Mob attacks tourist hotel : current news
By David Braithwaite and Jano Gibson
April 19, 2006 - 1:16PM
Australian tourists have told today of huddling together in fear as they came under attack from rioters in their Solomon Island hotel rooms.
Troubled flared in the capital, Honiara, yesterday after the announcement of a new Prime Minister, Snyder Rini.
About 500 supporters of rival candidate, Job Dudley Tausinga, took to the streets, claiming the election was fixed and votes bought.
Parts of Honiara have been completely burned down and looting continues unabated today, according to Reverend Kevin Rietveld, 59, an Australian missionary who has lived in the Solomons for eight years.
Priest threatened
Rev Rietveld said he was threatened while driving through Honiara today.
"The mood is quite tense," he said. "There have been all sorts of people on the radio calling for peace and quiet.
"The thing that's happening now is people are just going out to see what they can get.
"It's no longer just a political backlash, it's now just greed and 'Let's see who we can rip off and how."
"I went out this morning to a place called Ranad. It's the industrial area about 3km from Chinatown. I passed two burning buildings, both of them owned by Chinese.
"I saw one building that had been burned out already and I saw another building in full flame. It was a grocery place and its containers were being looted. I saw people carrying boxes and bags of stuff all over the place."
Rev Rietveld said one of the looters was then confronted by one of the looters.
"One guy, when he saw my car and saw that I was white, picked up a stone to throw it at me. I stopped right next to him and was able to pacify him. He was drunk. Some friends came and dragged him away."
Chinatown charred
He described Chinatown as being "pretty well burnt out".
"[There are] probably about twenty buildings that have been burned out [there]."
Reverend Rietveld said the mood on the streets was tense and the introduction of more RAMSI security personal may have an adverse effect.
"On the one hand you don't want to create a further antagonism towards what RAMSI's doing her. I'm a little bit afraid that the influx of more armed personnel may create a backlash,' he said.
"On the other hand the absence of police in some of the danger areas is also a concern. If nothing is done, then things will just continue. So you are caught between a rock and a hard place."
Rioters hit
Robin Deamer, 33, an Air Vanuatu based in Honiara, was at the Pacific Casino Hotel when it came under fire about 2.30am.
Mr Deamer said the hotel was filled with Australian tourists, Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) officials and other staff from international aid organisations.
"Basically it was right outside the hotel. What happened was a wave of rioters moved up from town basically targeting any Chinese-owned business," he said.
"It was pretty scary. You [could] hear small rocks coming through and then they got bigger and bigger. You could tell they got bigger and bigger once they started hitting the concrete wall.
"There was one room that caught fire because they pelted a petrol bomb through one of the windows. The local security jumped in pretty quickly with a fire extinguisher and put that one out."
Mr Dreamer said tourists at the hotel were "pretty freaked out".
"They were bunching up in rooms. They jumped into their mates' rooms, especially the ladies. They thought they'd be safer."
The rioters were quelled about an hour later as police forces moved in.
"It took them about an hour getting through the rioters and the stones were flying everywhere. Once the police moved in, it came to a bit of a halt."
Mr Deamer said the hotel was attacked because it was owned by a Chinese man.
None of the hotel guests was injured during the incident but most of the tourists and RAMSI staff have since moved on to safer areas in the city, he said.
Scene of destruction
"You've got broken glass [all] over the place," Mr Deamer said. "They've done a good job of cleaning all that up. A lot of cars outside have got broken windows and are banged up inside. A couple of the brand new RAMSI police vehicles are burnt out just outside the front gates."
Hotel secretary Lyndall Helen said said several rooms had also been looted. "There was these young boys. They throw stones and they come inside and smash all the cars outside the hotel. All the windows and things are broken. They stole all the computers and the bedding."
Mr Deamer said Air Vanuatu had ordered him to leave the Solomon Islands today.
