• U.S affirmed support to deal with UXOs
• More than 70% of WW2 bomb still alive
UNITED States (US) Ambassador to Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu Erin McKee says they are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic incident in Honiara this past weekend and mourn the loss of life.
Her Excellency McKee told the Solomon Star in a statement from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea yesterday after this paper contacted their office for comments following the tragic incidence on Sunday.
U.S Embassy also posted their condolence statement in their Facebook.
On Sunday 9th May a top local aviation engineer lost his life while his other two friends were hospitalised when a bomb exploded while they were cooking food outdoor on the property of a private residence for a fundraising event.
Honiara residents took the social media to express their concerns, anger and question the safety of their homes.
The Solomon Star on the same note further questioned the U.S Embassy if their bilateral assistance regarding the explosive remnant of World War II in Solomon Islands.
H.E McKee in a statement told this paper that the United States (US) government, through their Department of Defense, will continue to support efforts to remove unexploded ordnance from Solomon Islands.
“Among these efforts is our ongoing partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid, which has worked in Solomon Islands since 2019 to identify and dispose of unexploded ordnance,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, according to Solomon Times, Sporadic clearance was said to take place after the war till now.
Solomon Times also reported that from 2011 to 2019, the Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement has invested over $5.1 million for the development of a national EOD capacity in the Solomon Islands and for the support for removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
According to other reliable sources it was believed that 70% of bombs dropped or used by Japan and the Allied forces on Guadalcanal did not go off.
This paper understands that this latest bomb blast calls for a serious consideration from the Government.
Meanwhile, Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands His Excellency Dr. Lachlan Strahan has offered words of condolence to the family of the deceased.
Commissioner Strahan expressed this to the Premier of the Western Province David Gina.
The commissioner is in Western Province for a three-day visit.
On Monday he met Premier Gina where he expressed his sadness over the incident.
The deceased’s mother is an administration officer at the Western Provincial Government Office.
Commissioner Strahan expressed his shock over what happened and said it is sad to see that even after 76 years after the battle of World War II in the country, people are still becoming victims.
By ANDREW FANASIA
Newsroom Honiara
