U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2004 - Solomon Islands
- Document source:
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Date:
25 May 2004
An estimated 1,300 persons were internally displaced in the Solomon Islands at the end of the year.
The Solomon Islands hosted only three refugees from Indonesia in 2003, which the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sought to resettle in third countries.
Violence continued in the Solomon Islands as warlord Harold Keke and his militias did not sign the peace accords in 2000. In June, his supporters razed two villages in the remote Marasa district on the main island of Guadalcanal, and reportedly killed over 50 people in ambushes over the year. The violence stemmed from ethnic tensions between Guadalcanal island residents and migrants of a different ethnicity from nearby Malaita Island. In July, an Australia-led intervening force of 2,000 arrived and quelled the unrest.
In 2003, initial steps were taken by national authorities to develop and adopt domestic refugee legislation. It is expected authorities will pass legislation in 2004.
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