BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Auki Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Michael Ramosaea has said that the group of four men who approached an Australian yacht in Auki, Malaita Province, on Sunday this week were his officers.
Mr Ramosaea made the response after the owners of the yacht made a post entitled ‘SAFETY WARNING – Auki, Solomon Islands’ on social media, questioning the legitimacy of the four men.
He said that there are two people on the yacht were a female and a male.
According to the yacht owner’s post, they were confronted by four men who aggressively claimed to be police and demanded to board the yacht while anchored in Auki.
It was alleged in the post that the four men yelled, threatened, and tried to board the yacht, creating a very intimidating situation.
The four men also showed badges that did not appear legitimate as police officers.
The yacht owners said they refused the four men to board their boat and held their position. They reported the matter to an immigration officer, who officially cleared them when entering the Solomon Islands.
The yacht owners claimed that the immigration officer confirmed that the four men were not police officers.
“We’re posting this to warn other sailors. If you’re in or heading to Auki, be extremely cautious. Do not allow boarding. The only thing the real police can ask to see (without boarding your boat) is the certificate of authority to disembark from immigration.
“Keep a distance and maintain control of your vessel. Trust your instincts and escalate if needed. This was a genuinely threatening encounter and could have ended very differently,” yacht owners posted.
Speaking to this paper yesterday, PPC Ramosaea said that amongst the four men, three are his police officers, except the skipper of the OBM they used.
“They are my senior intel officers. These are my officers, one wears an RSPF T-Shirt with a badge, while the other two do not. We decided to use the OBM they used since we were in a rush on that day. It was on Sunday this week. I was also on the watch from the Auki wharf when they travelled to the yacht,” Ramosaea said.
He said that their objective is to make a routine check on the yacht.
“I ordered them to do a check-up, since a lot has been happening in our country in terms of drugs, illegal entry….,” he said.
He said that what the yacht owners have posted on social media is not true and was an attempt to damage his officers.
“We usually do our work when we believe it is necessary, either without our uniforms or in uniforms; it is our duty,” he said.