When ABC journalist Sam Seke caught sight of the name of the Australian-led mission to Solomon Islands, he stepped in to prevent an X-rated diplomatic bungle.
I speak multiple Solomon Islands languages including Pijin, Nggae — my mother tongue — and six other languages.I got a call from the Australian Defence Force School of Languages.
They were looking for someone to help them put together a brief on the causes and effects of the ethnic tensions in Solomon Islands.I went up to Townsville and briefed hundreds of troops, for hours at a time, prior to their deployment. During a lunch break, I was asked to go and look over the logos and posters brought by some senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Defence Department.
The first thing I noticed was the name of the Australia-led regional intervention. It was then called SIRAM, the acronym for Solomon Islands Regional Assistance Mission.I told the officials that I had strong reservations — to say the least — about sticking with the acronym SIRAM.
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