Unexplored South-West
pacific:
A
case study of BOUGAIN VILLEAN Crisis
INTRODUCTION
Bougainvillea is a
large island-200 kilometer long and varying between 30 km and 65 km to the west
of Papua New Guinea, a small island called Buka at the northern tip, with the
capital Arawa on the eastern west. It is close to the short land Island which
are part of the Solomons’. The people are mostly Melanesian who identifies more
with the Solomon Islander’s than they do with mainland Papua New Guineas. The
population number about 1,40,000. The island is rich in natural resources, with
the Panguna copper mine, the mainstay of the Papua New Guinea government for
many years, which proved to be the focus of the conflict that eventually developed.
ORIGIN OF THE
BOUGAINVILLE CRISIS
The origin of the Bougainvillean
crises can be traced back to colonial rule. In 1898, Bougainville which was a
part of the British protectorate of Solomon Islands was handed over to the
Germans in exchange for a free hand in Tonga. Initially their main purpose was
the economic exploitation of the region for raw materials to be sent back to
the fatherland which later changed to that of Territorial control as well. But
Germanys’ control of its colonial holdings in the South Sea’s was short-lived.
In 1918, when Germany lost the First World War to the allied forces, she also
lost all her territories in the Pacific. German New Guinea and Bougainvillea
fell into the hand of Britain and Australia and later became a mandated
Territory under the League of Nations administered by Australia on behalf of Britain
along with its own territory of Papua.
It is important to
emphasize here that the Bougainvillea’s never wanted to be a part of PNG and in
the late 60’s there was a movement for secession. Since PNG’s independence in
1975 the people of Bougainville have never stopped aspiring for independence. Besides
linguistic and ethnic differences the uneven economic development has been
responsible for the separatist
movement in Bougainville, the Bougainville were against the mining activities
of the Bougainville copper limited owned by an Australian (CRA), a subsidiary since
1972 of Conzine Reo jento which give 53% while 20% is owned by PNG as they were
against mining and resented this in intrusion.
The land in the region
is owned by Clan and not by individuals. Besides, according to a matrilineal
system the land is passed from the mother to her daughter. In order to assuage
the grievances of the people, the Australian company did give them a large
compensation, an agreement entered only with the men, which was an essential
flaw. The young Bougainvillea leader, Mr. Rafhael Bele emphasized the
importance of land within his culture, “ If someone wants my land and I do not
want them to have it, he well have to kill me or I will kill them”. To Bougainvillea’s,
land is like the skin on the tack of your hand. Thus Arthur Lyon (Regional
ecological Adviser with the south Pacific commission from 1974 to 1982) warned
that “tampering with land nights produces the same type of reactions as would
interfering with religion”
Mining has also
negatively affected the environment of the region. Moreover Bougainville
resented the fact that the revenues generated by the Bougainville mine stated
to be one of the richest copper deposits in the world has benefited not them
but the government.
BACKGROUND OF THE
CRISIS-1988-94.
In December, 1988, a
small radical group in Bougainville started bombing the area around the mine. Its
genesis can be seen in a dispute between breakaway faction of the Panguna land owner’s
Association which represented land owners in the area of the Bougainville
copper mine and the mining company over compensation payments and the
environmental impact of the mine. Isolation of the dispute with a series of
attack on mine installation, together with an outbreak of fighting between
Bougainville and non-Bougainvillea plantation workers, bought intervention by
police and by the Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF) which was called in to
the civil authority. The demand for Bougainville’s independence was led by
Frances Ona who established the Bougainville revolutionary Army (BRA)
By May 1989, the Bougainville
gold and copper mine was closed down, DEPRIVING
PNG of 17 percent of its budget revenue and some 40 percent of its
expert earnings. During the course of 1989 and early 1990 several peace
initiatives were preceded by the government of Rabbie Namalia, but divisions
within the national government and differences among Bougainvillea’s made
negotiations difficult. The national government with a security force numbering
about 500 was not able to put down the rebellion and was forced to negotiate a
ceasefire with the BRA. The controller of the state of emergency ‘Paul
Johian’ ordered everyone including the military to withdraw
Bougainville was handed on a platter to the rebels who declared the Republic of
Bougainville on 17 May 1990. As a measure of retaliation, the national
government under Ted Diro imposed an effective economic blockade
against Bougainville. The blockade has claimed the live of 10,000 Bougainvillea
men, women and children it has also amounted to genocide with half of the
population relocated to ease pressure.
The rebel forces made a
further declaration of independence and announced the formation of a Bougainville
interim Government (BIG) headed by Ona, with a military arm, the Bougainville Revolutionary
Army under former PNGDF officer Sam. But they were unable to maintain any sort
of order resulting in a general economic and political collapse.
