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Disarmament – 2003

2003

Intermediate Implementation

Disarmament efforts in the Solomon Islands continued in 2003. In May, 16 villages in Guadalcanal Province were confirmed as weapons-free.^[1] The Solomon Islands government passed the Facilitation of International Assistance Bill 2003, in which a foreign presence was invited to assist with the collection and control of remaining weapons.^[2] The government of the Solomon Islands extended the deadline for weapons in exchange for amnesty again on July 31, 2003 for a 21-day period.^[3] By the amnesty deadline, a total of 2,948 weapons and 303,000 rounds of ammunition had been surrendered.^[4] An unknown amount of weapons remained in circulation.

^[1] “Solomon Islands: Villages in Guadalcanal declared ‘weapons-free,’” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, May 3, 2003.

^[2] The Facilitation of International Assistance Bill 2003, Parliament of the Solomon Islands, July 17, 2003.

^[3] “Solomons prime minister signs gun amnesty,” Xinhua General News Service, July 31, 2003.

^[4] “Solomons amnesty yields almost 3,000 weapons,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, August 22, 2003.