The two-days Special Bougainville Women’s Forum on Mining that ended in Buka yesterday fully recommended that the closed PANGUNA COPPER AND GOLD MINE must be opened to help ABG meet the number three pillar of the Bougainville Peace Agreement that is ECONOMIC SELF RELIANCE.
In the final recommendations made in Districts by Districts, the women also recommended that outstanding issues must be addressed before the mine is re-opened.
From recommendations made by the women of South Bougainville, they recommended that the mine must support the overall goal by the people to gain independence and said that Independence with no Economy would be only a dream.
The women of Central Bougainville divided in two, the women of Panguna/Torau and Panguna called for the grievances for the landowners must be met first and that included allocation of land for their resettlement before the mine is opened.
And the women of Wakunai agreed to resettle the PANGUNA landowners at KURWINA Plantation and supported the re-opening to create employment for Bougainvilleans as priority.
The women of Atolls, and Tinputz fully supported the re-opening questioning who will compensate for the death of the people of North Bougainville who fell depending Panguna.
And the women of Kunua/Kereaka wanted the re-opening of Panguna but wanted the ABG to own the company one hundred percent so that the people of Bougainville can truly benefit from the operation.
Nearly all women did not want the moratorium to be lifted and recommended only one mine should be allowed to operate and quickly invest in Tourism and Agriculture.
The two-days Special Bougainville Women’s Forum on Mining was broadcasted live on New Dawn FM.
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(20min delay)