Dear Editor – The denial by the Commissioner of Police of the arms shipment is the most damaging and dangerous statement made by the Commissioner of Police, when Solomon Star in its investigation revealed sufficient evidence of the alleged consignment having reached Solomon Islands.
The investigation by Solomon Star has not only revealed details of the contents of the arms shipment, but the identity of the alleged exporter and the name of the supposed to be importer. According to the investigation carried out by Solomon Star, the deadly contents arrived in a log ship and was brought in a barge from the log pond to Honiara, 3 weeks after avoiding customs clearance. It was also reported that the Comptroller of Customs ordered the crates to be kept at the Queens warehouse at Point Cruz wharf which was later moved to the Police Headquarters at Rove.
Why is the Commissioner of Police still denying that such shipment arrived in the Solomon Islands? This may lead to the conclusion that many prominent and powerful people within the government circles maybe involved, not brushing aside the involvement of the Commissioner of Police in this clandestine affair.
Why is the DCGA government silent on such an important security issue. Were these weapons imported with the knowledge of the higher-ups in the government in order to be distributed or made available to ex-militants for the protection of the government members in case of any uprising due to unpopular measures that the government plans to make or implement in the near future.
Whatever, the reason maybe the Commissioner of Police keeps on adding to his incompetence and needs to be removed as early as possible for the safety and welfare of the people of Solomon Islands. He has by his actions proved over and over again that he is incompetent and has failed to uphold his constitutional mandate.
Lest, we forget let us remember what happened in the late 1990’s just before the ethnic tension when an illegal weapons shipment was discovered at the Honiara Port and mysteriously in the middle of the night disappeared under the very eyes of the Police and Customs & Excise officials. Later on it was revealed that this weapons were in the hands of a militant organisation which was responsible for the ethnic tension.
Francis Oli
Panatina
