6 Sep 2002

Gruesome killing in Solomon Islands

10:40 am on 6 September 2002

Reports from Solomon Islands say a man has been beheaded on Guadalcanal's weather coast.

A pastor at Kuma village reported that a woman found her husband's head on a beach after she had gone searching for him.

It's not known who carried out the killing and no motive has been established.

The incident happened on Wednesday and was reported to police.

The deputy police commissioner, Wilfred Akao, says they have been advised of the killing by the Seventh Day Adventist church but cannot confirm details.

"We do not have any concrete information on that yet but there was a report on that and we are handicapped at the moment to deploy a team of investigators to the areas of the weather coast because of logistical support constraints and that sort of thing."

Wilfred Akao.

Last month, a government minister, Father Augustine Geve, was assassinated on the weather coast which is controlled by a rebel group that claimed responsibility for the murder.

Also on the weather coast, ten men from Malaita were killed this year after they allegedly tried to seize the rebels' commander, Harold Keke.