BY SAMIE WAIKORI
A traditional reconciliation ceremony to resolve an incident that occurred earlier this month at Kolofe in North Malaita was recently held at the Kolofe community.
The incident involved a Chinese worker employed by CCECC who was attacked and hospitalised.
During the ceremony, representatives of the family of the person involved in the incident formally expressed their apology and presented traditional shell money to the CCECC Project Manager. The presentation symbolised deep remorse and sadness over what had happened.
The reconciliation was attended by representatives from CCECC, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), the Malaita provincial government, the national government, and members of the local community.
An initial statement issued by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) on the incident said the incident was an attempted robbery at the CCECC camp in the early hours of 9 December.
“The victim, a male foreign national, was on his way to the restroom near the sleeping quarters when he was attacked by the suspects. He attempted to defend himself, but one of the suspects slashed him with a knife.
“The camp security staff were alerted by the noise of the commotion and attempted to pursue the suspects, but they were unsuccessful. The suspects scaled the camp’s perimeter fence and fled the area.
“The victim was rushed to Malu’u Area Health Centre, where he received urgent medical treatment,” the statement added.
A statement published last week by SIRAP said the reconciliation was held during a community awareness session conducted at Kolofe.
During the ceremony, the family of the person involved in the incident formally expressed their deep sorrow and apology to the CCECC Project Manager.
They presented shell money to CCECC symbolised their sadness and sincere apology for what had occurred.
The statement further said a second presentation of shell money was made to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA), on behalf of northern region communities.
This was to convey to the national government as an expression of apology and a reaffirmation of their commitment to stand against such incidents and ensure they do not happen again.
“With matters now resolved, let us move forward together, working hand in hand to complete the Kolofe Bridges for the benefit and safety of all,” the statement said.
Kolofe bridge is among four bridges currently implemented under the Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project in Malaita province.
They are Kolofe 1 & 2 in the northern region, Su’u and Bira bridges in the central region of the province.
Photo: SIRAP
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