Latest news with #JeremiahManele
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 20 May
Guam Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon An army officer overseeing plans for a 360-degree missile system for Guam says it will cost approximately US$8 billion. Lieutenant General Robert Rasch, the executive director of the Guam Defense System Joint Program Office, spoke to a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week. Lieutenant General Rasch told members of the Senate committee that the price tag is "really the cost of the systems that the services were building already that will now be located at Guam, approximately $8 billion across all the service". He said the effort on Guam was to "get as much capability as soon as possible". One senator asked how long until the system will be operational. Lieutenant General Rasch said they will be improving this capability forever, and defense never rests. Dengue cases in Tonga have now reached 756. In an update released on Monday night, Tonga's Ministry of Health reported there were six people in hospital with the disease. It said 381 cases are from Tongatapu, 309 from Vava'u, 62 from 'Eua, and four from Ha'apai. The health ministry said case investigations and vector control are ongoing. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele is balancing ties with China. Photo: AP / Mark Schiefelbein The Solomon Islands' prime minister has warned government workers against engaging with "Taiwan". In a statement, Jeremiah Manele reaffirmed his government's commitment to the One-China Policy. Earlier this month Manele survived a motion of no confidence, the second such challenge he's had to face during his first year in government. It's given rise to talks of new legislation aimed at curbing political instability in the country. Last week, the ABC reported a newly appointed government minister was pressured by China to quit an international group critical of its policies. Beijing's Embassy in Honiara said the allegations are baseless. It said China will never interfere in Solomon Islands internal affairs and also firmly oppose any other countries' interference in Solomon Islands' internal affairs. Three men, including an officer of the Counter Narcotics Bureau, have been charged in Fiji in relation to importing methamphetamine. The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service said the intercept took place last week after Customs Officers identified irregularities during screening of an airfreight consignment from a Southeast African nation. The Fiji Times reported the three men each face a charge of unlawful importation of illicit drugs, while two of them also face a charge of possession of properties suspected of being proceeds of crime. Police prosecutor, Inspector Pramesh Chand, told the court a fourth suspect had also been arrested. Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong is travelling to the Pacific with a delegation this week. In a joint statement the ministers said they will travel to Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. They will meet with each nation's prime ministers, including discussing the strengthening of the Vuvale Partnership with Sitiveni Rabuka in Fiji. The ministers said this early visit to the region, soon after the Australian election, demonstrates how deeply they value being part of the Pacific family. The 138th Annual Officials Meeting of the Forum Fisheries Committee has wrapped up in Alofi. The Forum Fisheries Agency said officials from across the Pacific focused on advancing the sustainable management of the region's tuna fisheries. It said officials addressed a wide range of strategic priorities including climate resilience and strengthened international engagement. The outcomes from this meeting will be presented to ministers at the Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial Meeting in July.
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Call for Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport to add more staff and grow its services in light of Manele Government's long term funding pledge
When Solomon Islands hosted the Pacific Games in late 2023, their team raked in a record haul of 80 medals for the country, including 12 gold. The athletes' success was put down in no small part to the impact of SINIS, the Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport, which was set up prior to the games, and based on the PNG model which proved so successful for their team in 20-15. However once the games in Honiara were over, SINIS was plunged into a period of uncertainty - sporting federations were barred from using it at one point, staff were concerned about job security, and no-one knew where future funding for the institute was going to come from. But now Prime Minister, Jeremiah Manele, has put minds at rest by pledging financial support from government for SINIS on an annual basis.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 16 May
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has suggested changes to how motions of no confidence in the country are moved. Manele said there must be a balance between the right to move a motion of no-confidence, and protecting parliamentary processes from being abused. Two motions of no confidence against his Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) have been moved within a year in office, but ultimately withdrawn. SIBC reported Manele told parliament on Monday he will bring a paper to Cabinet to appoint a task force to do these reforms. Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr has signed an executive order creating a working group to better protect Palau's ocean. He has called it a "whole government approach in securing Palau's waters." The Island Times reported the Coordinated Maritime Management Working Group brings together top officials from government agencies to respond more quickly and effectively to ocean-related threats. These include illegal fishing, safety emergencies, or foreign intrusions in Palau's Exclusive Economic Zone. The working group will be led jointly by the Bureau of Public Safety and the Bureau of Marine Transportation. Under the order, the group will meet monthly at the Joint Operations Center to review incidents at sea - such as search and rescue operations or encounters with suspicious vessels - and will also develop procedures, run annual training exercises, and work with foreign partners and the private sector. Cook Islands traditional leaders want cultural knowledge to be integrated into the teaching curriculum. The House of Ariki has developed an education manifesto at a four-day workshop alongside the education ministry of and Conservation International. It sets out recommendations for education to be built on indigenous knowledge. Conservation International spokesperson Schannel van Dijken said that many countries in the region have not been teaching their own history and culture. "Some of the core recommendations from that coming out, that's articulated in that document, is making Cook Islands Māori language instruction compulsory from preschool through to secondary levels; integrating traditional knowledge and cultural practices throughout the curriculum." Pat Conroy has retained his position in Cabinet following Tuesday's ministerial changes announced by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Conroy will continue as Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs. In a statement, he said he will continue to build positive relations with the Pacific family as part of the Albanese Government's commitment to supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous future for Australia and our region. Conroy said defence spending under the Albanese government had reached record levels, and he would continue to focus on strengthening the Australian Defence Force and local defence manufacturing.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
China accused of foreign interference in Solomon Islands after minister quits international group
By foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic and Solomon Islands reporter Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong , ABC Photo: 123RF In short: What's next? China's Embassy in Solomon Islands has become embroiled in a foreign interference controversy after allegedly forcing a newly appointed minister in the Pacific island nation to quit an international group pushing back against Beijing's growing global influence. Rural Development Minister Daniel Waneoroa announced on Sunday he had left the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) - which draws in politicians from more than three dozen countries - saying he made the decision "in the interest of fostering stability and aligning with a collective national vision" under Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele is balancing ties with China. Photo: AP / Mark Schiefelbein That drew a furious response from IPAC, which accused China of "bullying behaviour", saying Beijing had issued a "direct and shocking challenge" to the sovereignty of Solomon Islands. Waneoroa was only appointed Rural Development Minister 10 days ago. Manele offered him the position to coax him away from a broad coalition of MPs - including both government defectors and opposition MPs - which had coalesced to challenge the prime minister's hold on power. In the end Manele warded off the challenge by cobbling together a new majority in parliament, forcing his political opponents to abandon a motion of no confidence they were planning to issue in parliament last week. But the flurry of horse trading also created a diplomatic headache for Manele, because of Waneoroa's position as one of two Solomon Islands "co-chairs" for IPAC. The ABC has been told China was angered by Mr Waneoroa's position with IPAC, which maintains strong links with Taiwan and which has tried to build international pressure on Beijing over human rights abuses, including in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. The group has previously accused China of resorting to threats and blackmail to stop MPs from several developing countries joining an international IPAC conference hosted in Taiwan in June last year. Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Jeremiah Manele. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koro Vaka'uta Over the weekend a prominent civil society group in Solomon Islands said the Chinese embassy had demanded to meet Waneoroa, and suggested embassy officials had threatened to withdraw development funding from development programs because of his links to IPAC. In a stinging statement, Transparency Solomon Islands said on Saturday that China's actions risked destabilising Manele's government, and demanded the embassy stop "interfering" in local politics. "The People's Republic of China must understand: Solomon Islands is not a satellite state like Hong Kong," it said. "No embassy has the right to issue political demands or threats to our sovereign nation." The other IPAC co-chair in Solomon Islands, prominent MP Peter Kenilorea Jr, also told the ABC that he was "aware that Hon Waneoroa had been pressured by the Chinese embassy here in Solomon Islands to quit IPAC for some time now". China has denied interfering in the Solomon Islands and said the allegations are false. Photo: AP / Mark Schiefelbein, file photo And on Sunday afternoon Waneoroa revealed he had resigned from the group on Thursday last week. He said while he "acknowledged the value" of his IPAC experience, "the current political landscape demands leadership that is responsive and united." "I believe that aligning with [Mr Manele's coalition] GNUT is not only about policies, but about building a just, equitable, and prosperous Solomon Islands," he said. In the wake of his announcement, IPAC accused China of using