Lai no longer on first-name terms with Solomon Islands

Solo Lai Han-kee had lived all his 40 years in Solomon Islands and was named after his country of birth.

Last week, he couldn't wait to get out of there.

Yesterday, the Hong Kong native set foot on the mainland for the first time, an extremely relieved man.

Lai was among the 310 people who arrived in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, early yesterday morning on board a China Southern plane from Papua New Guinea.

He was one of the victims of riots in Honiara, Solomon Islands' capital, sparked by the controversial election of Prime Minister Snyder Rini last week. The Chinese were the main targets and victims of the riots which left many homeless and the Chinatown in ruins.

Lai used to run a grocery store in the Chinatown area of Honiara; he had also worked as a firefighter and played for the Solomon Islands' national football team. "A lot of local people were my friends. We got along with each other quite well," Lai said, still in shock at what transpired.

On April 18, his tranquil life in the tropical Pacific island state was shattered, he recalled.

Lai was tending his store as usual, when thousands of rioters holding hammers and broadswords rushed into the Chinatown.

They smashed windows, pried open doors and looted the buildings before setting fire to most of them.

Lai had no choice but to flee and saw his store and house burning as he left.

He linked up with some Chinese nationals and with the help of local police, spent the night on a boat.

The next day, they were taken to a temporary shelter, where several hundred Chinese were taking refuge.

His anxiety eased only when he met the personnel assigned by the Chinese Government to help evacuate them, Lai added.

Since China and the Solomon Islands do not have diplomatic relations, the Chinese Embassy in neighbouring Papua New Guinea sent commercial chartered planes to airlift the Chinese out of the islands on April 22.

On Monday, Lai and other evacuees boarded the chartered flight heading home.

"I can't imagine what my plight would have been without the help of the Chinese Government," Lai said. "I am extremely grateful."

Lai and his wife returned to Hong Kong in the afternoon to reunite with their relatives.

He lost almost all he owned in the Solomon Islands, but wants to return when situation stabilizes.

Lai may have touched down in the land of his ancestors for the first time but for Wen Xin, 13, it was a happy homecoming her mother was at the airport to meet her.

Her father moved to Solomon Islands in 2002; and three years later, Wen, her mother and grandmother went from Guangzhou to join him.

"We were so happy then that our whole family could live together," Wen said.

Her mother came to Guangzhou on April 18 the same day riots broke out in the island state to attend the Chinese Export Commodities Fair.

Although Wen and her grandmother returned to Guangzhou, her father chose to stay back. "But he is safe now," Wen said.

Wen has no idea for how long they will stay in Guangzhou. "I don't want to be away from my father for a long time," she said.

Of the 310 evacuees, 185 are from Jiangmen city, 40 from Guangzhou, and 20 from other parts of Guangdong. About 40 are from Hong Kong and the rest from Shanghai, Fujian Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Source: China Daily