Solomon Islands

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Overview

European explorers couldn’t find the Solomon Islands for more than 200 years after the first explorer visited it. However, during World War II, the Solomons couldn’t hide. Numerous naval, air, and ground battles took place in and around Guadalcanal, now the capital. One Japanese destroyer almost changed history when it sliced in half the PT boat of future American President John Kennedy. He survived and the Americans prevailed, wresting Guadalcanal from the stubborn Japanese and starting them on their long, slow slide to defeat. Administered as a colony by the British, upon independence the Solomons inherited a fractured population of almost 100 different tribal groups and languages, almost no modern development, and the worst per capita malaria rates in the world. The government eventually collapsed, as fighting between different groups broke out, prompting Australia and others to send in peacekeepers. Now, several years into the strife, it is still not clear when a stable Solomon Islands will emerge from the turmoil.

 

 

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Basic Information

Location: The Solomon Islands are southeast of Papua New Guinea and north of Vanuatu. The total area is 28,450 square kilometers. The group consists of a double chain of six large continental islands and hundreds of smaller ones. The islands are rugged, heavily forested, and malaria infested.

 
Population: 581,000 (2008)
 
Religions: Church of Melanesia (Anglican) 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Sea Evangelical 17%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2%.
 
Ethnic Groups: Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2%.
 
Languages:   Melanesian Pidgin is the common language; English is official but spoken only by 2%; there are between 87 and 120 indigenous languages.
 

 

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History
The Solomons have been populated for at least 3,000 years, having been settled by Melanesians moving south from the Papua New Guinea area. The first European to see the islands was the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendaña in 1568. He had trouble communicating with the locals because everywhere he stopped, the language was different. Mendaña did discover some gold and back home the rumor spread that Mendana had discovered the source of the supposed long lost treasure of King Solomon of the Hebrews. But Mendana’s longitude reckoning for the group was more than 3,000 kilometers wrong, and, though many tried, no other European was able to find the island group for the next 200 years.
 
Some beachcombers and traders began to settle in, but it was not easy. Missionaries were not well received, and few converts were made until the 20th century. Many of the Solomon tribes were fierce headhunters, and would take large paddling canoes over to other islands at night to raid enemies to get heads so they could decorate their village with freshly killed skulls. Blackbirders (deceitful recruiters) found willing participants in the Solomons. Islanders wanted to go work in Fiji and other places so they could get money to buy modern goods. Returning to the Solomons, as many did, they would gain much prestige and power from their wealth. But there were also abuses to blackbirding, including often kidnapping and enslaving.
 
The British, concerned also about German interest in the area, declared a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. The British put an end to most headhunting raids by destroying many of the war canoes and they stopped the blackbirding. World War I was uneventful in the Solomons, but during World War II some of the most critical battles were fought in and around the Solomons. After the war, the Solomon Islands became a British colony. Independence was achieved in 1978. 
 
In 1999 people from Malaita who had moved to Guadalcanal to get jobs found themselves in a full civil war struggle with indigenous Guadalcanal tribal groups. The government was powerless to stop the fighting, and in 2003 the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was formed. Led by Australia, a coalition of nations sent police, soldiers, and accountants in to stop the violence, confiscate the weapons, and help the government get back in control. The effort seems to have worked, but RAMSI forces remain in the country. The Solomon Islands government was not happy with Australia over its attempts to extradite Julian Moti, attorney general for the Solomons, who was wanted in Australia on child sex charges. In December 2007, after a new government came to power, Moti was dismissed and deported to Australia.
 

 

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History of U.S. Relations with Solomon Islands

One of the key battles of World War II was the struggle for Guadalcanal, which began August 7, 1942. This was the first time that U.S. forces captured territory occupied by Japanese troops. Japan tried repeatedly to wrest control back from the Americans. After several attempts on land and several battles at sea, the Japanese were pushed out after seven months of fighting. 

