Subject: 'austraLasia' # 352

SOLOMON ISLANDS UPDATE

Ambrose Pereira

reporting from Honiara

HONIARA: 7th June -- The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Bartholomew

Ulufa'alu, who was taken hostage by members of the Malaita Eagle Force

militia, and who took over key installations in the capital, Honiara, is

reported to have been released by his rebel captors. He spoke to the Nation

for the first time this evening at 6.00pm. He clearly stated that what took

place on Monday was a Coup and he was placed under house arrest. New

Zealand Government officials say he was released under a deal that will see

him removed from office by Parliament in the meeting on 15th June, 2000.

Earlier, fighting erupted with new intensity on the eastern outskirts of

Honiara. The Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) and the paramilitary, used a patrol

boat supplied by Australia to shell fighters of the Isatabu Freedom Movement

(IFM). The 55mm cannon that has a range of 2.5kms. Shells have reached

Tenaru where St. Joseph’s Catholic school, Nazareth Apostolic Centre, Holy

Name Seminary and St. Martin’s Training Centre is located. The students and

teachers have been evacuated two weeks ago, but there are priests, brothers,

sisters and a lot of lay workers there. The shore was also fired upon. It

seems that there are a large number of causalities. No confirmation as to

its number. Australia is very concerned that the patrol boat should be used

in this manner. The area also includes Henderson airport and hence the

country is cut off from any International travel.

The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, will join a high-level Commonwealth

delegation to Fiji and Solomon Islands on Friday. The other Commonwealth

representatives are from Botswana, Malaysia and possibly New Zealand. Their

aim is to restore democracy.

Andrew Nori the mediator of the coup, that the Malita Eagle Force has

declared a full scale war on the Isatabu Freedom Movement. He states that

fighting will increase in the next few days and will stop only after the MEF

are satisfied that the IMF have retreated to Foxwood.

Ezekila Aleabua, Primier of Guadalcanal condemned the occupation of the

Guadalcanal Provincial headquarters as the base of the joint

Police-Para-Military-MEF led by Andrew Nori.

A New Zealand frigate is within the Solomon waters to evacuate over 700

Australian and New Zealanders. The British Embassy has asked its nationals

to be ready to leave the country at short notice.