Urban poverty behind Pacific unrest: inquiry

from ABC Radio Australia

A commission of inquiry into riots in Solomon Islands in 2006 says urban poverty has played a key role in sparking unrest around the Pacific in recent years.

The inquiry is investigating the causes of the political riots that led to widespread arson attacks in the Chinatown business district in the Solomons' capital, Honiara.

The chairman of the commission, Brian Brunton, says many Pacific governments are too focused on rural development, and overlooking problems in urban areas.

"Poverty in urban settlements is a key factor in the underlying causes of rioting and that around the world for the past 20, 30 years, longer - 40 years," he said.

"Politicians have routinely ignored urban poverty."

The 2006 riots in the Solomons were sparked by the election of Snyder Rini, who resigned from the post just days later.

The unrest prompted Australia and New Zealand to send troops to help restore order.