The RSIPF at Henderson Police Station are investigating an incident involving a group of armed men who entered the Metropolis Development site at Mamara in North West Guadalcanal and allegedly damages some property last Friday, 16 April 2021.
The group of men were said to have moved into the site aggressively and chased the Chinese workers using abusive words towards them.
It has been alleged that the motive behind the incident was because a Chinese worker harassed two local female workers previously so they went in to ask for compensation.
Whatever the truth of the situation and what might eventuate from police investigations, I am prompted to raise the question as to whether the influx of Chinese workers were ever given advice on what to expect on moving to employment in the Solomon Islands, a country very different to their own with its own traditions, culture, norms and customs.
I say this out of no disrespect but simply because before I set foot in Hong Kong to begin work as policeman, now many years ago, I had to undergo some prior cultural training about local laws, custom and cultural nuances, to be followed, once in Hong Kong, with Cantonese language studies.
Chinese is ancient society and in which perceptions of correctness or politeness and courtesy (‘limao’) in China differ from those in the Solomon Islands.
Traditional Chinese courtesy rests on the lifelong hierarchical relationships reflected in Confucian ideology.
I soon learned in Hong Kong that a cultural difference in manners can sometimes be perceived as rude. However, one must be aware that respect and courtesy are simply exhibited in different ways.
Perhaps, the Mamara incident might eventually prove educational in the sense of a better understanding on all sides of the cultural differences and the requirements to be adopted.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
