Burglars stab NZ diplomat to death

New Zealand's Deputy High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands was fatally stabbed by burglars yesterday.

Bridget Nichols was rushed to hospital in Honiara, but died soon afterwards.

Solomon Islands police Superintendent Charles Lemoa said two security guards were being held for questioning by police but had not been arrested. He said they were not being treated as suspects.

"Really, the police do not know what the motive is . . . The surprising thing is it happened in broad daylight," Mr Lemoa said.

"Nothing was stolen. I don't know if it's connected to stealing or . . . to burgling that house."

Ms Nichols was the second New Zealander to be killed in the strife-torn nation this year. Last month, construction worker Kevin O'Brien was stabbed to death when he arrived to supervise work on a Fletcher Construction project in Honiara.

Last night, Foreign Minister Phil Goff said Ms Nichols, who began working in the Solomons a month ago, was thought to have been stabbed on the driveway outside her home.

She then staggered from her property into the house of her neighbour, who is the administration officer of the New Zealand High Commission.

At that point she could no longer talk and lost consciousness. She was treated by paramedics and transferred to the National Referral Hospital, where she died in the afternoon. She was believed to be aged 50.

A senior nurse at the hospital, Elizabeth Sanau, told the Herald that Ms Nichols arrived at the hospital about 3pm (New Zealand time) with one stab wound to her chest above her heart. A serrated kitchen knife was found at the scene.

Mr Goff said she had disturbed two people burgling her garage.

He confirmed that a security guard was at Ms Nichols' home. The guard did not hear anything, and it is thought the intruders came up from the back of the property, which belongs to the New Zealand High Commission. Her apartment is in an area called Panatina Ridge, 3km from the city centre.

Mr Goff said there was nothing to suggest the killing was political.

One of the first people on the scene was a New Zealand police inspector serving with the peacekeeping force in the Solomons.

A police investigation has begun and New Zealand officials - including Prime Minister Helen Clark and Mr Goff - were briefed last night.

Helen Clark said it appeared that Ms Nichols had been moving things either to or from her car. Her wallet bag and briefcase were still at the scene and the house was locked.

Ms Nichols knew the Solomons well because she served there previously with Volunteer Service Abroad. She was fluent in Solomon Islands pidgin.

She started with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1992, served in Mexico City from 1993 to 1996 and from 1999 until January this year in Turkey, where Helen Clark met her on a visit. "She was a very professional ministry officer, very professional," she said.

Her parents live in Britain.

The Solomons has been suffering a three-year civil war. Although a truce is officially operating, violence has surged.

Ms Nichols is only the second New Zealand diplomat killed on the job. The High Commissioner to Niue, Hec Larsen, was hacked to death in 1953.

Mr Goff has been vocal about the need for the Solomons to restore law or face an end to aid.

Extra security was already in place around the embassy, and all staff were monitored by a local security firm 24 hours a day.

The Solomons police are now putting extra patrols around the homes of all diplomats. The New Zealand peace monitoring team is stationed in the area and Helen Clark said it would offer support and stay with High Commission staff.

Last month, the High Commissioner to the Solomons, Heather Riddell, said there were concerns about the capability of local police.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns New Zealanders to maintain a high level of "personal security awareness" and not to travel within the Solomons without consulting the High Commission.