Fiji stands ready to support the Government of Solomon Islands, alongside its Australian Vuvale, following the second day of the uncontrollable riots in Honiara.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama spoke to his Australian counterpart, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and expressed support for Australia’s positive response to a direct request for assistance from the Solomon Islands Government, under Article 2 of Australia’s Bilateral Security Treaty with the Solomon Islands.
Australia will be deploying 73 Australian Federal Police as well as 40 Australian Defence Force Personnel to Honiara.
Australian personnel will be deployed to support the Solomon Island Police to provide a stable environment to resolve the situation peacefully.
The Prime Minister thanked his Australian counterpart for his swift response and offered the Fijian Government’s support to the Australian operation.
Meanwhile overnight, a contingent of 23 Australian Federal Police officers arrived in Honiara to bolster Solomon Islands' police force, following a request from Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare for help.
More police, army officers and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will follow today.
Sogavare thanked Australia for being a "best friend" to the Solomon Islands.
He is also blaming foreign powers for encouraging civil unrest in the Pacific nation, as Australian police officers arrive in the country to help quell rioting.
Speaking with the ABC, Sogavare says foreign powers are fuelling unrest.
Protests in the capital Honiara quickly spiralled out of the control of local police, with arson and looting in the Chinatown district and the city centre, and crowds threatening to disrupt parliament.
A mixture of grievances have fuelled the protests, but the government's decision in 2019 to switch diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China is the main source of the conflict.
Sogavare stood by the decision to terminate diplomatic relations with Taipei, despite fierce and sustained criticism.
The Malaita Province, the most populous island of the archipelago, has maintained connections with Taipei in defiance of the central government.
He dismissed other grievances protesters held about his government, insisting the divide over whether to recognise China or Taiwan was the sole source of conflict.
Sogovare says these very countries that are now influencing Malaita are the countries that don't want ties with the People's Republic of China and they are discouraging Solomon Islands to enter into diplomatic relations and to comply with international law and the United Nations resolution.
He says he does not want to name names.
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