A longtime diplomatic ally of Taiwan was in turmoil yesterday as rebel gunmen demanded the resignation of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu after seizing him in the Solomons capital Honiara in a copy-cat South Pacific coup.
Ulufa'alu and Solomons governor-general Father John Lapli were kidnapped and placed in "protective care" by Honiara lawyer Andrew Nori, leader of a militant group known as the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF). Other rebel units together with elements of the police seized key installations.
However, later yesterday, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Ulufa'alu and Lapli were now safe and no longer in detention.
"The information that I have now is that the prime minister is able to move freely around, as is the governor-general, although they do have Malaita Eagle Force people with them," he said, adding that he believed no further hostages were being held.
The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation said Nori had told them that the Malaita Eagle Force's "foremost priority" was the prime minister's resignation because of the government's failure to positively address the country's ethnic crisis.
Last night the police armory and a government telecommunications center remained in rebel hands and, while shops stayed open, police and militia patrolled to prevent looting. A curfew was ordered for 8pm.
Communications from the tiny impoverished nation were also cut and flights suspended after the coup, which comes 18 days after the democratically elected government in neighboring Fiji was taken hostage.
In Taiwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (
The coup followed months of ethnic tension and racial clashes in which at least 55 people were known to have died or disappeared and 20,000 others were forced to flee their homes.
The Eagles and the rival Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM) have been fighting for 18 months over land rights on the Solomons' main island, Guadalcanal, of which Honiara is the capital and major population center.
Guadalcanal residents have long complained that their land has been usurped by settlers from the neighboring island of Malaita and that they have been given the best jobs.
The situation worsened in April when Ulufa'alu -- Malaita-descended himself -- was accused by the Eagles of forming a paramilitary "hit squad" known as Seagull Force to rid Honiara and its environs of the MEF.
The MEF claim the Seagull Force is made up of former and serving police officers and has aligned itself with the IFM in the "war" between the two groups.
A peace process which has involved a number of overseas political figures and senior diplomats broke down last week.
After kidnapping the prime minister, Nori made a radio broadcast saying he wanted to restore confidence in the government and to resume and speed up the peace process. He said he wanted a return of law and order to prevent the disintegration of the Solomons.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard was quick to condemn the coup. "We do utterly condemn the kidnapping of the prime minister and the governor-general by armed militants, with assistance from elements of the police," he said.
"The government is as concerned about that situation as it is about the events in Fiji."
New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff also slammed the coup takers but ruled out any military intervention.
"Mr Ulufa'alu was made prime minister ... by democratic and constitutional process and his status should only be changed in the same manner, so we condemn the actions that have been taken against him."
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