its investments in Solomon Islands as "leverage" against Waneoroa and the government. "For a country that boasts of not having imperial ambitions, China's actions in the Solomons have the hallmarks of neo-colonialism," said IPAC executive director Luke de Pulford. "What China fails to realise is that this bullying behaviour is fomenting deep resentment in the Solomons and everywhere else they do it. It will backfire eventually. "In the meantime, the world is watching to see if the Solomon Islands government responds to this direct and shocking challenge to their sovereignty." China has strengthened ties in the Solomon Islands and other countries in the Pacific. Photo: Xinhua / Liu Bin/EPA China's embassy in Solomon Islands did not say whether it had made any demands of the minister, but in a statement said the foreign interference allegations were "baseless". "China will never interfere in Solomon Islands' internal affairs, and also firmly oppose any other countries' interference in Solomon Islands' internal affairs," it said. "[The] Chinese embassy firmly opposes such baseless allegation, and reiterates its support to the political stability of Solomon Islands." Like his predecessor Manasseh Sogavare, Manele has been intent on building closer ties with China in the wake of Solomon Islands' decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019. Since then China has made significant investments in Solomon Islands infrastructure - including a massive new stadium for the Pacific Games and a large new medical centre opened this year - as well as signing contentious security and policing pacts with the Pacific nation. Meanwhile, Solomon Islands has been a vocal supporter of China's claims over Taiwan, with Manele signing a joint statement last year that said it "firmly supports all efforts by Chinese government to realise national reunification". Solomon Islands officials have also pushed to stop Taiwanese officials from attending this year's Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Honiara, risking fresh division with Taipei's remaining allies in the region. Last year Kenilorea Jr told IPAC's conference in Taiwan that he would personally like to see Solomon Islands re-establish ties with Taipei, drawing condemnation from Manele's government. -ABC
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
China's ‘interference' blamed on resignation of Solomon Islands minister from group critical of Beijing
China has been accused of interference in the Solomon Islands for allegedly forcing a minister to quit from a global alliance of parliamentarians critical of Beijing 's growing influence. Solomon Islands' rural development minister Daniel Waneoroa announced his resignation from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) on Sunday to support the ruling government. Mr Waneoroa said he was stepping down from his role as one of the co-chairs of IPAC to contribute to national political stability. 'This decision reflects my personal conviction and unwavering commitment to the principles of democracy, transparency, and accountability,' Mr Waneoroa said in a statement. China's embassy in the Solomon Islands denied the allegation of interference as 'baseless'. Ipac is an international and cross-party group of lawmakers from democratic countries who work together to counter the Chinese government's growing global influence. It has raised concerns about Beijing's actions in regions like Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. China's influence increased significantly during the term of prime minister Jeremiah Manele's predecessor, with the country switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China and striking a secret security pact. It thrust the Pacific archipelago of 700,000 into international spotlight as the alliance raised fears of China's security forces gaining a foothold in the region long dominated by the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The resignation has drawn swift condemnation from Ipac and non-profit organisation Transparency Solomon Islands, which blamed China for its interference in politics on the island. The Ipac accused China of 'bullying behaviour' and said Beijing has issued a "direct and shocking challenge" to the sovereignty of the Solomon Islands, according to ABC Australia. The Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) called on the Chinese embassy in Solomon to not 'create further political instability in our country for your own interests'. 'The people of Solomon Islands have endured enough political turmoil. We need a stable government that can focus on addressing our developmental, economic, and social challenges.' Mr Waneoroa resigned from Ipac just 10 days after he was appointed rural development minister. He has served as the chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environment at the Ipac. Mr Waneoroa's decision came after the Chinese embassy requested a meeting with the minister over his affiliations with the Ipac, which angered China with its strong links with Taiwan and its efforts to mount international pressure on Beijing for its alleged human rights violations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, according to Transparency Solomon Islands. It said: "The People's Republic of China must understand: Solomon Islands is not a satellite state like Hong Kong. "No embassy has the right to issue political demands or threats to our sovereign nation.' China's embassy said in a statement: "China will never interfere in Solomon Islands' internal affairs, and also firmly oppose any other countries' interference in Solomon Islands' internal affairs." "[The] Chinese embassy firmly opposes such baseless allegation, and reiterates its support to the political stability of Solomon Islands." It comes a month after China was accused of forcing two African nations Malawi and The Gambia to quit IPAC through 'extreme diplomatic coercion'.
