Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday announced that Australia will send 110 soldiers and 70 policemen to the South Pacific country of Solomon Islands, following violent riots in the capital over Tuesday's parliamentary vote which elected a new prime minister.

The 110 soldiers will be deployed later Wednesday.

Howard told reporters in Brisbane, capital city of the state of Queensland, that the commitment followed a written request from the Solomon Islands government.

"Starting at about 2:30 p.m. this afternoon from Townsville ( Queensland), 110 soldiers of a unit that has been in readiness for just this eventuality will go to the Solomon Islands," Howard said.

"They will be joined by some 70 additional Australian Federal Police officers and that will represent an immediate and needed injection of additional security forces to the Solomon Islands," he said.

The violence is the worst unrest in Honiara, the South Pacific country's capital, since Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific governments intervened by sending troops there in 2003 to help end years of bloody ethnic gang conflict.

It was reported that 17 Australian police officers were injured in riots in Honiara Tuesday.

Protesters claimed the poll which elected Snyder Rini as prime minister was rigged.

Source: Xinhua