Evacuation of Foreigners Starts in Solomons
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Hundreds of foreigners Thursday boarded an Australian navy ship moored off the Solomon Islands, escaping rival rebels battling in the jungles and capital of the South Pacific nation.
A radio report hours later indicated a possible easing of tensions on the islands: Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa’alu, who had been taken captive Monday, reportedly had been freed from house arrest a second time, and the warring groups were trying to agree on a truce.
About 250 people were ferried to the troop carrier Tobruk during the evacuation. Anchored in the harbor of the capital, Honiara, the ship, which can carry 800 people, was to take on more passengers today, Australian Defense Minister John Moore said.
After days of negotiations, and with parliament expected to hand his government a vote of no confidence next week, Ulufa’alu was set free Thursday night, a reporter at the scene said by telephone.
He also said the indigenous Isatabu rebels had agreed to terms of a truce, but that rebel migrants from the nearby island of Malaita still were discussing it.
The Malaitans have been fighting the Isatabus to remain on the main island of Guadalcanal. The Solomon Islands are 2,230 miles northwest of New Zealand.
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