THIS IS AN INVITATION TO DISCUSS RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES THAT HAVE AFFECTED PNG & BOUGAINVILLE WHICH WILL BE HELD IN ARAWA FROM THE 27TH – 29TH OCTOBER 2011, AT THE SHARPE MEMORIAL YOUTH CENTER, 8AM TO 4PM.
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION INCLUDES;
•CODE OF CONDUCT OF MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES IN RESPECT TO HUMAN RIGHTS IN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
•UNITED NATIONS CONVENTIONS ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
•PROPERTY RIGHTS OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ACCORDING TO CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS
•RECOGNITION OF CUSTOMARY LAND, RESOURCE OWNERSHIP & RIGHTS
•TYPES OF CONTRACTS FOR EXTRACTION & DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
•FAIR SHARING OF BENEFITS FROM RESOURCE DEVELOPMENTS
•PNG DOMESTIC LAWS, INCLUDING LAND ACT 1996, MINING ACT 1992 AND OIL & GAS ACT 1998
GUEST SPEAKER: CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYER & EMBASSADOR MR. PETER DONIGI A PROMINENT LAWYER AND PRESIDENT OF THE MAMA PAPA GRAUN PARTY, WIITH VALUABLE EXPERIENCES & EXPOSURE TO BOTH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONS LAWS ON RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT & CONSTITUTION
PARTICIPANTS: EVERY BOUGAINVILLEANS
For queries, please contact Justin Borgia 72375139 and Denis Kuiai 71505652
07.10.2011 Source: Post-Courier
All Bougainville to decide ‘who to mine’
PREPARATIONS are now underway for an agreement to be signed between former fighters and Panguna landowners to decide who to bring into Bougainville to mine Panguna. A meeting was held on September 9 in Arawa headed by Michael Otoroa, on behalf of the former fighters and Chris Damana, the Chairman of the Landowner Group. Already references and a decision is pending on the latter. Elite leaders, who also attended the meeting, included Sam Kauona of Isina Resource Holdings and Bougainville’s known former ex-fighters. Veterans Affairs and Peace Minister David Sisito told the Post-Courier in an interview that decisions made included the Panguna mine pit to be owned by both landowners and former fighting men. “But, if BCL decides to come back to mine Panguna, then they must liaise with the landowners and the Autonomous Bougainville Government,” Mr Sisito said. He also said that it was also recommended that four Panguna landowners, including Mr Damana and elites from other resources areas would take a tour to visit some reputable mining companies outside of Papua New Guinea who had good practices on environmental damage controls in order to come up with their own. Mr Sisito also stressed that BCL, if still interested to mine in Bougainville, would only talk about the Panguna Mine Pit and not any other licence tenements it claims to hold. “Let me remind the world that the crisis was brought on by CRA and Rio Tinto to make us fight amongst ourselves and Bougainville has won this war, its land and the resources,” he said. I as the chief of all the ex-combatants am encouraging all ex-combatants and the people of Bougainville to form Incorporated Land Groups (ILGs) and form landowner companies so you can start applying for exploration licences over your own land.” The statement comes in after witnessing so many foreigners coming into Bougainville with “kids’ toys” to try and lure locals to allow for exploration in the region.
07.10.2011 Source: Post-Courier
China regarded as ABG’s ally
THE Autonomous Bougainville Government vice president Patrick Nisira says foreign direct investment specifically from the People’s Republic of China is good for Bougainville. Speaking as the Chairman of the Bougainville China Co-operation Committee (BCCC), Mr Nisira has outlined the positives of engaging Chinese companies and has blamed the media for not helping with positive awareness on the ABG’s intentions to engage the Asian foreign investment companies. “As with China, Bougainville is now looking to open up, with a measure of control that looks at efficiently dealing with fundamental issues that were responsible for the outbreak of the Bougainville conflict in 1988, while progressing economic development,” Mr Nisira said. “The economic model of China, although developed under a socialist political economic system, bears certain characteristics that may be beneficial to the development of an investment economic framework that allows the ABG to have greater control over the economic interests of the region, at the foreign direct investment level.’’ He said while the argument raged on about who should be categorised as a genuine ABG investment partner, Bougainville could be left to the whims of a few people who would rather see this new Autonomous Government fail, and pretended to give advice.