Negotiations between
the BIG and the national government resumed in mid-1990 and in August and an
agreement was reached on the Naval Ship Endeavor belonging to New Zealand
subsequently on 24 January, 1991, a peace treaty was signed in Honiara, Soloman
Islands, between the PNG government and the rebel leaders, though neither Ona
nor Sam were present at the talks (the Bougainville delegation been led by
Kalru, Prime Minister of the BIG).
In March 1991 an
apparently unauthorized decision by local PNGDF commander colonel Leo to land
troops on north Bougainville and attack a strategic bridge and a BRA base near
Kieta, substantially under mined peace negotiations.
However an important
political development on Bougainville was the creation of a number of regionally
based interim governing authorities (five by early 1992) to help restore
governance in the province. From late 1991, community leaders in south Bougainville
had been negotiating for the restoration of government service and in May 1992,
at their request, security forces personnel landed in the Torkina and rural
areas, where they were assured by local resistance forces opposing the BRA.
EVENTS DURING THE WINGTI
AND CHAN GOVERNMENT
Following national
election in mid-1942 a changed government raised hopes of settlement. The
incoming government raised hopes of a settlement. The incoming government under
Wingti, entered into a negotiation with the BIG’s representatives in Honiara. Plan was formulated for a pan Bougainville Peace
Conference in Honiara in September 1992. However, in September 1992, a further
border violation by Papua New Guinea’s security forces in which two Solomon Islanders
were killed, scuttled the proposed meeting. Nevertheless, Six months later a
meeting was held on Buka a North Solomon’s peace Negotiating and Monitoring
committee was established which met with BIG representative in Honiara in July
1993 and produced a Peace and Ceasefire Agreement.
Little progress was
achieved until April 1994, when following the visit of an Australian
Parliamentary Delegation, Prime Minister Wingti and Deputy Prime Minister Sir
Chan announced proposal for multinational South-Pacific peace keeping force
which would assist in the Bougainville peace forces.
In August 1994, as Chan
replaced Wingti as Prime Minister Arrangement for the (SPPKE) was made confining
personnel from Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, with Australian and New Zealand funding
and logistic support to ensure the safe passage and security of all delegates.
In the event, the principal leaders of the BIG/BRA- Ona, Sam and Kalri failed
to attend the peace conference and the conference ended without reaching a
settlement.
Although the Irawa Conference
did not achieve its objectives, in October and November 1994 a series of
meetings of Bauganvilleans, including interim authority chairman, national HP
and some BRA and Resistance commanders was held to follow up the load
resolutions of the Arawa conference. In mid-November the Prime Minister
announced a New Deal for Bougainville and shortly after a New Charter for a New
Bougainville was signed by the Prime Minister and a Bougainville delegation.
Under the Charter, the two parties agreed to establish a Bougainville
Transitional Government (BTG) which was formally established in April 1995 with
Minong as premier, and between May and August 1995 it held a series of
consultations with the National Government.
In September and December
1995 delegation from the BTG and the BIG met in Cairns for formal consultations
facilitated by the Australian government the second meeting was held under the
joint chairmanship of representative of the Secretaries general of the UN and
the Commonwealth, and in the presence of representative of the international
commission of Jurists and the un- represented nations and people’s organization.
Thus in February-March
1996 the BTG produced a peace plan. On it, the BTG expressed its view that there
should be a further one or two meetings on Bougainville.
To complete negotiation
on all issues, including the issue of the future political status of Bougainville
and to agree to a political settlement with the national government, it also
suggested that the possibility for a settlement will depend on the willingness
of the National Government to concede greater autonomy to Bougainville on the
one hand and the willingness of the BIG and BRA leadership to opt for a
compromise on the issue.
The event that provided
for peace was the earning to power in mid-1997 of PNG prime minister Bill
Skate. Joseph Kabri described Skate’s accession as “the biggest blessing the Bougainville,
PNG and the south pacific has seen”. The
governments will have to offer Bougainville two thing:
(a)
Greater political freedom and
(b)
Better living condition.
The warring parties
agreed in January to the election of a “Bougainville Recon ciliate on
Government” before the end of 1998 added to this the Burnham truce agreement
between the leaders of Bougainville and Papua New Guinea at Lincoln University
from 19 to 23 January 1998 concluded with the Lincoln Agreement on Peace, security
and Development on Bougainville. Using the talks Bill state, made a speech in
which he made three concessions a ) Bauganvileans would be able to apply for
passport, K all bounties on the heads of rebel would be lifted and none would
again be instituted and all Bauganvilleans in exile would be allowed to return.
The Lincoln Agreement and that the
part would:
1. Observe permanent
and is evocable cease fire.
2. Reform from manufacturing,
trading or using weapons.
