Visions and Realities: Stories from the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Abstract

This thesis presents an in-depth qualitative case study of the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) - the first truth commission in the Pacific. Proposed by civil society and church networks during the Solomon Islands conflict, known locally as 'the tensions', the TRC was initially envisaged as a means to prompt reconciliation and build peace during the crisis. Several years later, after the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and the restoration of law and order, the 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act 2008' was passed in parliament and the TRC was established with a mandate to 'promote national unity and reconciliation'. In February 2012, the TRC's final report was handed to the prime minister. Despite being widely read by Solomon Islanders and others worldwide after being unofficially leaked in early 2013, it has yet to be tabled in parliament or officially released.