bougainville wants bcl back

http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080522/thhome.htm
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> Bougainville wants BCL back
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> RESOURCE owners from the Wakunai and Tinputz areas of the Autonomous
> Region of Bougainville have demanded President Joseph Kabui allow
> Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) back and forget about starting new mines.
> Member for Rau constituency Thomas Keriri spoke on behalf of his people from in Wakunai that BCL was needed back on Bougainville because the company had to pay for the damages it caused on the island.
Mr Kabui and his team comprising ABG and BRDC officials met with the resources owners on Tuesday at Tinputz Station.
> On several occasions the speakers were shouted down by the resource owners who asked the president to explain who was behind BRDC. Meanwhile, Member for Baubake constituency, South Bougainville,Thomas Lugabai yesterday called on Mr Kabui to explain to the people of Bougainville why the Bougainville Executive Council (BEC) entered into an agreement with a foreign company without proper
> authorisation of the Bougainville House of Representative and more importantly without consultation with the people of Bougainville. "Despite attempts by the president to justify BRDC as a local company, the fact remains clear that any investor with more than 51 per cent foreign shareholding is foreign therefore BRDC is
foreign-owned with 75 per cent of which belongs to Canadian company,Invincible," Mr Lugabai said. He challenged Mr Kabui and members of the BEC to make public the BRDC agreement so more people, particularly educated Bougainvilleans and members of the civil society as well as other Papua New Guineans, could be involved in the discussion of the agreement. In addition, chiefs from the region should be told why they were not consulted over the issue and also make public any analysis of the likely costs and benefits of the agreement to Bougainville, taking account of the anticipated income of BRDC and its likely tax payable to the ABG.
Mr Kabui yesterday maintained his stand that BRDC was the best deal ever for Bougainville and that critics should wait after five years to see the good side of the deal.
"In the past foreigners controlled everything, now we want to put Bougainvilleans in the driver's seat so that they can become millionaires in their homeland instead of being mere spectators," Mr Kabui said yesterday.