For opening of new embassy
AN advanced team to prepare for the opening of Solomon Islands Embassy in China has arrived in Beijing, ahead of the arrival of Ambassador-designate, John Moffat Fugui.
It is still unclear when the Embassy in Beijing would be officially opened.
But the appointment of Theresia Chanel – the lone junior and inexperienced staff for the mammoth task – has left senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with 10 years or more in experience, fuming.
Beijing is reportedly somewhat disappointed as it was expecting a senior career diplomat in the Ministry to be on the advance team.
Ms Chanel – the daughter of the Minister for Communication and Civil Aviation, Peter Chanel – left for Beijing at the end of last November despite on-going travel restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Chanel joined the Ministry in around May/June last year.
Solomon Star has independently confirmed with various sources that her appointment was made, unannounced barely six months after she joined the Ministry.
These sources said one of the qualifying criterions for overseas posting is that a candidate spends at least one year at the minimum in the Ministry.
They said Ms Chanel’s lightening promotion to a senior overseas posting has angered career diplomats who have been in the Ministry for 10 years or more.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is also said to have accepted Ms Chanel’s appointment with displeasure, with officials pointing out that being what it is, Beijing deserved to be accorded an appointee of seniority.
The PRC Embassy in Honiara was unable to express an opinion because of protocols.
Ms Chanel reportedly returned to the Solomon Islands at the beginning of last year after she spent seven years studying international relations in Taiwan.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ms Chanel had to travel halfway around the world to get to Beijing. It is understood a senior official of the Chinese Embassy in Honiara was assigned to facilitate Ms Chanel’s travels in making sure she was met at every stop by a Chinese diplomat.
It is understood the new diplomat first travelled from Honiara to Brisbane with a connecting flight to Dubai. From there, she flew to Frankfurt, Germany where she caught a flight back to Shanghai. It is not clear whether she flew business class, although those spoken to say she did.
Because Shanghai was her first port of entry into China, Ms Chanel was in quarantine in what was described as one of the best hotels in this southern Chinese city. It is unclear who paid her hotel and quarantine bills, which could run into tens of thousands of dollars.
Ms Chanel’s overseas posting is not the only appointment, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade made last year without announcing it.
Vanessa Rodie, the daughter of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, (MEHRD), Franco Rodie, was appointed Counsellor at the Solomon Islands Embassy in Brussels last year.
Like Ms Chanel, Ms Rodie, spent less than six months in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade at the time of her appointment.
Ms Rodie worked briefly at Parliament after graduating from the University of the South Pacific before she left to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
She was appointed Counsellor at the Solomon Islands’ Embassy in Brussels shortly thereafter.
By Alfred Sasako
Newsroom, Honiara
