As Bougainville Revolutionary Army leader Francis Ona once said, “Land to us is our lifeline, and we cannot be separated from it.”. Over 98 percent of voters in a long-awaited referendum wanted independence. For years, the Bougainville government has asked the company to make contributions to help with the clean up. Soldiers burned down villages, executed collaborators, and raped with impunity. In September, along with several other high-profile Australian business chiefs, Forrest was invited to U.S. President Donald Trump’s state dinner hosting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. What does the US election result mean for anti-money laundering efforts? Bougainville Copper Limited, (BCL) a subsidiary of the British-Australian resources giant Rio Tinto, owned the mine at the time of the conflict and despite extracting around 550,000 tonnes of copper concentrate and 450,000 ounces of gold in its final year of production was forced to close as it appeared the separatists were not going to back down. The. Click here to subscribe for full access. Weekly Update 16 December: Dismissals & owed wages of Philippines fashion workers lead to protests, Chinese Responsible Investment Overseas Newsletter Issue 12, December 2020, Human rights due diligence within the tech sector: Developments and challenges. June 24, 2018. The Government of PNG followed Rio Tinto’s instructions and carried out its’ requests,” he wrote. In 2001, after a peace agreement was reached that gave Bougainville autonomy within PNG and ensured that an independence referendum would be held by 2020, some of the islanders launched a class action lawsuit in the United States against Rio Tinto. So, too, has the Australian government. It’s estimated that Panguna mine still holds around $60 billion worth of copper, gold, and silver. In January 2018, the autonomous Bougainville government introduced a moratorium on mining at the Panguna mine, which had been at the heart of the secessionist … Panguna landowners accused the company of genocide, citing the company’s support for the blockade of the island by PNG forces. Abstract. People in Panguna, especially the women folk, who have been subtly crying against the move, are now coming out strongly and using stringent measures to stop any attempt by ABG, PLA or BCL to reopen the mine. No matter the results of the referendum, any company looking to make a buck is sure to find opposition in Panguna. With an independence referendum on the horizon, reopening the Panguna mine offers both attractive opportunities and terrible consequences. This chapter examines the politics surrounding the reopening of the Panguna mine, the avowed objective of the ABG. affected by the Panguna Mine have joined in condeming the “seemingly shallow” report by NGO Jubilee Australia. With the independence referendum...many local leaders admit that they would like to see the mine reopen as a way to boost revenue, yet distrust of giving a foreign mining company access again still looms large. © 2020 Diplomat Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. The tycoon-funded vaccine drive demonstrates the durability of the patronage state that Hun Sen has built since the 1980s. Panguna Copper Mine reopening is still untenable. It’s been almost 10 years since the prospect of reopening the Panguna gold and copper mine was first raised. This section contains a selection of key portals curated by our global team. The conflict cost as many as 15,000 lives and displaced 40,000 of the island’s 200,000 inhabitants. The Bougainville government is having consultations on a regular basis with Bougainville Copper Limited about a possible re-opening of the Panguna mine. Page … Authorities fear the reopening of Panguna mine, donated by Rio Tinto in 2016, could open old wounds. It is known, however, that around 300,000 tonnes of ore and water were excavated every day in Panguna and that the mine tailings were discharged down the principal river system, the Kawerong-Jaba, which now flows blue because of toxic mixtures of heavy metals and other chemicals. This is, as long as past mistakes are not forgotten. Rio Tinto has refused. The autonomous Papua New Guinea region is set to hold a referendum on independence by 2020 but it has to have a viable economy before Port Moresby … While slowly diversifying its basket of economic and diplomatic relationships, Bhutan continues to remain a steadfast Indian ally. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Registered Charity in England & Wales no. The plaintiff’s lawyers claimed the mine’s manager in Bougainville at the time “encouraged the continuation of the blockade for the purposes of starving the bastards out.”. The anti-mining movement led to a ten-year war in 1989. The result was split and ABG President, John Momis, said that division could be dangerous. When that, too, failed the government hired a U.K.-based private military company to carry out its operations in Bougainville. Amid COVID-19, Pakistani journalists are looking for training to help them counter misinformation and stay safe while reporting. The Jubilee Report claims that the voices of mine-affected communities ‘have been distant from recent public discussion’ about the possible reopening of the mine, closed since 1989 as a result of the Bougainville … All military forces have a desired force requirement and a desired “critical mass” to aspire toward. Panguna’s closure was the reason Bougainvilleans waged … Former PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare provided the court with a sworn affidavit stating that it was Rio Tinto calling the shots during the war. Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), under a new regime, is keen on re-opening the Panguna mine with promises of more equitable sharing of wealth with landowners and the Autonomous Bougainville Government, reports the Post Courier. Plans to reopen the mine, which could help fund an independent Bougainville, have stalled due to competing claims over development rights over the long-shuttered Panguna mine. The Panguna mine on the Pacific island of Bougainville is one of the largest copper and gold deposits in the world. Despite ongoing peace negotiations, the Taliban continue their attacks, recently incorporating weaponized commercially available drones into their arsenal. Read more "Will Bougainville Reopen the Panguna Mine? Bougainville's gold mine sparked a war that killed 20,000 - now it could be reopened. It was the embossment of a well glossed imprint that was too good to be rejected. With the independence referendum beginning on Saturday, many local leaders admit that they would like to see the mine reopen as a way to boost revenue, yet distrust of giving a foreign mining company access again still looms large. Author Notes Kylie McKenna is a research fellow with SSGM, and is the author of Corporate Social Responsibility and Natural Resource Conflict (Routledge, in press). Just $5 a month. It’s estimated that Panguna mine still holds around $60 billion worth of copper, gold, and silver. Panguna mine in operation, circa 1971 (Photo: Robert Owen Winkler/Wikimedia Commons) Suspending developments in Panguna aligns with those landowners, such as Lynette Ona, Chairwoman of the Bougainville Indigenous Women’s Landowner Association, who believe the mine should stay closed until … In August, 2014, Bougainville paved the way for reopening the mine, with a new mining law that led some to hope the trucks might once again rumble into the pit at Panguna. This is, as long as past mistakes are not forgotten. "Will Bougainville Reopen the Panguna Mine? Opinion pieces, interviews and blogs from across the business and human rights movement. The hearing will help determine if the company Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), which was forced to abandon the Panguna mine in 1989, should retain an exploration licence for the site. "They're talking about the economic side of agriculture and fisheries but we cannot do it quickly because we have to turn it into cash, Panguna … With an independence referendum on the horizon, reopening the Panguna mine offers both attractive opportunities and terrible consequences. Paving the Way: The Pioneering Role of the French Duty of Vigilance Law and its Relevance for EU-Level Mandatory Due Diligence, Security issues & conflict zones: General. It essentially paved the way for the nation’s transition to independence from Australia. India’s foreign trade policy must be aligned to its self-reliance goals. Will they get it? In September, along with several other high-profile Australian business chiefs. About Now...several other smaller mining companies have shown interest in resuming operations at the mine...Fortescue Metals Group Ltd...RTG Mining Group...Panguna Development Company...Callabus.... As Bougainville Revolutionary Army leader Francis Ona once said, "Land to us is our lifeline, and we cannot be separated from it. Will the Biden administration finally end the U.S. presence in Afghanistan? By Dr Kristian Lasslett*| 19 April 2017. Former PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare provided the court with a sworn affidavit stating that it was Rio Tinto calling the shots during the war. Bougainville Copper Limited, (BCL) a subsidiary of the British-Australian resources giant Rio Tinto, owned the mine at the time of the conflict.... ...[S]ome of the islanders launched a class action lawsuit in the United States against Rio Tinto. Company chairman Robert Burns was in Buka last week and met with Bougainville cabinet … This view downplayed opposition generated by the mine during its 20 years of operations and how this iss… "The Internet and social media’s arrival in the region have led to unprecedented levels of grassroots activism across societies.". Another Mekong dam project threatens to cost the former royal capital its UNESCO World Heritage status. With an independence referendum on the horizon, reopening the Panguna mine offers both attractive opportunities and terrible consequences", 22 November 2019. “BCL was also directly involved in the military operations on Bougainville, and it played an active role. The new agricultural reforms are a necessity for Indian farmers; the Modi government, however, must do more to ally their fears. For one thing, reopening the mine would be disrespectful to those who perished in the civil war. The mine was also at the center of a decade-long civil war fought between the Bougainville Revolutionary Army and the Papua New Guinea Defense Force in the 1990s. 6 February 2019. It has also asked Australia, as the former colonial power responsible for authorizing the mine. A court case against Rio Tinto failed. It has been almost three decades since Panguna was abandoned, after anger about the mine led to the outbreak of an armed insurgency known as … If we were going to see a new Cold War in the Caribbean, it should have happened by now. With an independence referendum on the horizon, reopening the Panguna mine offers both attractive opportunities and terrible consequences. By Dansi Oerupeu Contrary to authority’s claim of common support, the opposition against the Panguna Mine reopening is more apparent then ever. Forrest’s company, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd, is the fourth largest iron ore producer in the world. Bougainville President Dr. John Momis, however, has accused RTG of attempting to bribe his government and of waging a subversive propaganda campaign. Shareholding. While India and Pakistan argue and fight over the fate of Kashmir, is anyone listening to the Kashmiris? I draw upon interview data to discuss tensions within the space of landownership that have intensified as a consequence of the legacies of the conflict. Now, Australian Iron ore magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest as well as several other smaller mining companies have shown interest in resuming operations at the mine. By Joshua Mcdonald for The Diplomat November 22, 2019 Us, Write Its main areas of operation are in Western Australia, but in recent years the company has increased its efforts abroad, especially in South America, where it was granted 32 exploration licenses in Ecuador alone. “Where is Australia and the U.S. and Japan? Another landowner group, the Panguna Development Company, supports the mine’s former operator, BCL, in its bid to return to Panguna — pitting the two groups against one another. Results from Sinovac ’ s foreign trade policy must be aligned to its self-reliance goals ward and. A ten-year war in the world a decade-long civil war needs to towards! 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