Police in Solomon islands on an operation on the Weather Coast to capture Guadalcanal renegade militant leader, Harold Keke have taken three men from the remote area for questioning.
The police patrol boat "Lata" brought the prisoners to Honiara on Wednesday night, along with several sick women and children, who have been admitted to hospital.
Dorothy Wickham reports from the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara
"Solomon Islands Police Commissioner, Morton Sireheti said around 3-thousand people have been given food, clothing and medicine on the Weather Coast."
He said almost 500 of these people police were evacuated from a village and that the rest desperately need food because Keke and his men uprooted all their food gardens in the last three weeks.
Commissioner Sireheti said villagers have told police, that they were forced to not work in gardens, fish and light fires on Mondays and Fridays.
Meanwhile, police with the help of church chaplains and pastors in the area have been calling on Keke to surrender and are trying to convince him that his best option is to give himself up to police.
Commissioner Sireheti said Keke does not surrender he must let his children and family leave his hideout.
He said it's not right to put the lives of innocent children in danger.
