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Solomons Accepts US Medical Ship Visit After Rejecting Naval Vessel

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The Solomon Islands has received the U.S. Navy hospital ship, the Mercy, during its inaugural visit to the island despite earlier rejecting a scheduled port call from U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Oliver Henry.

On Aug. 31, the Solomons government released a statement saying Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare spoke at the welcoming ceremony for the Mercy.

The hospital ship is one of the largest vessels to visit the Pacific nation and will provide extensive medical services to civilians of the Solomons with over 1,000 dental services and 70 surgeries.

The Mercy team will also deploy teams to the Kilu’ufi Hospital in Malaita Province and Gizo Hospital in Western Province.

“On behalf of the government and people of Solomon Islands, I convey to you and through you to the United States Navy and to the government of the United States of America our most sincere appreciation for the visit by the U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Mercy to Solomon Islands under the Pacific Partnership Program,” Sogavare said on Aug. 30.

He also hoped the vessel could be dispatched to the Solomons on an annual basis.

The visit coincides with earlier revelations of the Solomons rejecting two scheduled port calls from U.S. and UK naval vessels.

Quiet Rejection of the West

On Aug. 23, U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Oliver Henry, was met with silence after requesting permission for a regular port call in the Solomons capital Honiara.

The Oliver Henry, along with the UK’s HMS Spey, had wrapped up their part in Operation Island Chief to monitor and prevent illegal fishing activity in the region—an ongoing issue with Chinese fishing fleets.

Operation Island Chief was conducted in conjunction with members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, including Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.

The Solomons government claimed that the radio silence towards the crew of the Oliver Henry was because the “appropriate information” had not been sent to the prime minister’s office in time, and that once approval was granted, the Oliver Henry had already left Solomon waters.

In regards to the HMS Spey, the approval process was supposedly “aborted” after the prime minister’s office received notification from the British High Commission that they were no longer seeking permission for the vessel to dock.

Sogavare said that the incidents proved the need for “new processes” before the government could deal with future requests.

“Once the new mechanism is in place, we will inform you all. We anticipate the new process to be smoother and timelier,” Sogavare said.

The Solomons government also claimed it previously had “unfortunate” experiences with foreign naval vessels in its waters and was working to avoid similar incidents. They further said reports that the government was under the influence of Beijing was “misinformation.”

In response, Solomons opposition leader Matthew Wale called the incidents a joke.

“‘Friends to all, enemies to none’ is clearly a joke, the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, clearly treats the U.S. and its allies as hostile nations. All our friends must be treated equally,” he said in comments obtained by RNZ.

Daniel Y. Teng

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Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. He focuses on national affairs including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and Australia-China relations. Got a tip? Contact him at daniel.teng@epochtimes.com.au.



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