Economy Archive March 2010

Solomon Islands Our Telekom engineers are currently working at their hardest to get a few things before the country will operate on the new telecommunication system which will include 2G, 2.5G and 3G servers.

Leaders of Malaita Province have expressed their disagreement with the country adopting a Federal system of government and have instead opted for Independence.

Solomon Islands' Foreign Minister William Haomae says Australia is still not listening to Pacific Island countries when it comes to talks on PACER plus.

Chris Porter, a controversial dolphin trader with a lucrative business of capturing the animals in the Solomon Islands and selling them to aquariums, says he has had a change of heart and is planning to release his last 17 bottlenose dolphins.

The Minister of Home Affairs has approved a 14 day extension to voter registration sought by the Electoral Commission last week.

Police have confirmed that a dead body has been found at the Botanical garden area in Honiara this morning.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade will today launch a study for the future of economic development of the Solomon Islands.

Guadalcanal Premier Stephen Panga has said the Province is working towards reconciliation with the national government in late October this year.

Australia and New Zealand will provide up to 4.7 million dollars to help Solomon Islands undertake emergency repairs to roads and bridges after heavy rain caused flooding throughout the country.

Minister for National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace, Sam Iduri, has commended both Premiers of Malaita and Guadalcanal for accepting the bold step to lead the country forward towards reconciliation.

Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, RSIPF, Commissioner Peter Marshall has praised the combined efforts of the RSIPF National Criminal Investigations Division (NCID) and RAMSI PPF Advisors working in Malu'u, North Malaita, after the arrest of John Irobene Taloi in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A young man, said to be a member of the popular Honiara group Ontox, died instantly and another is in a critical condition after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed into a tree.

Isabel representative in the Federation Constitutional Congress, Chief Dennis Lulei, says the province believes in a state government system.

Talks for formal reconciliation between Guadalcanal and Malaita provinces have commenced in Honiara.

Solomon Islands yesterday marked World Meteorology Day in Honiara with a government pledge to continue its support for National Meteorological Services in the country.

The Environmental Health Division has assured people in the country that Soltai Fishing and Processing company products in the market are safe for public consumption.

The Solomon Islands Government yesterday has announced that it will soon put to international tender the Nickel Mine in Isabel Province.

The Solomon Islands' Prime Minister says yesterday's relaunch of the Gold Ridge gold mine is a positive signal that the country has recovered from the years of ethnic tension.

The Soltai Fishing and Processing Company Limited is currently investigating an e-mail which was circulated last week warning people of poison in the company's taiyo products.

The Solomon Islands National Union of Workers, SINUW, says allegations by an assembly member of Central Province against European Union, E-U, funding assistance to the union was misleading.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) wishes to assure the nation, especially Cattle Farmers and Stakeholders that preparation towards finalizing relevant protocol requirements to import cattle into the country is ongoing.

The Solomon Islands and the World Bank have signed an agreement paving the way to kick-start the Tina River Hydropower Project.

On Sunday 21st March, Australia celebrates Harmony Day, with community activities held throughout the country, reflecting the cohesive and inclusive nature of Australian society and promoting the benefits of cultural diversity.

The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) is now back on-air after the Solomon Islands Energy Authority restored power supply following a long power blackout at the SIBC's Henderson transmitter.

Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce representatives as well as other business and legal professionals yesterday attended a special information and training session on the use of the new, modernised Companies Act.

The skies are starting to clear up for the Solomon Islands as Cyclone Ului starts moving away from the country.

The Solomon Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA) has started restricting the supply of electricity to its sister State-Owned Enterprise, the Solomon Islands Water Authority (SIWA).

The Australian Defence Adviser, Wing Commander, Wendy Horder, called on the Minister for Police, National Security and Correctional Services, Hon. James Tora to discuss the forthcoming refurbishment of Royal Solomon Islands Police Vessel (RSIPV) AUKI in Australia.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing $10 million in budget support to the Solomon Islands that will help the economy recover from the global economic crisis.