           
In 1984 the Solomon Islands captured a U.S. tuna boat fishing within the Solomons’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The boat was impounded and the Solomon Islands government threatened to sell it if a fine was not paid and the American tuna boats didn’t stop fishing in the Solomons’ EEZ. The Reagan administration at first refused to recognize the Solomons’ rights, demanded the boat be released, and put an embargo on all Solomon Island imports. The United States considered tuna a migratory fish and thus not bound by exclusive economic zone restrictions. After much negotiation and public posturing on both sides, the United States relented. The fine was paid, the boat released, and the United States eventually signed a treaty with the South Pacific Fisheries Forum Agency that would allow American tuna boats the right to fish in waters of the Agency’s members, including the Solomons.
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Current U.S. Relations with Solomon Islands
Current relations are strong. The United States helped fund the construction of the Solomon Islands parliament building. 
more less
Where Does the Money Flow

In 2007 the United States imported goods worth $1,117,000 from the Solomon Islands. Exports to the Solomon Islands in 2007 came to $5,438,000, much of it in telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, and fish. The 2008 foreign aid request for the Solomon Islands was for $150,000 for police training. The United States supports the RAMSI effort.

 
more less
Controversies
more less
Debate
more less
Past Ambassadors

Robert W. Fitts 9/11/03-10/2/06 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)

Susan S. Jacobs 11/7/00-8/1/03 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Arma Jane Karaer 4/15/97-5/28/00 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Richard W. Teare 11/23/93-7/14/96 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Robert William Farrand 5/1/90-9/13/93 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Everett E. Bierman 11/11/86-10/30/89 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Paul Fisher Gardner 9/7/84-10/1/86 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
M.Virginia Schafer 11/3/81-5/20/84 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
Harvey J. Feldman 9/26/79-5/25/81 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
Mary S. Olmsted 1/5/76-7/28/79 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
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Solomon Islands's Ambassador to the U.S.
ambassador-image Beck, Colin

Colin David Beck became ambassador of the Solomon Islands to the United States on March 31, 2004. He is also his nation’s representative to the United Nations. Beck received a bachelor’s degree in administration and political science from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. He holds a foreign services certificate from Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and has a master’s degree in international relations and Southeast Asian politics from the University of Queensland, Australia. In 1988 Beck started his career as a desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was later promoted to senior desk officer in 1990, and then sent to Australia for three months to establish a consulate general office in Brisbane. From 1993-1995 he served in various locations, including the embassies to Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. During that time he also served in the Solomon Islands Permanent Mission to the European Union and the High Commission to the United Kingdom. From 1995 to 2002 he was chief desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2002 he served as assistant secretary of the Pacific and Asian Branch’s Political and Security Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In September 2008, Beck began a one year term as Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly.
 

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Solomon Islands's Embassy Web Site in the U.S.

Solomon Islands Missions to the United Nation
Suite 8008
800 2nd Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10017-4709
Tel: 212-599-6192; 212-599-6193
Fax: 212- 661-8925
Email: simny@solomons.com

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U.S. Ambassador to Solomon Islands

Taylor, Teddy
ambassador-image

Teddy B. Taylor, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service holding the rank of Minister Counselor, was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu on September 21, 2009.  In a move sure to win hearts and minds in Papua New Guinea, Taylor and his wife, fellow Foreign Service officer Antoinette Corbin-Taylor, have partnered with her college sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, in a project to develop mobile library services in and for Papua New Guinea. Born circa 1953 in Washington, DC, Taylor graduated High School in the D.C. public schools, earned his B.A. in Political Science at Florida A&M University in 1975, and is a brother in the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.  

 
Taylor joined the Foreign Service in 1978, serving his first tour as a consular/economic officer at the American Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from 1978 to 1980.  He also served as a consular officer at the American Embassies in Panama City, Panama, from 1981 to 1983, and Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from 1983 to 1985. Returning stateside in 1985, Taylor served in a succession of roles, including Deputy Director of Press and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs from 1985 to 1987, Deputy Policy Officer for Latin America at the former United States Information Agency from 1987 to 1988, Deputy Director for East Asian and Pacific Assignments in the Bureau of Human Resources from 1988 to 1991, Deputy Examiner in the Board of Foreign Service Examiners, Bureau of Human Resources from 1991 to 1992, and Special Assistant in the Office of Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs from 1992 to 1993. After eight years in Washington, DC, Taylor was assigned overseas again, this time at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, where he served as consular affairs officer from 1995 to 1999. Back in Washington in 1999, Taylor was the first African American Director of the Orientation Division at the Foreign Service Institute to 2001. He then served as U.S. Consul General at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, from 2001 to 2003, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Director of the Office of Employee Relations in the Bureau of Human Resources. 
 
Taylor has tried to play an active role in the lives of young people. During his tour at the US Embassy in Panama, he coached a 13-15 year old basketball team in the former Panama Canal Zone.  While in Hungary, Taylor was the Chairperson of the Cub and Boy Scout parent organization, and also served as a merit badge instructor and Chairman of the Eagle Scout Board of Review committee.  
 
Taylor speaks Spanish, Turkish, and Hungarian. He and his wife Antoinette have two children, Tina and Ashton. 
 
 
 
 

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Previous U.S. Ambassador to Solomon Islands

Rowe, Leslie
ambassador-image

The United States Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Leslie V. Rowe, began her appointment on October 15, 2006. She is also the ambassador to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Rowe received a B.A. from Washington State University, an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and an M.Ed from Northeastern University. She also received a certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and was a Fulbright scholar in Germany. She taught foreign languages in high school and became the Director of the International Office of Tufts University.
           
Joining the Foreign Service in 1983, Rowe served in San Jose, Costa Rica and Sao Paulo, Brazil. She was Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Recife, Brazil; country desk officer for Chile; Director of the Office of Children’s Issues at the Department of State; Consul General in Lisbon, Portugal; and Consul General in Bangkok, Thailand. Her most recent posting before taking her position as ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomons and Vanuatu was as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy n Nairobi, Kenya. Rowe speaks French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
 
 

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Bookmark and Share
News
more less
Overview

European explorers couldn’t find the Solomon Islands for more than 200 years after the first explorer visited it. However, during World War II, the Solomons couldn’t hide. Numerous naval, air, and ground battles took place in and around Guadalcanal, now the capital. One Japanese destroyer almost changed history when it sliced in half the PT boat of future American President John Kennedy. He survived and the Americans prevailed, wresting Guadalcanal from the stubborn Japanese and starting them on their long, slow slide to defeat. Administered as a colony by the British, upon independence the Solomons inherited a fractured population of almost 100 different tribal groups and languages, almost no modern development, and the worst per capita malaria rates in the world. The government eventually collapsed, as fighting between different groups broke out, prompting Australia and others to send in peacekeepers. Now, several years into the strife, it is still not clear when a stable Solomon Islands will emerge from the turmoil.

 

 

more less
Basic Information

Location: The Solomon Islands are southeast of Papua New Guinea and north of Vanuatu. The total area is 28,450 square kilometers. The group consists of a double chain of six large continental islands and hundreds of smaller ones. The islands are rugged, heavily forested, and malaria infested.

 
Population: 581,000 (2008)
 
Religions: Church of Melanesia (Anglican) 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Sea Evangelical 17%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2%.
 
Ethnic Groups: Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2%.
 
Languages:   Melanesian Pidgin is the common language; English is official but spoken only by 2%; there are between 87 and 120 indigenous languages.
 

 

more less
History
The Solomons have been populated for at least 3,000 years, having been settled by Melanesians moving south from the Papua New Guinea area. The first European to see the islands was the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendaña in 1568. He had trouble communicating with the locals because everywhere he stopped, the language was different. Mendaña did discover some gold and back home the rumor spread that Mendana had discovered the source of the supposed long lost treasure of King Solomon of the Hebrews. But Mendana’s longitude reckoning for the group was more than 3,000 kilometers wrong, and, though many tried, no other European was able to find the island group for the next 200 years.
 
