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Four
People shot dead in Western Solomons GIZO, Solomon Is (WP): Four people were shot dead today in an early morning raid at the capital town of the Western Solomons. Gizo, is the administrative town of the Western Solomons, which shares a maritime border with the Papua New Guinea Island of Bougainville. Among the dead were two members of the Bougainvillian Revolutionary Army (BRA) only known by their first names as Pari and Ivan. The were killed as part of an operation codenamed Black Shark, Gizo hospital officials confirmed the dead and revealed that one female had been also admitted and received treatment for bullet wounds to one of her feet. The other two were Solomon Islands nationals whose identities had been confirmed as Ian Chapangi of Guadalcanal Island and Brian Zama of the Western Solomons. Western State police commander Aloysius Ora confirmed today that the four dead were victims of a shootout that took place at the Gizo Hotel compound. The deceased, with their two male and five local female friends were partying in one of the hotel rooms, when they were surrounded and ordered to surrender their arms about 12.30am. But the dead men resisted and their leader, known locally as Cornelious, escaped. Ora said when he was called by his duty police officers to calm the members of the BRA, he could not believe seeing four dead bodies lying on the hotel room. After interviewing about 10 members of the BRA, who carried out the mission, police reported that the operation was specifically intended to disarm members. Police said the BRA revealed that the shootout was between loyal members and colleagues who had been carrying out criminal activities in the Western Solomons. The operation was intended to disarm the rebellious members and transport them back to Bougainville for court martial by the central commander. According to police, the rebel members were warned by their Central Bougainville commander to return home a fortnight ago but they defied it. Since the escalation of the ethnic conflict in the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomons, between the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) and Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM), many people had been forced to flee to the Western Solomons. The little town of Gizo with an initial population of about 4,000 gradually swollen to about 8,000 within the period of five months since the MEF coup on June 5. The MEF overthrow of the Solomons police led the BRA, which had ethnic blood ties with the people of Western Solomons, to enter the state and act as "protectors". But the BRA operation, got a negative twist when members, mostly South Bougainvillians, used it and engaged in criminal activities. A request by Western Solomon community, state and national leaders led to the BRA Central Commander in Bougainville recalling members of the Black Shark. Following the order for Black Shark to return three weeks ago, a few defied the order and remained in various centers of the Western Solomons, with most in Gizo. A spokesman for the Western State said this was the basis of the BRA Central Commander decision to send the group to repatriate the criminal element. A Solomon Islands government official, who travelled to the Western Solomons on Saturday to check on reports about the criminal activities in the state, said it was a sad reality. Alan Qurusu, a former Member of Parliament, said he had been assigned by the national government to investigate the reports but he had witnessed it with just one night in Gizo. Newspaper calls for military to clean up "Rouge Elements" SUVA: Fiji's most influential daily newspaper today bitterly condemned the military over a weekend incident in which soldiers are alleged to have confronted police at gunpoint over rebels who had surrendered. The pre-dawn confrontation happened at the tiny police post of Lami on the outskirts of Suva and followed an incident last week when armed soldiers raided the office of a senior public servant heading the Public Works Ministry. The Fiji Times called on the military to clean up its act and deal with "rogue elements" who were intimidating the police force and the public. "For too long now rogue elements within society have been allowed to run loose, creating havoc and instilling fear in the hearts of ordinary, law-abiding citizens," the newspaper said in an editorial. "The military has instituted a witch-hunt as it tries to find the source of political problems which have plagued the nation since May 19. "As a result, innocent people have been injured, their reputations tarnished forever. "Soldiers barge into public offices and demand to see Government officials as part of their ongoing investigations. "If this is allowed to continue, people with personal grudges will be able to call the military and make baseless accusations against others, knowing full well what the accusations will be. "It is time for Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama to stop his officers and men from carrying out these bullying and intimidating tactics." The Fiji Times conceded that the military had a role to play in national security in the difficult time since the coup staged by failed businessman George Speight. "So far that role of providing roadblocks, sentries for installations which need protection and a quick response to major emergencies has been executed diligently," the paper said. "That is where the role ends." The role did not include interrogating police officers at gunpoint. "Commodore Bainimarama must realise that the public feels safe knowing the army is there, albeit in the background, should the need arise. "But the longer troops are allowed to carry out rainds on homes and offices in search of civilians, the less safe will people feel." While the investigations into suspects involved in the overthrow of the Mahendra Chaudhry-led government must go on, "heavy-handed tactics by the army will only serve to drive prospective witnesses underground". The military should sort out its own problems and leave civilian investigations to the police, the paper added. Journolist charged for "Aossicating With Rebels" SUVA (PMW): Two Fiji Islands journalists based in the northern town of Labasa have been arrested and charged for unlawful assembly and unlawful use of a motor vehicle over the seizure of a military barracks by rebel soldiers, according to media reports. The journalists are Fiji Times reporter Ruci Mafi and Radio Fiji's northern correspondent Theresa Ralogaivau. They were charged on 13 November 2000 and are to appear in court on December 4. According to the Fiji Times on November 14, the two are accused of "mingling with rebels" who took over Sukanaivalu barracks at Labasa as well as riding in their vehicles between July 4 and August 3. The rebel takeover came during a series of uprisings around the country in support of coup leader George Speight who seized Parliament and held the elected government hostage for 56 days. Speight and 13 followers are now facing treason charges. "The law is for everyone and no journalist should overstep that line," northern divisional Police Commander Samuela Matakibau told the Fiji Sun. "We found it appropriate that charges must be laid and the offenders be brought to justice. "We are merely doing our duty. And to the best of our ability we will probe all the people involved, no matter what positions they are holding." Both reporters have been the subject of media speculation in recent months over allegedly consorting with the rebels, but they have denied any involvement. The Pacific regional radio news cooperative Pacnews reported that the police decision to charge the two journalists had shocked local media organisations with many reporters seeing it as another attempt by the authorities to interfere with the work of the media. Both reporters were sent by their respective media organisations to the military base to cover the mutiny. According to Pacnews, the Fiji Times was questioning why police had singled out the two women journalists when other reporters had visited the military camp at the height of the mutiny. Their case follows the detention by the army for six hours without charge of two Radio Fiji journalists and the station's acting chief executive on October 20 over a story alleging deep division within the military. Although the military denied the report, a subsequent bloody mutiny erupted on November 2, claiming the lives of eight soldiers..
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