Solomon Islands Capital, Honiara continues to experience the severe weather of Cyclone Ului as it slowly moves west.

The Archbishop of the Church of Melanesia, David Vunagi last week paid a pastoral visit to the Renell and Bellona Province.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) visited Honiara, Solomon Islands, in a P-3K Orion aircraft for two days last week as part of a 7-day patrol of the Pacific.

The Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului, that travelled to South of Solomon Islands was said to have broken the record for the most intense ever tropical cyclones in the South Pacific Region.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua says that he is pleased with the public support and progress made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC.

The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service continues to issue special weather advises for Temotu and Rennell Bellona Provinces due to two low pressure systems.

Parliament has withdrawn the Timber Development and Marketing Authority Bill.

The Leadership Code Commission has fined more than 400 leaders for failing to give statements of their assets and financial interests to the Commission as required under the Leadership Code Act 1999.

The first public hearing by the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) concluded yesterday, with 19 witnesses giving sometimes wrenching personal testimony on their experiences during five years of civil conflict known as the "tension".

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua has described his recent trip to Palau and Brussels as a success.

Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Polycarp Haununu, has called on the public for their support to keep voter registration free of corruption.

The government is warning people wanting to join New Zealand's Recognized Seasonal Employee Scheme to watch out for bogus operators.

Royal Solomon Islands Police Officer, Detective Inspector Florence Taro, was awarded the RAMSI Special Coordinator's Award for Women, recognising her contribution to improving the status of women both within and outside the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).

Nine victims from the tensions in Solomon Islands testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC, during the first day of public hearings.

The Ambassador of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan, HE George Chan had formally released the first payment of SB$10 million for the '2010 Rural Constituency Development Fund (RCDF)' covering 50 constituencies in Honiara yesterday afternoon.

Twin launches of two new policies for women and a pioneering book about Solomon Islands women in Government, Being The First, are fitting ways to mark International Women's Day 2010, RAMSI Special Coordinator, Graeme Wilson said.

Victims of the tensions in Solomon Islands will have their first opportunity today to give testimony on their experiences before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC.

A book launched in the Solomon Islands today marks International Women's Day by celebrating leadership and achievement amongst Solomon Islands women.

A number of Selwyn College students returned to Honiara last week because of flooding at the school caused by the recent torrential weather.

Government sponsored students studying at the University of the South Pacific's (USP) Laucala campus in Fiji have received FJ$375.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC, will hold its first national public hearing in Honiara next week.

The Minister of Agriculture and livestock Development, Selwyn Riumana told the new Malaysian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Madame Blanche Olbery, of the massive investment opportunities in the Oil Palm Industry.

The National Training Unit, NTU, will terminate the scholarship awards of about 100 students under government sponsorship.

The Solomon Islands Water Authority, SIWA, says that the amount of illegal water connections throughout Honiara is quite significant and will continue to cause water outage in most of Honiara.

Police have arrested and charged a 21 year old man over the weekend in relation to the alleged murder of a young man, whose body was found at the Panatina oval early last month.

The Central Bank of Solomon Islands, CBSI, categorically denies the front page article in yesterday's Island Sun newspaper of a huge payout for those who have invested money in the Family Charity Trust Fund.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Transnational Crime Unit have charged the captains of the two foreign fishing vessels that were apprehended earlier this year after they were discovered to be fishing illegally in Solomon Islands' waters.

The government is soon to begin a major public road rehabilitation program in Honiara city in view of the current wet weather condition which is expected to cause extra damage to existing road infrastructures.

Mr. Trevor Garland AM, CSI, has hit back at a report published in the Solomon Star that accused him of threatening to use his influence to close down the '10 beds program' between St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and the Solomon Islands if the Solomon Islands' High Commissioner, Victor Ngele, was not replaced.

The Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Nollen Leni says the detaining of two fishing vessels by the police is in breach of the Fisheries Act.