Foreign sailors breach border closures in Solomons and Tonga

Islets in Western Province of the Solomon Islands. Photo: AFP. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

HONIARA, Jul 7, 2020, RNZ. Three sailors who entered the Solomon Islands illegally have been denied bail. The men – who are American and British – sailed into the country last month, in violation of the country’s border closure, Radio New Zealand reported.

Matthew Carter, James Glenny and Braeton Mitchell sailed their yacht into Solomons waters on the 19th of June, from New Caledonia.

But they didn’t have clearance before they left New Caledonia, and they didn’t register their entry into the Solomons, which has banned yachts as part of its border closure.

They will be back in court next week.

Meanwhile in Tonga, an American family have been denied entry after they left New Zealand, apparently because it was too cold.

The Whitaker family have been trying to circumnavigate their world, but are now held at Minerva Reef, watched by a Tongan patrol boat.

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