【Text/Observer Network Ju Feng】
South Pacific island nation Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare over a vote of no confidence in his resignation from opposition parties. On December 6, Sogavare was "furious" in his self-defense in parliament, angrily denouncing the opposition as "Taiwanese proxies" in an attempt to stage a coup and roaring that he would never bow to the forces of evil.
A week ago, riots broke out in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, where violent demonstrators came to the capital from the opposition province of Mareta, smashed shops along the streets and set fire to several houses, Reuters reported. Four people died in the unrest that lasted for several days. Chinese shops in Chinatown and other places were not spared, smashed and burned, causing serious property damage and social panic, and hundreds of Chinese citizens were left homeless. Preliminary economic losses amounted to approximately $227 million.
A video screenshot of last week's riot in the solomon islands capital
In 2019, the Solomon Islands Cabinet passed a resolution to "sever diplomatic relations" with Taiwan Province of China and establish diplomatic relations with Chinese mainland. Since then, opposition parties have provoked incidents and tried to overthrow Sogavare, who has been re-elected for four consecutive terms. On the other hand, it maintains contact with the United States, receives U.S. aid, and suppresses Chinese companies in the institute.
Fearing that the December 6 vote of no confidence could spark unrest again, the Solomon Islands government suspended vessel navigation at Honiara Port, with international peacekeepers from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea on standby in the capital.
The final vote was a big victory for Sogavare. 32 MPs voted against his resignation and 15 voted for him to step down.
After the vote of no confidence was passed, a political staff member of The Governor of Maleta Province, Daniel Suidani, revealed that Sudani would announce the launch of the "Mareta Provincial Independence Referendum" on December 7 local time.
Agence France-Presse reported that the congressional debate scene was very intense. Sogavare was emotional, "angry to the point of trembling." He accused the opposition of plotting with Taiwan authorities to stir up unrest and incite the public in 2019 to launch an attempted coup d'état. At one point, Sogavare got up and banged on his chair while growling.
Sogavare figure from foreign media
In his self-defense, Sogavare rejected opposition parties' demands to step down and angrily denounced them as "Taiwanese agents." He vowed he would never succumb to the "lawless mob."
In Parliament, Sogavare bluntly stated that none of the previous donor countries had been able to help Solomon Islands meet its development challenges, and that "China (the mainland), as an economic power, has provided us with opportunities ... Solomon Islands will not succumb to Taiwan and its 'proxies'. ”
Taiwan's "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" denied Sogavare's allegations, issuing a statement saying his words and deeds were "irresponsible."
On December 6, the Chinese Embassy in the Solomon Islands issued a statement saying that "any attempt to undermine relations between China and The United States is doomed to failure." The relationship between China and China will overcome all difficulties and obstacles and bloom brightly for a long time. ”
The Solomon Islands are located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, 1600 km southwest of Australia, 485 km west of Papua New Guinea and across the sea from Vanuatu to the southeast. There are more than 900 large and small islands in the whole territory, and the largest island in Guadalcanal covers an area of 6475 square kilometers. The solomon islands have a population of about 720,000, 94.5% of whom are Melanesians and mostly Protestant and Catholic.
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