Some beachcombers and traders began to settle in, but it was not easy. Missionaries were not well received, and few converts were made until the 20th century. Many of the Solomon tribes were fierce headhunters, and would take large paddling canoes over to other islands at night to raid enemies to get heads so they could decorate their village with freshly killed skulls. Blackbirders (deceitful recruiters) found willing participants in the Solomons. Islanders wanted to go work in Fiji and other places so they could get money to buy modern goods. Returning to the Solomons, as many did, they would gain much prestige and power from their wealth. But there were also abuses to blackbirding, including often kidnapping and enslaving.
 
The British, concerned also about German interest in the area, declared a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. The British put an end to most headhunting raids by destroying many of the war canoes and they stopped the blackbirding. World War I was uneventful in the Solomons, but during World War II some of the most critical battles were fought in and around the Solomons. After the war, the Solomon Islands became a British colony. Independence was achieved in 1978. 
 
In 1999 people from Malaita who had moved to Guadalcanal to get jobs found themselves in a full civil war struggle with indigenous Guadalcanal tribal groups. The government was powerless to stop the fighting, and in 2003 the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was formed. Led by Australia, a coalition of nations sent police, soldiers, and accountants in to stop the violence, confiscate the weapons, and help the government get back in control. The effort seems to have worked, but RAMSI forces remain in the country. The Solomon Islands government was not happy with Australia over its attempts to extradite Julian Moti, attorney general for the Solomons, who was wanted in Australia on child sex charges. In December 2007, after a new government came to power, Moti was dismissed and deported to Australia.
 

 

more less
History of U.S. Relations with Solomon Islands

One of the key battles of World War II was the struggle for Guadalcanal, which began August 7, 1942. This was the first time that U.S. forces captured territory occupied by Japanese troops. Japan tried repeatedly to wrest control back from the Americans. After several attempts on land and several battles at sea, the Japanese were pushed out after seven months of fighting. 

           
In 1984 the Solomon Islands captured a U.S. tuna boat fishing within the Solomons’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The boat was impounded and the Solomon Islands government threatened to sell it if a fine was not paid and the American tuna boats didn’t stop fishing in the Solomons’ EEZ. The Reagan administration at first refused to recognize the Solomons’ rights, demanded the boat be released, and put an embargo on all Solomon Island imports. The United States considered tuna a migratory fish and thus not bound by exclusive economic zone restrictions. After much negotiation and public posturing on both sides, the United States relented. The fine was paid, the boat released, and the United States eventually signed a treaty with the South Pacific Fisheries Forum Agency that would allow American tuna boats the right to fish in waters of the Agency’s members, including the Solomons.
more less
Current U.S. Relations with Solomon Islands
Current relations are strong. The United States helped fund the construction of the Solomon Islands parliament building. 
more less
Where Does the Money Flow

In 2007 the United States imported goods worth $1,117,000 from the Solomon Islands. Exports to the Solomon Islands in 2007 came to $5,438,000, much of it in telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, and fish. The 2008 foreign aid request for the Solomon Islands was for $150,000 for police training. The United States supports the RAMSI effort.

 
more less
Controversies
more less
Debate
more less
Past Ambassadors

Robert W. Fitts 9/11/03-10/2/06 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)

Susan S. Jacobs 11/7/00-8/1/03 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Arma Jane Karaer 4/15/97-5/28/00 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Richard W. Teare 11/23/93-7/14/96 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Robert William Farrand 5/1/90-9/13/93 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Everett E. Bierman 11/11/86-10/30/89 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)
Paul Fisher Gardner 9/7/84-10/1/86 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
M.Virginia Schafer 11/3/81-5/20/84 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
Harvey J. Feldman 9/26/79-5/25/81 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
Mary S. Olmsted 1/5/76-7/28/79 (also accredited to Papua New Guinea)
more less
Solomon Islands's Ambassador to the U.S.
ambassador-image Beck, Colin

