00am yesterday morning.

The Magistrates Court in Honiara will hand down its decision, Friday this week on former acting Commissioner of Forest Mahlon Ali who faces charges of official corruption, abuse of office and false pretences.

The Solomon Islands government says vulnerable people from small island developing states, SIDS, deserve a better deal than the Copenhagen Accord.

Media officer for Live and Learn Forestry Centre in Solomon Islands, Charles Stennett says the attempt to export the hardwood tree, known in Isabel as "tubi", as round logs shows a lack of respect for government laws.

Paynesville's Polly Cooper is no stranger to helping people. The bubbly personal trainer helps her clients to lose weight, eat right and maintain a healthy everyday lifestyle.

Transparency Solomon Islands, TSI, has labeled the Government irresponsible for its decision to simply warn an Asian logging company that tried to export round logs illegally.

The discovery of giant African snails, a potentially lethal crop killer, beside the Mataniko River on Saturday has again prompted response by Agriculture specialists in the country.

Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Polycarp Haununu, says the Electoral Commission is committed to registering voters under one name only, in one place only.

The government has allocated more than SBD$66 million dollars for the Free Fee Basic Education this year.

Police are still investigating the death of a seven year old boy found inside a refrigerator at the Borderline area during the New Year period.

Chairman of the Electoral Commission Sir Peter Kenilorea says he hopes the Constituency Boundaries Commission will table its report to Parliament at the next sitting in March this year.

Police Commissioner Peter Marshall has confirmed the arrest of a man on Saturday in relation to the murder of a man in Tinagale village in the Aola area in Guadalcanal last week.

Taiwan Embassy says the Taiwanese government is to donate 300,000 dollars to help victims of the recent earthquakes in the Western Province.

The Chairman of the Solomon Island Electoral Commission, Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea, has called on voter registration officials to make sure that everyone who is 18 and older is registered to vote, and that those who have left the country, or may have gone to glory, be removed from the voter's list.

Public officers on prolonged Christmas and New Year's leave, and others who are absent from work without official approval are being called on to return to work.

Under Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development Mr. Moses Virivolomo said the Ministry's Rapid Employment Project for this year will target the unemployed youths living in various selected areas in which roads maintenances will be done.

The Electoral Commission will begin a three day training program for Registration Officials on Wednesday 13 January, ahead of voter registration starting on 25 January.

Police detectives have arrested and charged a 34 year old man from the Aola area in East Guadalcanal, following the death of a man over the weekend.

Police arrested a 57-year-old man from Tawanaora Village, East Are'are in Malaita, for allegedly selling liquor without license at his residence in the West Kola Ridge area at approximately 8.00pm last night.

Half of the team deployed to the earthquake stricken island of Rendova Island, Western Province early this week, returned to Honiara this afternoon with the response stage phasing.

Two New Zealand Red Cross Information Technology and Telecommunication technicians left for the Solomon Islands yesterday to help relief efforts in the country in the wake of last week's earthquakes and tsunami.

The U.N. Children's Fund says it is providing immediate support to the victims of a tsunami that hit Rendova and Tetepare Islands in the Solomon Islands this week. This is the second major disaster since April 2007 when another tsunami hit the Solomon Islands Western Province.

The United States will provide about SBD$590,000 dollars of assistance to people affected by the recent earthquakes in parts of the Western Province.

Australian Trade Minister and Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Simon Crean, today announced that Australia will provide up to AUD50,000 (around SBD325,000) in immediate emergency relief assistance in response to the earthquakes that have recently affected Solomon Islands.

Police are still investigating two deaths that occurred over the New Year in Honiara.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua has visited areas affected by the recent earthquake yesterday, assuring them that his government is doing all it can to assist them.

Head of Marine Search and Rescue Jack Bana says people who are travelling between islands after the festive season should think first about the safety of their families and themselves whilst travelling at sea.

A villager of Hopongo on Rendova Island is urging rural PeopleFirst Net stations to gather facts and correct information before going to the media and relevant government authorities such as the National Disaster Management Office.

A government team has set up its base in Munda, New Georgia, Western Province before travelling to Rendova Island tomorrow to assess the damages that may have been caused by the recent earthquakes.

Reports from the Western Province say that there has been minimal damage caused by the recent earthquake.

Detectives from Honiara City have worked tirelessly over the Christmas and New Year period to crack down on thefts and burglaries in and around Honiara.

The Solomon Airlines has expressed grave concerns at the way in which runways are maintained, with reports of damage to tyres of the Dash8.

There were no fireworks, not many vehicles hooting their horns, not even the odd beating of empty rubbish drums in the suburbs of Honiara.

Two earthquakes, one a magnitude 7.2 quake, struck near the Western Solomon Islands, the U.S. Geological Survey said today, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage.