The Solomon Islands government has reportedly threatened to ban foreign journalists from entering the Pacific nation if they are not “respectful” or if they engage in “racial profiling” in stories about the country’s ties with China.
The office of the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that overseas journalists needed to understand they could not operate in the Pacific the same way they did in other countries, the ABC has reported.
“The Pacific is not the same as Australia or United States. When you chose to come to our Pacific Islands, be respectful, be courteous and accord the appropriate protocols,” the statement read.
The statement said journalists who did not appreciate the differences would “not be allowed to enter Solomon Islands and other Pacific Islands nations”.
The statement was particularly critical of the ABC’s reporting of China’s growing presence in Solomon Islands, accusing the Four Corners programme of engaging in racial stereotyping and the “intentional use of misinformation” in an episode from 1 August titled Pacific Capture: How Chinese money is buying the Solomons.
The ABC rejected those accusations in an earlier statement, saying it stood by the episode and that its main interview subjects were Solomon Islanders raising concerns about China’s presence.
Solomon Islands has been at the centre of regional and global attention over a controversial security deal it struck with China earlier this year.
The draft deal, leaked in March, allows Solomon Islands to call on China to send “police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement” to the country for various reason including “maintaining social order” and “protecting people’s lives and property”.
The statement from Sogavare’s office claimed ABC reporting of China’s actions in Solomon Islands amounted to “racial profiling”, however, and that the broadcaster was “trying to tell the Solomon Islands people that because the government of Solomon Islands is opening up to partners who are not, in the opinion of ABC, white and does not operate a democratic system it is wrong, unfit and corrupt”.
It went on to say: “The constitution of Solomon Islands protects Solomon Islands from racial discrimination and the government of Solomon Islands will ensure that racial practices are eliminated from Solomon Islands.”
The statement provided no detail on the mechanism or timeline of a prospective ban. The office of the immigration minister was contacted for comment.
Solomon Islands has previously prompted outrage by ordering the censorship of its national broadcaster, forbidding it from publishing material critical of the government, which will vet all stories before broadcast.
At the beginning of August the government announced that the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC), a public service broadcaster established in 1976 by an act of parliament, would be brought under government control.
Staff at SIBC confirmed that all news and programmes would be vetted by a government representative before broadcast.
