WARRING armies in Libya are set for their worst confrontation yet as anti-government forces are preparing to push towards the capital, Tripoli

• Friday: Events and reaction
• Rebels on the run?
• Tuaregs ‘join mercenaries’
• Tripoli simmers

There were violent scenes here, just on the outskirts of Tripoli. This is significant because, of course, Col Gaddafi insists that everybody, especially in the country near Tripoli, loves him and that there are no protests.

What we saw today after Friday prayers was a vociferous protest by anti-Gaddafi demonstrators. Then, all of a sudden, pro-government militia and police came in vehicles screeching into the centre of the suburbs, firing dozens of tear gas canisters and baton rounds.

The scene was chaotic as people ran away but then they came back, shouting anti-Gaddafi slogans.

We knew that Fridays are always significant because a lot of the anti-government protesters gather in and around the mosque and come out into the streets. But this is proof that this isn’t just an uprising in the east and perhaps the west of the country, but there are significant elements in and near Tripoli that are opposed to the regime.

Despite the considerable risks they are running, they are prepared to protest and demand the end of a man who has ruled this country for 42 years.

• Protesters risk lives for change

• In pictures: Libya protests
• Libyan currency worth £100m held
• Seized Dutch crew paraded on TV

1. Libyan rebels celebrate win in battle near Tripoli
2. Gaddafi warns West to ‘stay away – or else’
3. UN suspends Libya
4. Blair signed Gaddafi deal

US President Barack Obama says Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi has lost his legitimacy to lead and must leave.

The president said violence must end in Libya, where Gaddafi is violently attempting to put down an uprising.

Obama’s comments at a joint news conference with Mexico’s president were the first time Obama had appeared in person to call for Gaddafi to leave.

Obama also said he was directing humanitarian assistance to the Libyan border. And he said he had approved the use of military aircraft to help get Egyptians who had fled the uprising there back home.

Meanwhile, witnesses said one of Gaddafi’s warplanes had bombed the oil terminal town of Brega, 800km east of Tripoli, for a second day.

Brega is the site of a struggle for control of a strategically vital coastal road and oil industry facilities.

It is currently held by the rebel forces, but they are under intense pressure from the Libyan military.

“The bombs were just to frighten them to go away,” Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, said of the Brega air strike on Britain’s Sky News

WELCOME: From left, Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga, Moses Garu West Guadalcanal MP, MP for Savo Russells Dickson Mua, Prime Minister Danny Philip, East Makira MP Alfred Ghiro and MP for West Honiara and deputy speaker Namson Tran inside the Cabinet chamber during the first caucus meeting to be attended by the three MPs.

Policy, budget lures MPs

GOVERNMENT yesterday claimed four more members of parliaments (MPs) from the Opposition group are expected to the Danny Philip-led National Coalition for Rural Advancement (NCRA) government.

This was revealed yesterday after the Government Caucus formally welcomed three former Opposition MPs.

“Four more opposition MPs are expected to join the Government team ahead of the March 28 budget session,’ the government statement said.

The three MPs which switched to the government were West Guadalcanal MP Moses Garu, MP for Savo Russells Dickson Mua and East Makira MP Alfred Ghiro.

Their inclusion in the government had now strengthened the government side.

They were formally welcomed to their first Caucus meeting at the Cabinet chamber.

The government statement quoted the three MPs as saying their move to the NCRA government stems from a common believe in the upcoming national budget and the policies of the coalition.

“They believed these policies will have direct impact on their constituencies and it is proper to join the government to push its reform and development agenda forward,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Philip said the NCRA government’s door is open to any MP who wishes to be part of the Government’s team.

EII regional director Lawrence Makili

THE dolphin saga is far from over as villagers in Walande and Fanalei, South Malaita expressed that they were still unhappy with how the funds had been disbursed to the two communities.

The Earth Island Institute (EII) regional director Lawrence Makili and EII director international Mark Berman this week made a high level visit to the two communities purposely to get feedback from them if they were happy or not after the first trend was released last month.

A total of $300,000 was released during the first trend in which the communities shared $150,000 each.

It was never going to be an easy task as both communities had their own differences during the heated debate.

These were some of the issues raised in both villages;

• Villagers want the money to be diverted straight to the community so that they can meet their needs.
• Villagers do not want existing Fanalei/Walande Honiara based communities to be involved in handling the money.
• Villagers complained money received was too small and some households got larger amounts than others.
• They questioned EII if they were still going to receive $200,000 per household as agreed during the signing of the MOU April last month.
• They questioned why the money was not released on time.

In response to their queries, Mr Makili explained that the fault was not theirs because the ongoing row between the different communities in Honiara and in the village had delayed the process.

“We should already be receiving the second trend but because you people can’t unite and work together things had to be delayed. Everything was done according to the MOU as agreed when we signed the MOU last year in Fanalei,” he told both communities.

Mr Makili also explained that they would stick to the MOU which stated that each household would receive $200,000 each.

However, he said it would not come as a whole package but as different trends.

It was understood that only families registered during the signing of the MOU would benefit from the save dolphin project.

