Solomon Islands PM defies calls to resign, says riots orchestrated to topple him
- Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare blamed the three-day violence on a few people with “evil intention” wanting to remove him
- He has claimed that foreign powers opposed to his 2019 decision to switch the Solomons’ diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China are behind the disturbances
The prime minister of the riot-hit Solomon Islands defied pressure to resign on Sunday, saying a wave of torching and looting that swept through the capital had been orchestrated by a few people with “evil intention” to topple him.
Shattered glass and rubble still lined the streets of Honiara as Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare addressed the nation, a reminder of the three-day eruption in violence blamed partly on poverty, hunger and frustration with his policies.
“It is very clear that the recent events were well planned and orchestrated to remove me as the prime minister for unsubstantiated reasons,” Sogavare said, after a nighttime curfew and the presence of about 150 foreign peacekeepers from Australia and Papua New Guinea who helped to restore some calm over the weekend.
“I want to show the nation that the government is fully intent and nothing will move us. We must and will never bow down to the evil intention of a few people,” Sogavare said.
During the riots, mobs attempted to torch the prime minister’s private residence and parliament before being dispersed by police firing tear gas and warning shots. Many residents of the Pacific island nation of 800,000 people believe his government is corrupt and beholden to Beijing and other foreign interests.