MINING company Bougainville Copper Limited is planning a big bel kol reconciliation ceremony in Arawa, Central Bougainville this year.
The ceremony, in local dialect called domang mita, is expected to include up to 3000 people.
It will be a landmark event for both the autonomus island province and the company.
The ceremony is an important step in BCL’s publicly stated goal to re-open the rich Panguna copper and gold mine in Central Bougainville.
The mine ignited a ten-year bloody war in 1989 which quickly evolved into a secessionist struggle against Papua New Guinea.
The effects of the war are still being felt in Bougainville.
It is recognised that the recent visit to Bougainville by PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has helped pave the way for the upcoming ‘Bel Kol’.
Preparations are well underway and the Autonomous Bougainville Government under the leadership of President John Momis is taking a major role.
A meeting was held in Buka recently between the President and some ex-combatant leaders to discuss the upcoming ceremony, though some key figures on the ground in Arawa have told this newspaper they have not yet been made aware of the event.
The ceremony will recognise that BCL and Bougainvilleans are willing to reconcile past differences and forge a new relatonship.
There will be a feast, traditional symbolic chewing of betelnut, cleansing of blood, medicinal rites by traditional healers and an exchange of gifts.
There will also be a discussion about compensation for the company’s past wrongs.
Hardliner ex-rebel army factions have said they want K10 billion in compensation from the company but in an interview with this newspaper last year, BCL boss Peter Taylor said he will need to negotiate that stance.
Whilst the PNG Government - a 19 percent shareholder of the mining company - will not be directly involved in the ‘Bel Kol’ and its organisation, they will send observers.
Also attending the ceremony will be Mr Taylor, representatives from the Australian and New Zealand Governments and other foreign interests.
At this stage the Bel Kol is expected to cost K900,000 and BCL has agreeed to contribute half of this sum. The Bougainville Government will provide the balance.
It is important to note that the cermony will not automatically lead to the re-opening of the mine. It is another step in a long process that will enable the next round of discussions to take place.
The event is not specifically designed as a forum for BCL to pay compensation, rather it is about discussing issues relating to the mine’s future, of which compensation is one.
In its recently released annual report BCL said it is pleased with progress so far in its attempts to re-establish its commercial presence in Central Bougainville.
The company hopes to open an office sometime soon in Arawa.
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