Australia deploys troops to Solomon Islands amid protests

Australia on Thursday sent police, defense forces, and diplomats to help authorities in the Solomon Islands quell violent protests. Protesters breached the National Parliament building, burned a police station, looted stores, and set fire to several other buildings. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare requested assistance under a bilateral security treaty.

What caused the unrest? The protests began Wednesday in the capital city of Honiara as protesters demanded Sogavare’s resignation over several domestic issues. He has not responded to a citizen petition filed in August asking the government to resume infrastructure projects, limit growing ties with China, and respect the self-determination rights of Malaita, the island nation’s most populous province. The prime minister in 2019 switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China. Protesters this week looted stores and burned several buildings in Honiara’s Chinatown.

Dig deeper: Listen to Angela Lu Fulton’s WORLD report on China’s military exercises in Taiwan.