The Councillor for Vura Ward, Reginald Ngati, is reported in the Solomon Star newspaper today have had said Vura Ward within Honiara City will be conducting a survey in its communities to gather information as to why residents have been vulnerable to riots and looting following two unfortunate incidents in the past
In the newspaper article Mr. Ngati mentioned that if one cares to follow the sequence of the 2006 and November 2021 riots, the latest one being quite massive, authorities failed to prepare ahead.
Importantly, in my view, he also said in relation to the recent rioting, information and gossip of the protest and resulting riot had been circulating three to four months before the actual incidents.
Mr. Ngati’s views merely confirm to me that there was a lack of intelligence that should have prepared the police service and the government of the trouble that was brewing, intelligence of a kind that a Special Branch in the past collected, collated, processed and reported to the government on a weekly basis.
To add to my views, I have received correspondence from Honiara that the RSIPF briefing for deployment on the first day of the recent protests merely dismissed any concern for protesters being violent and police deployment and operational planning was directed to surveillance and monitoring of what was expected to be non-violent street protest.
True or not, I do not know and I cannot, or want to be seen as an arm chair observer of how the police service conducted its operations on the first day of the street protest, or whether or not, as a local resident said, the firing of tear gas by the police provoked the protestors when assembled peacefully but noisy outside parliament, but it would be beneficial for the facts and circumstances leading up to peaceful protest turning ugly to be investigated.
Also, in my personal view, the need for better intelligence gathering as was the case in past years.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
