RAMSI retained high levels of popular support until the mission finally ended in June 2017.

For most Solomon Islanders, it was the mission's Participating Police Force (PPF) that provided the public face of RAMSI.

In the course of their work, the Pacific Islands police drew on their affinity with village life; appreciation of family and kinship ties, customary practices and beliefs; and their knowledge of the role churches play in Pacific Islands society.

Pacific Islands police had an advantage over their non-Pacific Islands PPF colleagues - some could use their "local" understanding and sensibilities to persuade their Australian or New Zealand managers to move beyond conventional Western policing norms where appropriate.

The church outreach programme permitted uniformed officers to attend services and speak with local congregations about a range of issues including law and order.

An officer involved in this PPF-approved programme claimed its extended outreach was approximately 67,000 people in a single year - or 10% of the national population.

These conclusions are contained in a report prepared by the Australian National University's Department of Pacific Affairs with the support of the Australian Federal Police.

The report offered a detailed examination of the experiences of Pacific Islands police who served with the mission.

The findings are based on interviews, focus-group meetings and some survey work.

Source

lowyinstitute.org

bellschool.anu.edu.au

Organisers of a week of reconciliation ceremonies held in Solomon Islands say the programme is a first step towards national healing.

Coinciding with the celebration of the countries 38th Anniversary of Independence last Thursday, the program marked 13 years of peace in the country after a bloody ethnic conflict at turn of the century.

Spanning five years from 1998 to 2003 the period known locally as the 'ethnic tensions' almost destroyed the country.

More than 200 people were killed, many of whom are still unaccounted for and tens of thousands of lives were adversely affected.

Fr John Patteson Ngalihesi, the National Peace Advisor to the Ministry of National Unity Reconciliation and Peace said the $US750,000 program was an important first step to healing a damaged nation.

Radio New Zealand's correspondent in Honiara said there has been controversy surrounding the events which do not include the two biggest provinces Malaita and Guadalcanal.

Following the one week reconciliation programme in Honiara the Government is planning to extend its reconciliation efforts to neighbouring Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Region.

Ngalihesi said resolving past differences "is the only path to true peace and security in the border regions."

"We had Bougainvilleans here during the one week reconciliation, they come as observers...so together we can do peace building on the border between PNG and Solomon Islands a bit better and in a way that can promote and harness peace among our people."

Described as the largest conflict in Oceania since WWII, the Bougainville war raged for a decade from 1988, with thousands of lives lost. It also saw serious skirmishes with Solomon Islands border police on the PNG/Solomon Islands border.

Source

• solomontimes.com
• radionz.co.nz
• pina.com.