The word RAMSI became a household name in Solomon Islands — it's an acronym I coined myself: the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

Key points: The mission to restore peace in Solomon Islands was initially called SIRAM

The mission to restore peace in Solomon Islands was initially called SIRAM The acronym is a highly offensive expletive in one of the local languages

The acronym is a highly offensive expletive in one of the local languages An ABC journalist noticed the faux pas and suggested a change to RAMSI



But Australia's peacekeeping mission to my home country in 2003 was almost given a very different moniker: SIRAM.

This might not mean much to an English speaker, but the moment I saw it, I cringed.

I was thinking to myself that for the sake of all involved and for the success of the mission, I must not allow this name — which had already been printed on banners and posters — to reach the shores of Solomon Islands.

RAMSI saw Australian soldiers burning guns in Solomon Islands as part of an amnesty program. ( Supplied: DFAT )

What is RAMSI?

In 2003, Solomon Islands was on the brink of collapse following five years of ethnic tensions, which saw violence break out between militants on the islands of Guadalcanal and Malaita.

The prime minister of Solomon Islands requested international aid, and RAMSI was launched in response — a $2.8 billion Australian-led Pacific Islands Forum operation that lasted 14 years.

My reporting on the violence was risky, and it led me to flee my home. I came to Australia in late 2000 where I worked casually with the ABC's Radio Australia, broadcasting to the Pacific.

Sam Seke, far left, with the ABC's Pacific Beat team in 2003. ( ABC News )

I speak multiple Solomon Islands languages including Pijin, Nggae — my mother tongue — and six other languages.

My linguistic experience was one of the reasons I got a call from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) School of Languages.

They were looking for someone to help them put together a brief on the causes and effects of the ethnic tensions in Solomon Islands.

I went up to Townsville and briefed hundreds of troops, for hours at a time, prior to their deployment.

During a lunch break, I was asked to go and look over the logos and posters brought by some senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Defence Department.

The first thing I noticed was the name of the Australia-led regional intervention. It was then called SIRAM, the acronym for Solomon Islands Regional Assistance Mission.

They wanted to know my opinion.

What's wrong with SIRAM?

I told the officials that I had strong reservations — to say the least — about sticking with the acronym SIRAM.

They looked at each other, and one of them asked, 'why?'

The Australian-led mission to help bring peace to Solomon Islands lasted 14 years. ( Twitter: John Tanti )

I told them that in the Are'are language, which is spoken in one of the largest regions of Malaita Province, as well as a region of Marau on the eastern tip of Guadalcanal, it is a swear word.

It's rude and very offensive, I told them, trying to be delicate — but I was adamant the term should be avoided.

But, they asked, what does the word mean?

I told them that "sira" was the "C" word. And when you add the "M", it becomes the possessive form of the noun, meaning "your c***".

The look on the officials' faces was a mixture of horror and disbelief — and then, relief.

Map Key locations during 'the tensions'

Imagine the initial intervention forces arriving in Honiara, unfurling banners and logos with this expletive as the name of their mission.

The whole thing would have been a disaster before it even started.

I thought — and I'm sure they were thinking it too — that we had narrowly escaped a potential diplomatic incident and backlash.

RAMSI's legacy

After it all sunk in, they asked me if I had any suggestion as to what we could call the mission instead.

"What about RAMSI?" I said. Instead of Solomon Islands Regional Assistance Mission, it became the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

They agreed, thanked me and left.

Before the assistance mission, Solomon Islands was on the brink of collapse following years of conflict. ( Reuters )

That was just over a week before deployment on July 24, 2003, and changes had to be made to the logo. On June 30, 2017, RAMSI wrapped up.

Through the years I have followed and reported on RAMSI's progress — its challenges and achievements — as a journalist working for the ABC, which this week marked 80 years of international broadcasting.

An Australian soldier gives lollies to village kids in Auki, Solomon Islands, in 2003. ( Reuters: John Feder )

I can't forget that the nation was well on the way to becoming a failed state prior to the intervention some 16 years ago.

It was in a state of anarchy with no proper rule of law; it was largely dysfunctional and had corrupted institutions of government, a collapsed economy and people living in fear and insecurity.

If you compare the situation then to now, without a shred of doubt RAMSI has been a great success.

That's because the government of Solomon Islands worked closely with RAMSI, spurred on by the strong desire among the people of the Pacific nation to restore peace and normalcy.

The 14-year mission was supported by a strong desire for peace among Solomon Islanders. ( Australian Federal Police: Brian Hartigan )

RAMSI saved my country and I am proud to have helped in a small way.

Hopefully we have learned from our mistakes and will never need this sort of outside intervention again.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said the name SIRAM was changed to RAMSI to "ensure the best chance for success for the mission".