Solomon Islands girds for further protests next week

A no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is a potential flashpoint for more trouble.

People clear debris from the streets in Honiara's Chinatown. Picture: AFP

The Solomon Islands is bracing for further political unrest, with fresh protests and a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister slated for Monday.

The US State Department has warned citizens of possible “demonstrations leading up to, during, and after the vote” and announced the consular agency in Honiara would be shut for normal business.

“Remember that even peaceful demonstrations can turn violent without warning,” US officials warned on Friday.

Last month, a protest against Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare sparked three days of rioting in the capital during which at least three people were killed, 56 buildings burned or pillaged and left the city’s Chinatown district in ruins. Order was restored by Australian, Fijian, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand peacekeepers, who have divided up the capital for joint patrols with the overstretched Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.

Luke Forau, the governor of the country’s central bank – which estimated that the riots cost the equivalent of 15 per cent of annual economic output – called for Monday’s protests not to damage critical infrastructure.

The no-confidence vote, brought by Opposition Leader Matthew Wale, is a potential flashpoint for more trouble and security is likely to be tight at ­parliament on Monday.

AFP