PNG Solomon Islands border crossing

This is advice for the people who regularly ask if they can make this crossing legally - it looks like they are going to make it more difficult.

INCREASE BORDER CROSSING A CONCERN

Saturday, 21 February 2009

PEOPLE residing at Shortland borderline between Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands have raised grave concern over increase border crossing by foreigners into Solomon Islands and vice versa.

The people fear this might lead to allowing terrorists to enter Solomon Islands illegally or drug smuggling.

This concern was sounded to Solomon Islands National Parliament Foreign Relations Committee in Gizo, Western province on Tuesday.

The Foreign Relations Committee was tasked to review the work of RAMSI in the country.

Borderline representatives appearing before the Committee alleged that foreigners illegally entered Solomon Islands through Bougainville.

Alisae Laore told the Committee that recent past crossing happened because Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea did not have borderline check points where Immigration, Customs and Quarantine officials manned the posts.

He said Solomon Islands and PNG have did cross-border entries like a traditional practice since before, but people from other countries who came with yachts abused this privilege.

Mr Laore calls on the Foreign Relations Committee to address this issue and stop it happening again.

The Foreign Relations Committee also met with people of Choiseul in Taro. They are expected back in Honiara this week.

What the Solomons authorities should do instead of talking is simply making sure that the immigration office in the Shortlands is once again staffed and can legalize all those "illegal entries" to the country simply by having an officer with a rubber stamp in hand posted there.
I am pretty sure most foreigners entering that way would be more than happy to get an entry stamp as soon as they get there.

Korovu (spelling?) in the Shortlands does still have a building for immigration, but that seemed derelict and unoccupied when I was there. I believe it also appeared on the list of legal entry points to the country - at least in the past.

This would be a result of the Bougainville conflict which is now largely resolved, although I think there are still a few outstanding compensation claims. It was in full swing when I lived in the Solomons in the 90s.