The chairman of the Solomon Islands National Peace Council says there is a mixed reaction to the arrests of Guadalcanal militants when few Malaitans have been apprehended.
Paul Tovua says people need to realise that the process leading to arrests is complicated.
Mr Tovua says authorities are careful in their investigations, which take time.
"There are others who are former commanders of MEF who are still at large. It is not as simple or easy as a lot of people here in the Solomon Island think. The police will have to depend on a lot of hard core evidence before an arrest is made and later on charged."
Last week, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, or RAMSI, arrested members of the force once headed by Harold Keke, the Guadalcanal Liberation Front or GLF, and charged them with murder.
Keke himself was arrested nearly two months ago with several of his commanders.
To date no leading former Malaitan militants have been arrested by the RAMSI force.
