Latest News Archive April 2014

The Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office (NMDO) and its partner agencies are continuing to get food supplies to communities in Honiara and the greater Guadalcanal affected by the recent floods.

Solomon Islands police, prosecutors and several Government Ministries have formed a new high level taskforce to crackdown on environmental crime.

An 11-person New Zealand and Australian medical team have arrived in Honiara on Monday 28 April to assist the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital with an influx of patients following the recent floods.

Senior officials from the Solomon Islands Government have held talks with a delegation from Bougainville this week to further strengthen trade links between Solomon Islands and Bougainville.

The much-anticipated Youth Market is set to take place this Thursday the 1st of May in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Tuesday 22 March 2014, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji – Just before the Easter long weekend, the Fiji Ministry of Education held a national curriculum consultation that finalised the process of incorporating climate change and disaster risk management into the curricula of primary and secondary schools in Fiji.

Australian mining company St Barbara says it doesn't know why the Solomon Islands Government has banned its employees from re-entering the country.

The Gold Ridge Landowners and Guadalcanal Provincial government have warned both the government and St. Barbara that they will not accept decisions of mining on their land without being involved in the consultation process.

The Japanese mining company, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co, Ltd, SMM, has donated $700,000 to the Solomon Islands Government Disaster Relief effort.

Work has begun to upgrade and rehabilitate the Keru Wharf near New Georgia in Western Province, Solomon Islands.

The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service has issued a Heavy Rain Alert this morning which is in force for all Provinces in the country.

The National Disaster Council (NDC) warns against rumours of cash grants for those people displaced by the recent floods.

Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo last night welcomed and commissioned the work of a PNG Team from the Political Parties Registry to the Solomon Islands.

New Zealand’s new High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Marion Crawshaw yesterday presented her letters of introduction to Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo in Honiara.

Australia continues to stand with Solomon Islands in responding to the flood crisis.

The Solomon Islands Government is encouraging people to voluntarily leave evacuation centres and return home, with return assistance packages ready for distribution.

The Solomon Islands Helena Goldie College of Nursing has graduated 17 new diploma level nurses last week at United Church’s Headquarter in Munda, Western Province.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Hon. Gordon Darcy Lilo was deeply saddened by the passing of the late Honorable Johnley Hatimoana over the weekend after a short illness.

The President of the Republic of Vanuatu, His Excellency Iolu Johnson Abbil has send condolences to the Government and people of Solomon Islands for the loss of lives and property during the April 3 floods.

Australia’s Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove has send condolences to the people of Solomon Islands who have been devastated following the April 3 floods which killed 21 people and left thousands homeless.

More than thirty White River Demons AFL players and Australians gathered in White River on Wednesday morning in a community blitz organised by the SIAFL to clean up the White River Health Clinic.

Members of the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce (SICCI) have joined forces to deliver clean filtered water to affected communities and Disaster Relief Centers in Honiara.

The Government’s National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) has reported zero casualties or damages from the magnitude 7.6 quake and tsunami that struck coastal villages of mainland Makira and its surrounding islands on Sunday morning.

Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo today thanked the New Zealand Government for its quick response to immediately provide a bailey bridge to replace the damaged old Mataniko Bridge at Chinatown.

Recent assessments by the Solomon Islands Red Cross (SIRC) suggest that 52,000 people have been directly affected by the recent floods.

Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo and Opposition Leader Dr Derek Sikua have visited the Guadalcanal Plains and the Gold Ridge mine on Sunday in a mission to witness the scale and impact of the recent rain and floods on Guadalcanal.

The Solomon Islands Electoral Commission has extended its Biometric Voter Registration process because of the recent floods.

Within a span of a few hours two strong magnitude 7 earthquakes struck the Solomon Islands on Sunday.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have sent condolences to the people of the Solomon Islands in the wake of floods that killed at least 23 people and left thousands homeless.

The Government has started a detailed technical assessment at flood-hit areas in Honiara and Guadalcanal and other parts of the country to determine the scale of last week’s disaster.

