It’s unclear if the deaths are directly linked to the protests,but they come after officials in China urged the Solomon Islands government to protect Chinese citizens and businesses. Honiara’s Chinatown was one of the areas most heavily targeted by protesters.
The decision by the Solomon Islands’ central government to switch its diplomatic relationship from Taiwan to China in 2019 has been identified as one of thedriving forces behind the protests,with the move exacerbating social and political fault lines dividing the nation.
On Wednesday,a planned demonstration turned violent as protesters stormed Parliament calling for Sogavare’s resignation. On the streets,they clashed with police officers,who used tear gas and fired shots. Demonstrators burnt down a police station,a high school and numerous buildings in Chinatown. They looted stores and tried to ransack Sogavare’s personal residence before being pushed back by police.
As the protests raged,opposition parliamentarians and Daniel Suidani,the premier of Malaita,intensified calls for Sogavare to step down. But he has refused,saying,“If I am removed as prime minister,it will be on the floor of Parliament.”
The Chinese embassy called on Chinese residents in Honiara to shut their businesses and hire security guards,while a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said China was “taking all necessary measures to safeguard the safety and lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and institutions in Solomon Islands.”