07.10.2011 Source: Post-Courier
ABG passes several bills By Daniel Tangia
BOUGAINVILLE’S Autonomous Government leaders have passed several bills in their last Parliament sitting, an indication the newly established Government is serious in its draw down of powers and working towards referendum. They include: * Public Holidays Act 2011 * HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Management) Act 2011 * Bougainville Senior Appointment Committee Act 2011 and * Liquor and Alcohol Act 2011 ABG President John Momis tabled his Bills on the Public Holidays Act 2011, now giving ABG the power to declare its own calendar of events – especially the public holidays. This Act will also provide protection to citizens working in Bougainville from being compelled to make payments on Public Holidays. Mr Momis’ Bougainville Senior Appointment Committee Act 2011 is a guide for the ABG to follow in appointing of the constitutional office holders. It also prescribes the procedures that will be followed in the appointment of constitutional office holders.
07.10.2011 Source: Islands Business
PNG leader in Australia next week
Papua New Guinea's recently installed prime minister, Peter O'Neill is to make a two-day visit to Australia.
PORT MORESBY, PNG (RADIO AUSTRALIA) ---- Papua New Guinea's recently installed prime minister, Peter O'Neill is to make a two-day visit to Australia. The visit next week comes just after Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, spent 24 hours in PNG and had a meeting with Mr O'Neill. During that trip, Mr Rudd pledged $A40 million as part of an Asian Development Bank remote health program. Apart from meeting Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard during the two-day trip, Mr O'Neill will hold talks with other federal government ministers including Mr Rudd. For 2011-12, Australia is giving just over $482 million in aid to PNG.
07.10.2011 Source: Papua New Guinea Issues in Perspektive
PM O'Neill: Bougainville's Aropa airport to be re-opened in December
A lone standing radio tower at Aropa airport in the autonomous region of Bougainville. A brick structure, which can be seen in the distance, is all that remains of the Air Niugini terminal which was destroyed during the 10-year conflict.
Aropa airport, the international gateway to the shut Bougainville copper mine, will be re-opened in December.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said this yesterday when concluding bilateral discussions with his Solomon Islands counterpart Danny Philip in the PNG capital Port Moresby.
He said PNG and the Solomon Islands have agreed to cooperate on a number of joint border development programs, which would see the establishment of border posts at strategic locations along the border between the autonomous region of Bougainville (AROB) and the Solomon Islands.
The two leaders have agreed to hold a joint PNG-Solomon Islands cabinet meeting in the AROB in early December. The joint cabinet meeting, the first of its kind between the two neighbouring Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) nations, will coincide with the official reopening of the airport.
Mr O’Neill said the PNG and Solomon Islands national airlines – Air Niugini and Solomon Airlines – will schedule two special flights to Aropa on the day of its official reopening.
Arawa-based Bougainvilleans, speaking on condition of anonymity to Papua New Guinea Issues in Perspective, said work is yet to start to clear the airport in preparation for its re-opening.
The airport was the scene of heavy fighting during the 10-year Bougainville Crisis and is overgrown with bush. A burnt out brick structure is all that remains of what was once the Air Niugini terminal as well as a lone standing radio tower.
The venue of the joint PNG-Solomon Islands cabinet meeting is yet to be confirmed but it is likely to be held in the former Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) mining township of Arawa, not far from Aropa airport and the Panguna copper mine.
The Somare government had indicated last year that it envisaged the mine re-opening in 2012 at the cost of US$4 billion; however Rio Tinto has reportedly said it did not have a time-table to open the mine.
The O’Neill government, which came into office in August, is unlikely to announce any major policy decisions relating to the mine's re-opening until after the 2012 general election. Though, that is dependent on the coalition government winning re-election to office.
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(20min delay)