Subject: 'austraLasia' #351

NO PEACE IN PARADISE (3): UPDATE

Julian Fox

SUVA: 6th June -- Just as constant pictures of starving children in Ethiopia can introduce a certain weariness in the viewer, so can constant reporting on South pacific coups in the reader! I've gone quiet for a while on the Suva scene, partly for that reason but partly, too, because nothing has changed. I mean nothing! Gunmen are still holding 35 elected members hostage less than a kilometre from the Catholic Seminary - so that is closed, as are all schools. The chiefs from the Western part of our island are now determined to set up a separate government and secede from whatever union we had. Where this leaves the rest of us I don't really know. The seminary is in real danger of having to close down for much longer than it wants to. And where that leaves some of us I also don't really know!

Further West in the Solomons, I received a heartfelt plea from a safe but frustrated Fr. Luciano, unable to receive news since the SIBC has closed down and the only other station plays music all day; phones do not enable him to ring out (except for internet). We can tell him from 'outside' that his prime minister has resigned, but we can't tell him what the future holds for a country that is closer to civil war, by a step or two, than we are.

Salesian Fr. Ambrose, Catholic Communications man in SI, offers the following observations as he moves around Honiara today:

There has been shooting out at Alligator Creek since morning. The wounded MEF have been able to come to the Central hospital, but the wounded IMF - one will never know what their casualties are like.

While there are a number of people moving around, a lot of fear hangs in the air. The presence of fully armed men around the capital is not a good sign.

SIBC shared their fear. Early yesterday morning gunmen walked into the radio station. They were told that SIBC should be on air and they can do it only if the gunmen are out. SIBC was the only contact to the country as to what was unfolding in the capital, Honiara, since the early hours of the morning as movement was curtailed and telephone lines were served.

The Rove police station is a fearful sight. At the normal entrance check point – instead of the normal welcome there were rough, rude angry MEF armed men. The prison officers are pretty disgusted as they have to guard the prison in this situation without arms.

Electricity was shut this afternoon. Luckily they have turned on the power at 7.30pm.

Pray that as members of Parliament who gather for the Cocoas meeting tomorrow that they have the right atmosphere to make proper decisions.

So - a spare prayer for peace in paradise would not go astray!

Julian