"Australia Sends Troops To Solomon Islands Amid ..." Topic

… Anti-China Riots. Parliament Burned Down

"Australia will send troops to the Solomon Islands as the South Pacific nation descends into chaos following anti-China riots.

The Australian National Security Committee held crisis talks on Thursday afternoon after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare asked the Australian Government for assistance under the 2017 bilateral security agreement…"

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A curfew has been announced ….

Curfew in Solomon Islands as anti-government protests flare

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Armand

I don;t agree w/ the violence ,but I do agree w/ Anti-China…and Pro-Taiwan. The problem is China throws all this money at Govt.,but it does not reach the people..and then always wants something..minerals ,off shore oil rights .military bases..modern colonialism.,but still Communist.

jurgenation, quite right. Everything China does has strings and those strings are attached to politicians who dance to the communist's tune.

So will Guadalcanal II be the USMC vs the Communist Chinese in 2022?

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

but still Communist.

Bingo !!! 👍👍

those strings are attached to politicians who dance to the communist's tune.

So very true and even more so today …

It's not a peace-keeping effort. The small number of troops are there to protect the embassy and Aussies sheltering there. By far the biggest contingent is the Australian Federal Police, to assist the locals. We were there from 2003 to 2014, in the same role, and many going over are "old hands" who know the people. "Helpem frend" is the idea and the locals are generally happy with the arrangement- or they were, last time.

As for the PRC, look at Kiribati, Vanuatu, PNG and other areas where the PRC wants to build "fishing ports" and "tourist facilities". And give goodwill gifts to the national rulers….

Things change? There will be peace-keeping troops deployed, according to the media. How accurate that report is?

I do know that the media can't tell the truth between AFP and troops from their identification of AFP members as "troops in Honiara" on the ABC (Aust Broadcasting Commission, not the US mob) news.

You are correct … You can't trust much of what you hear in the media. Seems to me most of the US media is the most biased, agenda & narrative driven, etc.

Thanks

Armand

Legion 4 +1

Good for them, though a pity about burning down the government building, which they can probably ill afford.

I can't blame them for their anti-Chinese government positions though, since I agree with them, and understand their frustration.

We have far too many "leaders" and their sons literally in bed with the Chinese/Russian government, and/or their operatives/spies. Sadly, many/most of them are still in office, which is a shame, since they should be removed for cause immediately when this stuff is found out.

Some are even today suspected of being controlled, and/or strongly influenced by the Chi-Com menace.

Why is Australia supporting a pro-Chinese government? Do they think they can woo the Solomons' government off of Chinese $$$?

SBmimisguy, it's not about supporting a pro-PRC government, it's about ensuring the Solomon Islands doesn't become another failed state. A minor reason is to keep another (very interested) party from deciding to send "aid" or "peacekeepers" or "advisors" in.

The PRC-Taiwan issue is just an excuse for those tensions to spark up again. Malaita (most populated island and recipient of money and business from Taiwan) and Guadalcanal (where the government is based, and whose switch to the PRC jeopardises the Malaita agreements with Taiwan) are not best mates, and haven't been since pre-independence. Malaita is constantly complaining about getting short-changed compared to other islands, I think with some justification.

RAMSI (police from about a dozen countries and troops from Oz and NZ in support) were there for over 10 years last time, mainly police assistance to the local police force, before things had settled down and a form of stability was achieved.

The PRC may happily move in to ensure "civil order" was returned- or their version of it- if Australia and/or NZ didn't move first, but that's a very secondary reason. There's enough problems in the area without the Solomons going up in flames again- that's the main reason.

If some have noticed … or not … The PRC/CCP is playing a global game of Pacman. Gobbling up bits & pieces of the planet. Almost at will … 🌎🥢

Seems the government leadership went pro chicomm and the people are rioting.

I really question the role the Australians is now intending to play? Are they pre-empting a chicomm take over? or facilitating it by propping up the government that the people want to throw out?

We'll have to wait & see … Could go either way AFAIK …

Stabilise the country first (nobody wants to be there for another 10-year commitment) and then worry about the leadership.

Sounds like a workable plan …

SBmimisguy, it's not about supporting a pro-PRC government, it's about ensuring the Solomon Islands doesn't become another failed state. A minor is to keep another (very interested) party from deciding to send "aid" or "peacekeepers" or "advisors" in.

And why would the people being angry about a deeply corrupt pro-China regime = a failed state? China moved in, bought off the PM and top dogs with a new palace and some nice cash, they joined Belt & Road and gave China the rights to fishing other and resources, and have been strip mining the ocean while shutting down the local Solomons Islands fishing industry. They are building a deep water port in Tulagi, and other similar projects -- and none of the construction projects being done with Chinese $$ involve local jobs -- China exports an entire work pod, no locals are hired.

It's a pretty one-way street, with the politicians at the top benefitting while the citizens get screwed. So what's Australia's play here??

Re-read my post. The enmity between Malaita and Guadalcanal is the threat. Malaita and a couple of other islands are angry. The people of Guadalcanal, who will be reaping what benefits there are from the PRC deals, are not and took the opportunity to settle old scores.

Stabilising the country is the primary aim and hopefully prevents the country sliding into the same problems that had erupted from 2003. It may damp down the push by Malaitan separatists to gain independence- which could see other islands do the same- resulting in a failed state in an already impoverished region.

Secondary benefits are that it takes away any chance of the PRC deciding to intervene (if they intended to, which is unlikely) and, when things settle down, the courts and parliament may be able to get back to work. The lease on Tulagai was ruled illegal and blocked in 2019. Other PRC deals done by the government were also under question in the parliament and courts, particularly the PRC mining venture. It's also doubtful that the current government will survive if fair, supervised elections are a result of the intervention.

The PRC is not happy with the intervention. That alone should tell you something.

Hopefully as you say. Certainly the people of the Solomons have not benefited from their leaders' relationship with China.

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