Australia to send troops and police to Solomon Islands amid unrest

Australia is dispatching a peacekeeping force to the Solomon Islands after internal political tensions sparked two days of rioting and looting in the capital Honiara and the burning of public buildings and shops.

Scott Morrison announced the deployment of 73 Australian Federal Police and 43 Australian Defence Force personnel to the country late on Thursday following a request from the nation’s embattled Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare.

An initial contingent of 23 AFP Specialist Response Group members departed Canberra on an RAAF C-130 Hercules on Thursday night to assist Solomon Islands police with riot control.

However, the Prime Minister stressed the Australian peacekeepers would only help restore security and stability, and would not “in any way” intervene in the nation’s domestic politics.

“Our purpose here is to provide stability and security to enable the normal constitutional processes in the Solomon Islands to be able to deal with the various issues that have arisen, and that that be done in a climate of peace, stability and security,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Sogavare — a longtime critic of Australia who has forged strong relations with China — made the request under a 2017 bilateral security treaty as he faced rioters’ demands for his resignation.

Protesters looted businesses and torched public and private buildings including a police station, a high school, a large bank branch, and many Chinese and locally owned shops. There were reports of shooting in the capital.

The tensions, predominantly driven by economic issues, have been inflamed by divisions over the Sogavare government’s decision to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China in 2019.

The initial AFP deployment will be followed by ADF personnel from Townsville, who will protect Honiara’s airport, and up to 50 additional AFP members who will guard critical infrastructure assets. An Australian patrol boat will also be sent to the area.

“It is not the Australian government’s intention in any way to intervene in the internal affairs of the Solomon Islands. That is for them to resolve,’’ Mr Morrison said. “Our presence there does not indicate any position on the internal issues of the Solomon Islands.”

Mr Morrison said the deployment was expected to last weeks. The Australian personnel would be armed with “lethal and non-lethal weapons … for force protection purposes”, he said.

Of the ADF personnel to be deployed to Honiara, 30 are from the army’s 3rd Brigade, with -additional support provided by medical specialists and military police. The decision to deploy Australian personnel was made during a meeting of cabinet’s national security committee, and followed talks between Mr Morrison and key regional leaders.

The Morrison government is wary of being drawn into a lengthy intervention, following the 2003-17 Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, which cost more than $2.6bn.

Former RAMSI leader and Australian high commissioner to the Solomon Islands, James Batley, now a distinguished fellow at the Australian National University, said Australia had little choice but to intervene. “The alternative is to have a country descending into anarchy on our doorstep,” he said. “Australia wants to be the leader in South Pacific security matters and the partner of choice in the region. It would not be a good look for us to be seen to be standing by and let events take their course.”

Solomon Islands opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jnr said he welcomed the “light” deployment, saying if the force was larger it would convey the impression Australia was backing Mr Sogavare.

Mr Kenilorea reiterated Opposition Leader Matthew Wale’s demand for Mr Sogavare to resign, but said he was concerned that Australia’s intervention might enable the Prime Minister to dig in. “I don’t know how the Prime Minister will spin this now,” said Mr Kenilorea, the chair of the Solomon Islands parliament’s foreign relations committee. “The timing of it has come at a delicate time, when government ministers were looking to resign. It should not be seen as propping up a leader that many view as corrupt.”

Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani demanded Mr Sogavare’s immediate resignation, saying he had “elevated the interest of foreigners above those of Solomon Islanders”.

The rioters, who ignored a 36-hour lockdown imposed by Mr Sogavare, were predominantly from the province of Malaita, which continues to support diplomatic relations with Taiwan despite the country’s switch to recognise China two years ago.

They were protesting alleged corruption by the Sogavare government, and had the backing of many public servants whose wages had recently been garnished to pay for a Honiara Chinese housing development.

People from the main island of Guadalcanal are also enraged with the government, amid proposed reforms of the administration of customary land.

Mr Sogavare said his government was still in control, and vowed protesters would “face the full brunt of the law”.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Labor supported the government’s decision to send AFP and ADF personnel to the Solomons. Australian