MPA SELESO & POLICE DISMISSED RENEWED TENSION RUMOURS

Guadalcanal Provincial Member for Vatukulau ward, South Guadalcanal, Honourable Rollen Seleso, has dismissed in the strongest term rumours that another ethnic tension is looming.

The Vatukaulau Provincial Member says as one of the leaders of South Guadalcanal he declares, there is no such armed grouping in the South Guadalcanal region.

Mr Seleso says a number of pictures that are in circulation are those of the ethnic tension 16 years ago and those who are reproducing these pictures have hidden motives.

He denounces the rumour in the strongest term.

The long time Provincial Member also highlighted that the people of South Guadalcanal are still to fully recover from the traumas of the ethnic tension.

Hon. Seleso says there are men, women and children who are yet to come to terms with the scars of the tension.

Mr Seleso adds, to this day his people are denied their right to access health services such as trauma counselling and so his people are emotionally impaired.

The Vatukulau ward Provincial Member urged the government to zero in on those who are responsible for reproducing and distributing the ‘tension photos’ and prosecute them accordingly.

Seleso says these people have the intention to disrupt the peace and tranquillity people enjoying now.

Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner, Frank Prendergast has urged people to be very careful about spreading rumours as they can cause insecurity in the society.

Mr Prendergast made the statement when asked about rumours of renewed tensions in the country.

But in his response, Mr Prendergast says they are aware of rumours and they would investigate them very carefully.

“Police are aware of rumours can I say. Where we hear rumours we investigate them very carefully. What I’d ask is if anyone has information that concerns them to come to the police with that information and we’ll properly look into it, but I’d also say that people be very careful about rumours. There’s a lot of rumours going around, you know, sometimes people are spreading rumours for their own particular reasons but I think we all need to be very careful about because rumours can cause a feeling of insecurity.”

Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner says police will actively investigate such rumours.

“Can I say where there’s any information about Police are very actively investigating that and I am quite confident that we’re on top of those issues so people shouldn’t be alarmed but if they do hear something that they’re concerned about they should come to the Police, but I’d also say that people be very careful about rumours and about spreading rumours because it’s not helpful to the peace of mind of people in the community.”