Peacekeepers begin Solomons intervention

HONIARA - An Australian-led force of 2225 troops and police began arriving in the anarchic Solomon Islands on Thursday to restore law and order and disarm ethnic gangs holding the impoverished South Pacific nation to ransom.

The region's biggest military deployment, which includes 35 police and 105 military from New Zealand, since World War began just after dawn when an Australian air force C-130 Hercules disgorged troops, police, diplomatic protection officers and cars into the tropical dawn at the nation's main airport.

Lying offshore, meanwhile, the Australian transport ship HMAS Manoora was due to land hundreds more soldiers at Red Beach, where 61 years ago US Marines stormed ashore in their first offensive against the Japanese.

Hundreds of people have died in the Solomons in five years of ethnic conflict between militia from Guadalcanal and Malaita islands.

The former British protectorate has descended deeper into instability and bankruptcy since a police-led coup in 2000.

Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza fled into hiding on Wednesday because of fears that former militia members, who frequently extort money from the government, might make a last-minute stab at derailing the deployment by killing or kidnapping him.

There is overwhelming public backing for the intervention force, which is called "Operation Helpem Fren" in the pidgin English that loosely unites the 450,000 Solomon Islanders and their 60 different languages.

"Everybody supports it," said Anella Othiti, a 25-year-old student in Honiara, capital of the 1000-island chain lying around 1800km northeast of Australia.

Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea are also sending contingents of police and military.

The first defence personnel deploying to the Solomons left New Zealand yesterday out of Ohakea air base for Townsville in northern Queensland.

The 18-strong New Zealand contingent left Townsville today on a Hercules transport aircraft bound for the Solomons. The Hercules was also loaded with an air force Iroquois helicopter.

The New Zealand troops, along with others from Australia and other Pacific countries, were farewelled by Prime Minister Helen Clark and the prime ministers of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.

After farewelling the 18 New Zealand sailors, soldiers and airmen, Helen Clark said the 35 New Zealand police who would be in the Solomons were likely to be there for some time.

"It is going to take some time for the police force to deal with the bad elements of the Solomons."

She said some military would be home within six months if everything went well.

Solomons rebel Harold Keke was one of the leading factors in years of unrest in the Solomons and he was a dangerous man responsible for years of death and trauma, she said.

"It would be rather nice to see him brought to account."

Helen Clark said it was hard to know if Keke would escalate the threat to the New Zealand peacekeeping troops, who would work alongside troops and police from other Pacific nations.

"He is a danger, he has been a danger, he remains a danger," she said.

The group that left from New Zealand included the New Zealand Senior National Officer, Wing Commander Shaun Clarke and Wing Commander Ron Thacker who will be Air Component Commander for the operation.

Starting Friday, there would be daily flights between Ohakea air base and Honiara with all defence personnel and equipment scheduled to be in the Solomon Islands by August 1.

- REUTERS and NZPA