Special Coordinator Reaffirms Need for RAMSI Immunity

    The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is an international assistance force deployed to help the Solomon Islands recover from the devastation that they faced in the wake of its ethnic violence in the late 20th Century.  RAMSI is composed of 2,200 police and military units that are meant to provide security and logistical assistance to the government of the Solomon Island.  As part of the original deployment agreement, RAMSI was given the right to assert legal immunity so long as it acted within the confines of Solomon Islands constitution. 
    This week Special Coordinator Tim George reasserted the importance that this immunity plays in RAMSI's reconstruction efforts.  He stated, "immunities are a normal part of the arrangements for many donor nations operating in the Solomon Islands."  He went on to say that without such immunities RAMSI officials could face a constant threat of litigation which could color their professional judgment. 

    These immunities came under fire in 2003 when RAMSI officials were charged with violating the constitutional rights of a citizen of the Solomon Islands, John Kwakwala Makasi, while questioning  him about the murder of Australian Federal Police Officer Adam Dunning.  Makaski claimed that he was wrongfully detained and was brutalized by police forces.  While RAMSI allowed the case to come before a Solomon court, it never officially waived its immunity defense.

For more information about this story please see:

"RAMSI Coordinator Says Immunities Mean Mission Can Get the Job Done"

http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/05/23/ramsi-coordinator-says-immunities-mean-mission-can-get-the-job-done

"Australian Police Man in Solomon Islands Denies Threatening a Local Man During Murder Investigation"

http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/05/23/ramsi-coordinator-says-immunities-mean-mission-can-get-the-job-done

"RAMSI Won't Claim Immunity in Masaki Case"

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=16239