Colin David Beck became ambassador of the Solomon Islands to the United States on March 31, 2004. He is also his nation’s representative to the United Nations. Beck received a bachelor’s degree in administration and political science from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. He holds a foreign services certificate from Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and has a master’s degree in international relations and Southeast Asian politics from the University of Queensland, Australia. In 1988 Beck started his career as a desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was later promoted to senior desk officer in 1990, and then sent to Australia for three months to establish a consulate general office in Brisbane. From 1993-1995 he served in various locations, including the embassies to Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. During that time he also served in the Solomon Islands Permanent Mission to the European Union and the High Commission to the United Kingdom. From 1995 to 2002 he was chief desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2002 he served as assistant secretary of the Pacific and Asian Branch’s Political and Security Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In September 2008, Beck began a one year term as Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly.
 

more less
Solomon Islands's Embassy Web Site in the U.S.

Solomon Islands Missions to the United Nation
Suite 8008
800 2nd Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10017-4709
Tel: 212-599-6192; 212-599-6193
Fax: 212- 661-8925
Email: simny@solomons.com

more less

Comments

Leave a comment

U.S. Ambassador to Solomon Islands

Taylor, Teddy
ambassador-image

Teddy B. Taylor, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service holding the rank of Minister Counselor, was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu on September 21, 2009.  In a move sure to win hearts and minds in Papua New Guinea, Taylor and his wife, fellow Foreign Service officer Antoinette Corbin-Taylor, have partnered with her college sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, in a project to develop mobile library services in and for Papua New Guinea. Born circa 1953 in Washington, DC, Taylor graduated High School in the D.C. public schools, earned his B.A. in Political Science at Florida A&M University in 1975, and is a brother in the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.  

 
Taylor joined the Foreign Service in 1978, serving his first tour as a consular/economic officer at the American Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from 1978 to 1980.  He also served as a consular officer at the American Embassies in Panama City, Panama, from 1981 to 1983, and Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from 1983 to 1985. Returning stateside in 1985, Taylor served in a succession of roles, including Deputy Director of Press and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs from 1985 to 1987, Deputy Policy Officer for Latin America at the former United States Information Agency from 1987 to 1988, Deputy Director for East Asian and Pacific Assignments in the Bureau of Human Resources from 1988 to 1991, Deputy Examiner in the Board of Foreign Service Examiners, Bureau of Human Resources from 1991 to 1992, and Special Assistant in the Office of Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs from 1992 to 1993. After eight years in Washington, DC, Taylor was assigned overseas again, this time at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, where he served as consular affairs officer from 1995 to 1999. Back in Washington in 1999, Taylor was the first African American Director of the Orientation Division at the Foreign Service Institute to 2001. He then served as U.S. Consul General at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, from 2001 to 2003, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Director of the Office of Employee Relations in the Bureau of Human Resources. 
 
Taylor has tried to play an active role in the lives of young people. During his tour at the US Embassy in Panama, he coached a 13-15 year old basketball team in the former Panama Canal Zone.  While in Hungary, Taylor was the Chairperson of the Cub and Boy Scout parent organization, and also served as a merit badge instructor and Chairman of the Eagle Scout Board of Review committee.  
 
Taylor speaks Spanish, Turkish, and Hungarian. He and his wife Antoinette have two children, Tina and Ashton. 
 
 
 
 

more

Previous U.S. Ambassador to Solomon Islands

Rowe, Leslie
ambassador-image

The United States Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Leslie V. Rowe, began her appointment on October 15, 2006. She is also the ambassador to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Rowe received a B.A. from Washington State University, an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and an M.Ed from Northeastern University. She also received a certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and was a Fulbright scholar in Germany. She taught foreign languages in high school and became the Director of the International Office of Tufts University.
           
Joining the Foreign Service in 1983, Rowe served in San Jose, Costa Rica and Sao Paulo, Brazil. She was Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Recife, Brazil; country desk officer for Chile; Director of the Office of Children’s Issues at the Department of State; Consul General in Lisbon, Portugal; and Consul General in Bangkok, Thailand. Her most recent posting before taking her position as ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomons and Vanuatu was as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy n Nairobi, Kenya. Rowe speaks French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
 
 

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