LICENSED FIREARM OWNERS WANTS COMPENSATION
Chairman of the Solomon Islands National Police Council gets a helping hand from a Sapper, in destroying firearms during the first Operation Helpem Fren. Photo credit: AWM.
Licensed firearm owners in North Malaita are calling on the national government to at least compensate them for their licensed properties destroyed in 2003.
Shortly after the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) in the country, a huge number of licensed firearms were collected and destroyed after the ethnic tension in 2003.
SIBC’s Bita’ama stringer, John Andrew Kiri reports two of the licensed firearm owners called on RAMSI and the national government to compensate them for their destroyed properties.
“The North Malaita legal licensed riffle owners are calling on RAMSI and the DCC Government to compensate the owners of the riffles which were collected and destroyed at Auki in front of them in 2003, which was 13 years ago.”
The riffle owners told Mr. Kiri it has been 13 years since they were promised to be compensated for their properties.
Meanwhile, similar sentiments were also raised by gun owners in Isabel Province.
Landry Losi of Jejevo community raised the same concern, saying people of Isabel province are also demanding the DCC Government to compensate them for their guns that were destroyed during the ethnic tension.