"We have just been told by Air Vanuatu that we should get out of here in case something happens to us or our aircraft," he said.
theage.com.au, with AAP
April 19, 2006 - 1:16PM
Australian tourists have told today of huddling together in fear as they came under attack from rioters in their Solomon Island hotel rooms.
Troubled flared in the capital, Honiara, yesterday after the announcement of a new Prime Minister, Snyder Rini.
About 500 supporters of rival candidate, Job Dudley Tausinga, took to the streets, claiming the election was fixed and votes bought.
Parts of Honiara have been completely burned down and looting continues unabated today, according to Reverend Kevin Rietveld, 59, an Australian missionary who has lived in the Solomons for eight years.
Priest threatened
Rev Rietveld said he was threatened while driving through Honiara today.
"The mood is quite tense," he said. "There have been all sorts of people on the radio calling for peace and quiet.
"The thing that's happening now is people are just going out to see what they can get.
"It's no longer just a political backlash, it's now just greed and 'Let's see who we can rip off and how."
"I went out this morning to a place called Ranad. It's the industrial area about 3km from Chinatown. I passed two burning buildings, both of them owned by Chinese.
"I saw one building that had been burned out already and I saw another building in full flame. It was a grocery place and its containers were being looted. I saw people carrying boxes and bags of stuff all over the place."
Rev Rietveld said one of the looters was then confronted by one of the looters.
"One guy, when he saw my car and saw that I was white, picked up a stone to throw it at me. I stopped right next to him and was able to pacify him. He was drunk. Some friends came and dragged him away."
Chinatown charred
He described Chinatown as being "pretty well burnt out".
"[There are] probably about twenty buildings that have been burned out [there]."
Reverend Rietveld said the mood on the streets was tense and the introduction of more RAMSI security personal may have an adverse effect.
"On the one hand you don't want to create a further antagonism towards what RAMSI's doing her. I'm a little bit afraid that the influx of more armed personnel may create a backlash,' he said.
"On the other hand the absence of police in some of the danger areas is also a concern. If nothing is done, then things will just continue. So you are caught between a rock and a hard place."
Rioters hit
Robin Deamer, 33, an Air Vanuatu based in Honiara, was at the Pacific Casino Hotel when it came under fire about 2.30am.
Mr Deamer said the hotel was filled with Australian tourists, Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) officials and other staff from international aid organisations.
"Basically it was right outside the hotel. What happened was a wave of rioters moved up from town basically targeting any Chinese-owned business," he said.
"It was pretty scary. You [could] hear small rocks coming through and then they got bigger and bigger. You could tell they got bigger and bigger once they started hitting the concrete wall.
"There was one room that caught fire because they pelted a petrol bomb through one of the windows. The local security jumped in pretty quickly with a fire extinguisher and put that one out."
Mr Dreamer said tourists at the hotel were "pretty freaked out".
"They were bunching up in rooms. They jumped into their mates' rooms, especially the ladies. They thought they'd be safer."
The rioters were quelled about an hour later as police forces moved in.
"It took them about an hour getting through the rioters and the stones were flying everywhere. Once the police moved in, it came to a bit of a halt."
Mr Deamer said the hotel was attacked because it was owned by a Chinese man.
None of the hotel guests was injured during the incident but most of the tourists and RAMSI staff have since moved on to safer areas in the city, he said.
Scene of destruction
"You've got broken glass [all] over the place," Mr Deamer said. "They've done a good job of cleaning all that up. A lot of cars outside have got broken windows and are banged up inside. A couple of the brand new RAMSI police vehicles are burnt out just outside the front gates."
Hotel secretary Lyndall Helen said said several rooms had also been looted. "There was these young boys. They throw stones and they come inside and smash all the cars outside the hotel. All the windows and things are broken. They stole all the computers and the bedding."
Mr Deamer said Air Vanuatu had ordered him to leave the Solomon Islands today.
"We have just been told by Air Vanuatu that we should get out of here in case something happens to us or our aircraft," he said.
theage.com.au, with AAP
posted by worldnews at 9:09 PM
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