The flooding that has affected Honiara, Guadalcanal Province is a tragedy on a scale that has not been seen in this country for some time. Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) writes about the decision to release part of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in the wake of the flooding that devastated Honiara and parts of Guadalcanal.

Parliamentary Secretary to Australian Foreign Minister, Senator Brett Mason has conveyed Australia’s deepest condolences to Prime Minister Gordon Darcy, his Government and the people of Solomon Islands.

The Solomon Warriors is hoping to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to AS Pirae in the OFC Champions League yesterday.

Vodafone has announced it will credit its New Zealand customers’ calls and TXTs to the Solomon Islands following last week’s devastating floods and earthquake.

The Republic of China (Taiwan) today has donated SB$2 million worth of relief assistance towards recovery efforts in Solomon Islands following last week’s deadly floods that killed at least 23 people and left thousands of people homeless.

The Solomon Islands has endured a week filled with destruction and enormous tragedy, now is the time to work together.

Economic growth in Solomon Islands is expected to pick up slightly to 3% in 2014, and remain steady at 3% in 2015 due to a fiscal stimulus from investment projects which will have a spillover effect on the economy, according to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) 2014 Asian Development Outlook report.

The long-term future of St Barbara's Gold Ridge operations is in doubt as the gold miner today suspended mining after deadly floods in the Solomon Islands.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), working in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, recently inked a deal to further assist climate change adaptation in Solomon Islands.

The J Boog concert has been postponed; organizers say they are working with his management team for a new date.

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced a $3 million aid package to help Solomon Islands recover from a major flood disaster which has killed 23 people and left 9,000 homeless.

The National Disaster Management Office has (NDMO) issued an All-Clear statement late yesterday afternoon, advising the public that no further threat exists and it is now safe for people in the affected areas to move around.

Solomon Airlines has resumed full operation of its international and domestic flight schedules following the devastating flooding which struck the Solomon Islands on the weekend.

As search and rescue efforts continues 23 have been confirmed dead and hundreds still missing, according to the Solomon Islands National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), and UNICEF, are working together on immediate priorities in response to the recent flooding in Honiara and Guadalcanal.

At the latest count today, 7,091 residents had been registered in nine of the evacuation centres in Honiara.

15 have been confirmed dead, 30 missing and at least 7,000 homeless following torrential rain and flooding in the Solomon Islands, according to the Solomon Islands National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).

Australia has immediately pledged over SBD$330,000 to support Solomon Islands in the initial response to flooding in Honiara and Guadalcanal.

The only bridge left standing, within the CBD area after the flash floods yesterday, has been blocked off by the police.

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has warned Honiara residents to go to higher grounds, stay indoors and stay put.

The police have confirmed to Solomon Times that 6 people have lost their lives due to the flash floods late yesterday afternoon, while at least 30 are still missing.

Homes have been inundated by heavy rain, one that has persisted for the past 36 hours.

The MET division has warned boat owners to cancel all operations until the weather clears.

Reports have stated that two people, a mother and her baby daughter, were killed after sudden flash floods swept through the Chinatown area, washing away the old Chinatown Bridge.

The commencement of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports will support Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) GDP growth of 6% in 2014, picking up to a record 21% in 2015, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says in a major new report.

Efforts to prepare the Solomon Islands for the impacts of climate change have received a US$9.1 million boost from the World Bank. The money will go help set up early warning systems to alert people if an extreme weather event is about to hit, helping to save lives in the event of tsunamis or other natural hazards.

J Boog is set to rock the stage this Sunday at the Heritage Park Hotel, with tickets said to be selling fast. His catchy hit, let’s do it again, put J Boog on the map, spreading his music to a wide audience beyond the shores of Hawaii, where he now resides.

The University of the South Pacific Students Association of Solomon Islands (USPSASI) campus has praised Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo for addressing the students’ scholarship issue.

Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) held its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 29th March 2014 at Hyundai Mall, Kairos Conference Room.

Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo is confident that Parliament will deliberate on and eventually pass the Political Parties Integrity Bill (PPIB) which is now before the Parliamentary Bills and Legislation Committee.