Anti-China riots break out in Solomon Islands, Australia sends troops

CANBERRA – Australia has sent police, army and diplomatic staff to Solomon Islands in an effort to quell violent demonstrations over the region’s ties with China . Protesters have recently attempted to storm the national parliament.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the deployment saying that a detachment of about 75 federal police officers, 43 soldiers and at least five diplomats was heading to the island to provide stability and security and assist local authorities to maintain critical infrastructure.

Their mission is expected to last several weeks, and comes amid growing unrest and protests over a range of domestic issues. Possible among these is the Solomon government’s decision in 2019 to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China, which considers Taiwan part of Beijing’s territory.

Also read: Australia Says Impossible Not to Join US in Defending Taiwan from China’s Attack

“It is not the intention of the Australian government in any way to interfere in the internal affairs of the Solomon Islands,” Morrison said. Russia Today, Friday (11/26/2021).

He also added that the placement did not indicate any position on the country’s internal matters.

The island’s prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, announced a 36-hour lockdown on Wednesday following massive protests in the capital Honiara, where demonstrators demanded his resignation. At one point, protesters even tried to storm the parliament building, and then set a fire in a hut directly adjacent to the legislative building.

Also read: Play Taiwan War Issues, Opposition: Australian Government Uses Dangerous Tactics

Shops and other buildings in the Chinatown district were also looted and burned, despite the ongoing lockdown and curfew orders. The devastation was captured on footage circulating online, with damaged buildings and smoldering fires visible amid a sea of ​​rubble.

On Friday, when Australian personnel arrived, Sogavare said the protests in his country were orchestrated by an unnamed foreign country. He said the demonstrators had been given false and deliberate lies about the island’s ties to Beijing.

“The countries that are now influencing (the protesters) are countries that don’t want relations with the People’s Republic of China, and they forbid the Solomon Islands to establish diplomatic relations,” Sogavare said, though he declined to name the person in question.

Also read: China Media Boss: Australia Better Prepare to be Sacrificed by US and Taiwan

(ian)

– .