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Solomons PM defends jailed police minister

Posted on: Saturday, 6 May 2006, 21:41 CDT

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare defended the appointment of a jailed politician as his country's new police minister on Sunday, saying evidence the new minister had incited riots might not hold up in court.

Australia has said it has concerns over Friday's appointment of two jailed politicians to the Solomons cabinet, including Sogavare's decision to appoint Charles Dausebea, refused bail on charges of inciting riots, as the new police minister.

But Sogavare said there was nothing in his country's constitution to prevent the appointments or to stop Dausebea from running the police ministry from a jail cell.

"There is nothing constitutionally wrong in appointing these two persons to hold portfolios," Sogavare told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television on Sunday.

"Those charges are yet to be proven in court. And we have evidence that some of this evidence is really questionable."

Both Dausebea and new minister Nelson Ne have been refused bail on charges of inciting the destructive riots and looting in the Solomons capital Honiara after the April 18 election of Snyder Rini as the nation's prime minister.

The two days of riots and looting destroyed mainly Chinese businesses in Honiara and forced Rini to later step down, with parliament electing Sogavare in his place last Thursday.

The tiny Chinese business population was targeted and most of Honiara's Chinatown was destroyed because of rumors that aid money from Taiwan was used to help elect Rini and that his government was heavily influenced by local Chinese businessmen.

Nearly 400 troops and an extra 120 police from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Papua New Guinea were sent to Honiara in the past fortnight to restore order.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia would make representations to the Solomons about the cabinet appointments, which he said would damage the standing of the Solomons in the Pacific and wider international community.

The Solomons, once a British protectorate known as "The Happy Isles," was on the brink of collapse in 2003 because of ethnic fighting, prompting Australia to lead a multinational peacekeeping force to restore peace.

Downer has said the nation of bout 500,000 people spread over 992 islands covering 1.35 million sq km (520,000 sq miles) would struggle to end corruption and political instability.

Source: REUTERS

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