3. Agree to a phased
withdrawal of the PNG Defense force from Bougainville subject to the
restoration of civil authority.
4. Agree to free and
democratic elections on Bougainville to select a Bougainville Reconciliation
government before the end of 1998.
Following the coming of
PNG’s new Prime Minister Marauta (1991) remarkable progress in peace forces has
taken place one the past two years. The mining sector which remains the
backbone of the economy is also signaling a survival in confidence with big
projects such as in gas pipelined from the control High lands is now expected
to go ahead.
AUSTRALIAS ROLE IN THE BOUGANVILLE
CRISIS.
One of the issues
raised by the Bougainville crises has been Australia’s help in giving helicopters
to PNG which were need against the Bougainville militant in the first place, as
the former administering. Authority it has a special relationship with PNG it
contributes and of about $ 320 million a year to PONG (New Zealand’s and to PNG
is about $ 6 million of year)
Secondly, it has a
majority security concern about the fragmentation of PNG and the establishment
of any small probably non-viable state, close to the northern coast of
Australia dominated by a power unfriendly top Australia. And thereby,
Australian foreign policy has long been preoccupied with Indonesia and Indonesia
has interests in the stability of Papua New Guinea with which it shares.
Australia thus helped
PNG with massive economic aid to overcome some of the economic difficulties
caused by the crises. ( World Bank figures which show that Papua New Guinea grew
at real rate of 6.8 percent per annum during the period 1965-78, annual average
real growth in 1983-89 reached 2-6 percent, probably lower than population
growth) After all, large Australian economic investment is involved in some of
the south pacific island states. The economy in PNG being dominated by three
Australian companies of Burma Philip Ltd., W.R. carpenter ltd and Steamship
trading co.
Australia is also a
major arms supplier to PNG and the (PNGDF) which is dependent on Australia for
funds, training, logistical support (PNGDF) needed to increase its uniformed
mean by 1994 to 5200 men and Australia was to help in the training of the new
recruits.
NEW
ZEALANDS
ROLE IN THE BOUGANVILLE CRISIS
On the other hand the
most predominant foreign player in pushing for peace talks, has been New
Zealand.
New Zealand was seen as
most of a neutral party in which Bauganvellians were prepared to place their
trust. The main interest and motive of New Zealand has been:
a. The first was that
the conflict in Bougainville represented a threat to the stability of the region.
The conflict had already involved the solomans’ and if left to its fate might
involve other countries, including Indonesia.
b. A second interest
was humanitarian. Thousands had died and some of the people on Bougainville had
suffered badly.
c. A third had indirect
commercial interest in respect of Papua New Guinean’s financial strain and
effect on human resources.
d. The conflict come to
involve mercenaries and such an organization might become a significant force
in the region which could act against New Zealand’s interest.
e. New Zealand treasure
its reputation as a good international citizen and it could be seen as
anomalous that New Zealand sought act in other circumstance beet failed to act
in the region itself.
New Zealand hosted the
first meeting at Burnham Military Camp in the south Island from 18 July 1997, the
first Burnham talks were among the Bougainville and the talks ended in a document
called the Burnham Declaration.
This committed the
parties to seek unity and reconciliation among the Bougainvillea people, and to
work with the government of PNG forces for negotiations between the leaders of Bougainville
and PNG. Burnham 2, the second round of talks, ended in a truce.
Thus from Burnham to the Lincoln Agreement New
Zealand intervention can be characterized as
(a) To provide a secure
venue
(b) it was not a
presumed effort
(c) New Zealand did not
dictate the number allowed to take part or who should come (New Zealand had
expected 180 at the Lincoln talks and 283 come).
(d) The neutral
position it held unlike Australia which openly saw it position as being
identical to that of the Papua New guinea government
(e) New Zealand’s
personal motivations, as evident by the active participation of Don Mc Kinnon
and Hayer (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(f) A large numbers of
women were involved and
(g) PNG government was
kept informed all along the way.
CONCLUSION
For PNG’s political
elite, the “Bougainville cases “brought home many lesson
Firstly, in the future
PNG must diversify the infrastructure and not depend just on its natural
resources for it economic well being as the war has deprived the government
energy and morale.
Secondly, the wordings
of the contract to be signed with foreignness should be carefully studied so
that all exploitation of its people is haulted.
Thirdly, PNG can
maintain its Territorial integrity if it seeks solution to the cures not through
military means but by mediation and reforms.
As the blockade claimed
the lives of 10,000 Bougainvillea men, women and children from both lack of medians
and from war. The blockade also amounted to genocide against the right of
self-determination, co-existence and respect for each other’s fundamental
rights. So it is time that to say how events will twin, especially in view of
the raped progress that has been undertaken with the coming of the new prime
minister in the millennium.
