Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) John Frewen, Commander of the Coalition Task Force for the Regional ...

Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) John Frewen, Commander of the Coalition Task Force for the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) (left) and Assistant Commissioner Ben McDevitt of the Australian Federal Police, RAMSI Participating Police Force (PPF) Commander (right) at a public information meeting in the village of Rame’ai. They are wearing flower garlands presented by local children. Lt Col Frewen was appointed Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) in December 2002. Previously, he had served with the ADF in Rwanda. He led the multi-national military task force sent to restore law and order in the Solomon Islands in July 2003, including Australian troops deployed under Operation Anode. The task force provided security and logistic support to the PPF, led by Assistant Commissioner McDevitt, a Canberra-based police officer who had previously played a prominent role in the Bali bombing investigations. Rame’ai is in northern Malaita, a region that had experienced violence and unrest due to the activities of armed militants, prior to the arrival of the multi-national policing and military intervention in July 2003.