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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Four Days Later, Solomon Islands Missionaries Arrive in Australia
Sydney Australia Morning Herald 14Jun00 N1
By Greg Roberts
CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA -- The LDS Missionaries evacuated from the Solomon Islands
arrived in Cairns, Australia yesterday after three days at sea, according to
this report in the Sydney Morning Herald. The report says that the
missionaries boarded the HMAS Tobruk at the Honiara Yacht Club Thursday
night, along with 458 other evacuees on the Australian Navy vessel. The
evacuees included 140 children.
The evacuation was prompted by a coup attempt in the Solomon Islands'
capital, Honoria on June 5th. A militia called the Malaita Eagle Force
kidnapped Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, the Solomon Islands' prime minister, in a
move that seems to copy the recent coup attempt in Fiji, which also led the
Church to evacuate missionaries, but in that case only to the other side of
the island.
But many of the evacuees were critical of the Australian government's
strategy to remove them from the Islands, but they also praised the efforts
of the sailors that rescued them. "We had crusty old lieutenant-commanders
on their hands and knees drawing pictures on the deck with the kids," said
the ship's skipper, Commander Vinn Thompson. "The crew had to learn how to
sterilise babies' bottles and make up baby food."
The evacuees were from 32 different nations, only 188 of the 478 were
Australian, and, according to the Morning Herald, 20 of the evacuees were
LDS missionaries. The voyage was difficult for many on board. Three people
had malaria and 80 per cent of the children and 50 percent of the adults
were seasick, and some were treated for dehydration. Two of the evacuees, a
pregnant woman and a man with an ulcerated leg were taken to the hospital on
arrival.
Criticisms of the way the evacuation was handled included the fact that the
ship didn't leave the Solomon Islands for 36 hours after they boarded, and
the fact that the evacuation was by ship and not by plane. Other evacuees
said the evacuation was premature, "None of us believed there was any need
to get out," said Mr Stewart Finn, referring to staff of the Woodford
International School in Honiara, of which he is principal. "There were
incidents, but there was nothing to make you feel you were targetted. The
locals felt deserted and disowned when they heard we were going."
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