This is Harold Keke's territory. It takes six hours by banana boat to get from the capital, Honiara, to his stronghold here on the other side of Guadalcanal.

It's here, on the notorious Weather Coast, that Keke stands accused of carrying out a reign of terror.

HAROLD KEKE, SOLOMONS ISLANDS REBEL LEADER: Mighty God, Father, Son, Spirit.

Before our interview begins, a prayer.

HAROLD KEKE, (Translation): I'm glad that You answered my prayer and allowed the reporter to come and hear my story, for the truth to be made known to the world and to the nation. To know about the reality and the root cause of the ethnic tension on this island.

Harold Keke insists he's not the bad guy he's made out to be and John Howard should think twice before jumping to any conclusions.

HAROLD KEKE, (Translation): I would like to send my message to Howard. I would like Howard to look carefully and establish who is fighting for right and who is wrong and who is lying to get Howard to believe their story.

Keke says he's been set up by none other than PM Sir Allan Kemakeza.

HAROLD KEKE, (Translation): Australia gives him money for aid to help the government, but instead, the leaders themselves steal the money then they lie to get more money so they can catch Harold Keke and so on.

And then they say that Harold Keke is a thief, and so on. And then they ask for money for help. So they just use my name, Harold Keke, to make money.

Keke is often described as a thug and a pathological killer. But he says the rebel movement he leads has a clear political agenda.

REPORTER: What is it you want for Guadalcanal? What is your mission, what is your objective, your aim?

HAROLD KEKE: My aim is independence.

Because of Keke's deep mistrust of the government, he says he has no intention of giving up his weapons when the Australian-led forces arrive.

HAROLD KEKE, (Translation): We're standing for our rights. If we were criminals or rapists or thieves, we would not be justified in standing up for our rights because we'd be wrong, but as we are right we are justified in keeping our arms.

REPORTER: I've read in the newspaper that Harold and his men have killed up to 50 people. How many people have you killed?

Keke and his operations chief, Justin, don't know where to start. But they claim to have chosen violence only as a last resort.

JUSTIN, OPERATIONS CHIEF, (Translation): We would like to have a dialogue to put forward our demand but they've ignored our demand many times. So we decided to go another way.

We decided to go the way of the gun. We'd force them to agree to our demands. So, those of us that stand against the government, are accused of killing up to 50 people, some of this isn't true.

HAROLD KEKE, (Translation): You'd better start right from the beginning.

JUSTIN, (Translation): I'll count again, because the 10 people that we shot at Koio, the Malaitans, we killed them because Allan Kemakeza and the government sent them.

In the two days that I spent with Keke, I met three men from the Melanesian brotherhood who are being held hostage here.

Justin says there was a fourth man who was acting suspiciously.

JUSTIN: He asked too many questions so we pointed a gun at him. Then he confessed. Allan Kemakeza sent me to spy.

And when I go back, he'll give me money, $5,000 along with a 25 horsepower engine, a Yamaha, for going to market.

So, we told him, "We are fighting against the government. And you help the government, so you will not return." He decided to run away and he escaped.

We fired two warning shots, but he didn't surrender. That was his death sentence on the spot.

Before our interview is finished, Harold Keke makes a final plea to the Australian PM.

HAROLD KEKE, (Translation): But for now, I want to tell you, Howard, we are fighting for our rights. Because we don't want the government to steal our land and resources, because these are the root causes of the war.

So, please, Howard, look at the law before you accept the request by the Kemakeza to apprehend me and my boys who are standing for their right to the land on which we stand and fight.