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Author Topic: Solomon Islands: Chinatown torched in post-election riots
rici
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2710

posted 19 April 2006 06:56 PM      Profile for rici     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I don't know much about the Solomon Islands, to be honest, but it looks like an ugly situation.

Basically, it seems to be like this: after a confusing election, the former prime minister managed to put together a coalition. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of party politics on the Solomon Islands, so coalitions are pretty well just groups of parliamentarians. Rumours started to spread that parliamentarians had been paid by a Chinese magnate; opponents to the prime minister took their anger out on Chinese islanders, completely destroying the Islands' Chinatown.

Report from a Solomon Islands newspaper

Interview on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Head Heeb Blog (Jonathan Edelstein)

[ 19 April 2006: Message edited by: rici ]


From: Lima, Perú | Registered: Jun 2002  |  IP: Logged
rici
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2710

posted 21 April 2006 06:12 PM      Profile for rici     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Aftermath of the riots

I almost posted the original under racism rather than "the rest of the world" because I was struck by this comment in an interview with a (supposedly "moderate") candidate:

quote:
ASHLEY WICKHAM: ... In fact, this outrage really of burning down the town is not something that we condone, but we understand because it's directed against the Chinese interest in politics....

TONI HASSAN: So why target Chinatown? What's to be gained?

ASHLEY WICKHAM: Well, they've really got nothing much they can do against big money, so they might as well vent their anger somewhere.



From: Lima, Perú | Registered: Jun 2002  |  IP: Logged
Doug
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Babbler # 44

posted 21 April 2006 08:28 PM      Profile for Doug   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
It's a classic example of a market-dominant minority situation. Examples of which would be Chinese people in Indonesia and Indians in East Africa. There's existing anger toward what's perceived as an economically dominant minority - so this isn't *just* about political corruption.
From: Toronto, Canada | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged

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