Mass killer Harold Keke has been back in a Solomon Islands court. A kind of pocket-battleship version of Pol Pot, he terrorised the lonely Weather Coast region of Guadalcanal. He is serving a life sentence for the murder of former Catholic priest Augustine Geve. As he knelt on a beach, Keke put a bullet between his eyes – then sent a message to government radio trumpeting his deed.
Slowly truth is emerging over what happened in the Solomon Islands between 1998 and July 2003 when a combined Australian, New Zealand military and police force landed to restore order. A second intervention followed in April this year when rioters destroyed Honiara ’s China Town .
The story behind that at the time – public anger at the appointment as premier of Snyder Rini – is now looking much murkier and distinctly criminal.
Other murder charges await Keke, as they do dozens of self-appointed guerrilla leaders. Corruption charges wait their day and in the last couple of weeks police have swept up a range of characters behind the destruction of China Town earlier this year. Now emerging are allegations of a plot to kill Allan Kemakeza when he was prime minister earlier this year.
Solomon Star publisher John Lemani says covering all the trials was an enormous strain on the small paper.
“We have to reveal everything that the courts tell us, I like to say that,’’ Mr Lemani told Fairfax .
‘’People want to know what is going on in the court. And we haven’t touched the corruption yet; 6000 cases to go… So we want to reveal everything, every word the courts are saying.”
World War Two built Honiara is on the Ironbottom Sound coast of Guadalcanal and has capital attracted hundreds of migrants from islands around the Solomons, including those from Malaita. The indigenous of Guadalcanal – sometimes called Gualese – are culturally vastly different from Malaitans. The violence began with a speech by Guadalcanal Premier Ezekiel Alebua on November 30, 1998, in which he called for S$2.5 million compensation for 25 alleged murders on the island. At the time the speech went unreported by the mainstream media, and yet out of it grow the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army (GRA) and the rival Malaita Eagle Force (MEF).
Much of what happened is lost in a murk of extreme violence. A coup overthrew the government and the MEF seized control of Honiara . Out in the wild mountains and plans of Guadalcanal , rival groups were operating and on the Weather Coast Keke set up a Khmer Rouge style Guadalcanal Liberation Front (GLF). Dozens died. A group of Malaitan men sent to kill Keke were instead ambushed. Father Geve, a cabinet minister, tried to negotiate peace and was killed. Seven Anglican Melanesian Brothers were brutally executed.
And now the whole saga is being accounted for in courts of law, to the grim fascination of the Solomon Islands .
Keke, now locked up in Rove Prison and under high level Australian guard, surprisingly appeared in court last week as a witness, declaring he remain supreme commander of GLF.
‘’Absolutely. Because I was always in that position, to protect Guadalcanal people," Keke said.
Five militants are on trial for the murder of Brother Nathaniel Sado. Keke says he did not issue orders to kill him.
‘’I am an honest leader. I would not say shoot him," Keke said.
But the Christian group were on a mission for then Prime Minister Kemakeza, he claimed.
Solomons Star reporter Joy Rikimae reported Keke insisted on speaking in English: ‘’He spoke in a deep and - at times - rolling voice. Keke wore a blue business shirt and dark trousers. His hair was cut short.
He became emotional at times. The atmosphere in the court was highly charged, during his testimony.’’
Five militants, William Hence, Ronnie Cawa, Carridine Pitakaka, Gedley Isa and Owen Isa, are on trial over the Sado death. Testimony has been gruesome.
Gedley Isa told the High Court that two men had dropped large rocks onto Brother Sado, as he lay face up on a dry river bed.
His account is disputed by the prosecution which link him more directly to the murder. Earlier Isa had told police that Cawa – who was Keke’s deputy – had ordered Sado’s execution as a spy.
Isa said rocks as big as watermelons were used.
‘’When Jeffery Kibo dropped the rock, Brother Sado's body was shaking," he said. A second rock was dropped and he was still: ‘’He was not shaking.’’
In another of the murder trials, Andrew Te’e, a leader of the Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM), is alleged to have murdered two men on the Weather Coast while hunting Keke.
Witness Aldric Sese was captured by the group and beaten to get information on Keke. Later an IFM man was killed so Te’e decided to kill another in compensation.
‘’When he went and came back, his appearance changed,’’ Mr Sese said of Te’e.
‘’He said 'don't you worry. I have just killed a man'.
‘’It looked as if he just released his anger," Mr Sese told the court.
Mr Lemani was present in court when Keke showed up, shocking people.
‘’He is not repentant….
“But they are Guadalcanal people who say this man is a criminal, he has been misleading people.
‘’He is finding it difficult now, he is in prison. The chance of his coming out is nil.
‘’People know this and they saw him last week and they say, we know this person. He is mentally ill; behind all these killings there must have been something going on in his brain and he couldn’t overcome it. But they want him to stay behind bars.”
On the surface the conflict was over, but people were still thinking about it all.
‘’They want to heal the wounds but it will take a long long time. Guadalacanal people are fed up, Malaita people fed up. It was started with some greedy and criminal people. Guadalcanal and Malaita people lost their jobs, lost their families, lost everything.
“They realised now what has been going on in the past; the story is starting to come out… the people who spend their times, they realise the top criminal elements were behind these things.’’
Court proceedings around the China Town riots are also unfolding, involving political allies of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. One, MP Charles Dausabea, he tried appointing Police Minister – except he was locked up awaiting charges of intimidating and threatening violence and playing a key role in the riots.
Joining him is former Foreign Minister Alex Bartlett, who was also an MEF leader, and is married to a New Zealander. He is facing conspiracy to commit felony.
Public prosecutor Mark Hobart told the court that five days before the riots - Bartlett, Nelson Ne'e, Charles Dausabea and David Dausabea met and talked about killing certain MPs, including Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza and wiping out Chinese businessmen. Charles Dausabea talked about taking power.
Public prosecutor Mark Hobart told the court Charles Dausabea told Ne'e to prepare his people and to destroy everything by rioting and looting.
‘’He also talked about burning the Pacific Casino because it takes away business from Honiara Casino.’’
‘’Their plan was political. If the prime minister of their choice is not elected, their comrades would start the riot. There's a clear connection between the meeting and the riot,’’ Mr Hobart told the court.
The men have been remanded in custody to await a defended hearing.
And going back to the very beginning of the troubles, the courts are now dealing with Premier Alebua, facing four counts of embezzlement and anther four on conversion. He denies stealing more than $300,000, part of a $2.5 million compensation package paid to the provincial government by the national government to be disbursed to relatives of 25 Guadalcanal murder victims.