This means that extended families that moved into both communities after the signing and their names were not on the list are likely to miss out.

Mr Makili explained that they would stick with the MOU and they would not make any changes until the MOU is reviewed April 2012.

“The most important thing is working together amongst yourselves and this includes communities both in Honiara and within the village. Because it seemed that some people have different motives. We are committed to helping you people but you must help yourselves first so that the project would be successful,” he said.

During the visit EII also discussed ways of improving the disbursement of the funds to both communities.
Both communities agreed and concluded that all affairs of the project would be looked after by their Honiara based communities where funds would be facilitated.

GERMANY will not allow any dolphin imports into their country.

This is according to the Federal Agency for Nature and Conservation (FANC), the CITES agency in Germany.

In an email the Solomon Star, Earth Island Institute affiliate German dolphin conservation society Ulrike Kirsch said she had spoken with authorities from FANC and they confirmed that there will not be any dolphin exports into Germany.

“There are no requests for any dolphin exports into Germany and if there was one, authorities here said that there would be no permits granted,” Mrs Kirsch said.

This followed media reports that local dolphin exporter Robert Satu had plans to fill an order from Germany, along with orders from other European countries and Dubai.

Robert Satu, the director of the Marine Mammal Educational Centre, could not confirm the exact number of dolphins each country ordered but hoped to begin hunting at the end of June.

Mr Satu said the other European countries did not want their identities publicised.
“After Germany then I’ll go back to Dubai and get the other contract from Dubai, which is, they have to complete their tourism place again before I’ll send them but they already put their order in.”

However, Mrs Kirsch said Germany was very strict on the issue of dolphin imports and there would be no requests for dolphin imports into the European Union stronghold.

“The person from the German CITES agency assumes that the whole thing might be a trick to divert attention from dolphin imports into Arab countries and maybe China. China’s amusement park industry seems to be booming and apparently China may be the new market for dolphin exports,” he export.

Mr Satu said he was ready to begin hunting again after Earth Island failed to live up to an agreement made with Satu.
The Earth Islands regional director Lawrence Makili reaffirmed that there were no agreements made with Mr Satu.

Many hard working parents are sending their kids to the ‘School of Natural Resources’ at SICHE every year, believing that their kids might graduate and have a job.

I for one can say that nothing comes out from their hard working because majority of their kids don’t get any job at all because of many reasons, some of them roam around the streets, in and out of offices asking human resources managers in the Department of Agriculture and Livestock for any vacancies available, while others are involved in criminal activities because they are giving up.

I am so confused why our Government leaders didn’t see these jobless kids and help them with scholarships for higher level or provide more vacancies for them.

Enough of political issues but try to tackle the problems of the rising jobless in the country.

It’s really shameful that parents play their parts in Education while Government Leaders just sit at their rolling chairs discussing political matters ignoring the rising problems of the country.

I hope that our PM understands these situations because he is an Educationist by professional so he would be very much in tune with what is needed for the kids of those developing Nation (Solomon Island).

Jonathan Tebabusi Tobire
Mbua Valley

Mark Kemakeza

Member of Parliament for Gela and Minister for Mines and Energy Mark Kemakeza had his trial adjourned yesterday afternoon so he could attend a Cabinet meeting.

This was after the fourth prosecution witness, Minister of Finance, Gordon Darcy Lilo gave his evidence in court.

Kemakeza’s lawyer is yet to cross-examine the witness.

Principal Magistrate Shafi Khan adjourned the trial to this afternoon.

The MP is facing two counts of conversion, two counts of official corruption and one count of abuse office.

It was alleged that he used the public funds allocated for a fishing project in his constituency in August to November, 2007 worth $764,000.

In his evidence, Lilo confirmed seeing the applications made by those who applied for the fishing micro project in 2007.

He also confirmed that there was a Caucus meeting in September 2007.

The meeting was held specifically to deal with 2007 rural micro fisheries project.

He said Kemakeza also attended the meeting but when he was asked by the prosecution whether Kemakeza said anything at the meeting, Lilo said he did not actually remember but believed the MP did say something at the meeting.

“The recordings will prove that” he said.

The purpose of the meeting, Lilo said was due to numerous complaints about the money of Government funded projects for various ministries.

He said some applicants who received cash instead of buying equipment or materials the money was intended for, used it for other purposes.

“All the cheques approved will be received by the MPs and then delivered to all project recipients.” He said.

Cabinet however did not authorise MPs to deposit in any person’s account but to ensure purchases to the supplier.

The applications made by those applicants will have to go through various stages for screening before it goes up to the Cabinet for approval.

The last person the application goes through is Lilo who confirmed seeing the applications before it goes to the Cabinet.

This was after the applications go through the chief fisheries officer, director of fisheries and then to the permanent secretary for fisheries.

Lilo said the first amount of funding was $6 million which $484,000 of this amount was to go to ten applicants from the Central Province.

The second amount of funding was for $3 million where this funding was to be directly transferred into the constituency accounts of selected MPs.

The court heard that of that amount, $280,000 was transferred to Kemakeza’s account constituency account.