A further 53 New Zealand soldiers are being sent to the Solomon Islands to maintain the situation after two days of riots, said the government.

They will leave on Sunday, joining the 25 army officers and 30 police who left Wednesday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said Thursday it is in response to a request from the Regional Assistance Mission that more troops are needed to help restore law and order.

This latest deployment will bring the number of New Zealand personnel in the Solomon Islands to 192.

The rioting broke out following Prime Minister Snyder Rini's election.

Rini is adamant he will not yield to mob rule by standing down and insists he is the head of a viable and legal government, according to reports from Solomon Islands.

Reports said calm returned to the Honiara on Friday with a show of force by troops from Australia and New Zealand warding off trouble overnight after two days of rioting sparked by the election of a new prime minister Rini.

Source: Xinhua