You have likely heard that there is a fair degree of unrest in Honiara at the moment. There has been large scale rioting, which has led to looting and other associated public order issues. Many businesses in China Town have been burned, peripheral structures at parliament house have been burned, and the latest information I have is that the Prime Minister’s personal house at Lunga is now on fire. Australian troops and Federal Police have been deployed with some of them already arriving in Honiara.
The reason for the unrest is varied and has many political underlying factors. Let’s not go into that now. The reality is that Honiara is not a very safe place at the moment. I was watching large fires in the main part of town via a live stream and there were no Police or Fire Fighters anywhere to be seen. Even several hours after the fires and looting started. The local Police will appreciate support from Australia.
I was last in the Solomon Islands in 2019. I was with a SWIM team of 30 people and riots started in front of us whilst we were in town. Through God’s protection we were able to get out of town and back to the SWIM Base safely. The SWIM Base is about 7 kilometres out of Honiara near Henderson Airport. About a kilometre from the SWIM Base is the Prime Minister’s private residence. After escaping the main riots in town in 2019, our team spent a restless night at SWIM listening to explosions and gun shots in the distance. We safely flew back to Australia the next day.
We currently have over 20 SWIM staff and their families living on the SWIM Base. They are currently safe and well, however, the unrest is happening around them. They cannot get into town for supplies and there is a 72 hour lockdown and curfew.
Can I request that all churches place the situation in the Solomon Islands, and our SWIM family, high on your prayer list this Sunday? As we know too well, God can do what we cannot. He can restore peace and calmness. This is what we need to pray for.
The Solomon Islands Work Group and SWIM Local Leadership Team will continue to monitor this situation and provide any support and assistance that is necessary and possible. We will keep you all informed as the situation develops.
Report written by Rod Peet
Solomon Islands Work Group (SWIM) Chairperson
Katova High School Project Coordinator (Australia)
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