Close call as rioters hit hotel, but coach is prepared to return

Glenn Turner

Football coach Glenn Turner has just fled the Solomon Islands riots, but says he would turn around and go straight back if he was allowed.

"I was asked this morning, 'Glenn, you wouldn't go back to the Solomons would you?' I said I'd go back tomorrow if I could get in, because I think they're a country who really appreciate help in terms of football. We've had a lot of good support and programmes there, and there's a future there for the kids and the youth."

Ironically, the Solomon Islands football academy where Mr Turner, an Auckland-based development officer for world football body Fifa, was coaching, has survived two days of riots without any damage.

It was a different story at the Pacific Casino Hotel where he endured two fraught days until police rescued him, minutes before rioters set fire to the building.

Mr Turner said crowds had come very close to setting the hotel on fire on Tuesday night, but had been repelled by police. However, on Wednesday night there was no holding back the crowd.

"The worst thing about it was that it was unexpected. I think we felt we were safe after the first night of the rioting, but then the second one came and we just had 10 seconds to get out and we lost everything. We were lucky to get out, and we've got to be thankful for that."

He had spent Wednesday in the hotel, waiting for advice from officials on whether he and other guests should leave. Suddenly, police arrived and told them to leave their bags and get out immediately.

"We got into the van and we were literally two or three metres from where there's 2000 people coming, and they were just heaving rocks and firing things at us," Mr Turner said.

"We were in the back of this tin tray on a truck with a sort of cage over the top. We drove for about 10 to 15 seconds and then we spun round next to this other police van, and we had to come back through this crowd.

"We just got absolutely pelted with stuff ... how the policeman was able to drive I don't know.

"There were no windows, it was just incredible.

"The last we saw was burned cars being shoved into the foyer and reception, and before we got down to the airport, maybe 20 minutes later, they said the whole building was alight.

"All of our gear was in there so we basically lost everything, but we came out intact."