Taiwan has no intention of suppling arms for gov't re-armament program

The Republic of China will not be providing any arms for Prime Minister Sogavare’s re-armament program.

Vice Foreign Minister currently visiting Solomon Islands, Katherine Siao-Yue Chang told reporters that her country would not be arming or provide funding for the purchase of weapons for police officers in the Solomon Islands Police Forces’ Protection and Guarding Unit.

She says Taiwan has 24 diplomatic allies, and in the past it never practiced or provided military weapons to any of its diplomatic allies.

The Solomon Islands government has already sent 12 Police Officers to do arms training in Taiwan.

According to the Prime Minister, officers of the Solomon Islands Police Force receive no arms training at all under the RAMSI/Solomon Islands Police capacity building program.

He said there will be a time when Solomon Islands’ leaders in the government will have to be protected by their own people and there will come a time that RAMSI must go.

Source: SIBC