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Honiara [Solomon Islands], March 14 (ANI/Sputnik): The Solomon Islands law enforcement agencies are carrying out crowd control drills ahead of Monday's reopening of parliament, fearing the repetition of pogroms that occurred in the capital of Honiara last November, media reported on Monday.
The training involved the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force and the Solomon Island Assistance Force, with the involvement of Australian forces such as tactical response officers of the federal police, the Solomon Times newspaper reported. The law enforcement forces have worked out measures for preventing unrest, while the preparations also include patrolling the parliament's premises with the use of helicopters and monitoring the operation of transport, according to the report. In November, a series of violent protests erupted in Honiara, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. The protests were primarily fueled by residents of the Malaita province dissatisfied with the government's policy of developing relations with Beijing instead of Taiwan. The unrest claimed three lives, while over 100 arrests were made. The situation was stabilized with the arrival of foreign forces, including troops and police from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. (ANI/Sputnik)
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