I took it from Mr Sturm's statement, he had not bothered to familiarise himself with my research on the Bougainville conflict. Clouds in the mountains 6:45. The board is led by chairman Sir Melchior Togolo, a prominent Bougainvillean, with extensive experience in the minerals sector. A geologist with 17yrs industry experience in grade control geology, resource definition, near-mine and regional mineral exploration, and database geology. The Panguna mine devastated our communities physically and culturally and we are still living with the consequences, said Theonila Roka Matbob, a teacher from the village of Makosi, which is downstream from the mine, according to a statement. It was, at the time, one of the worlds largest copper and gold mines. Optimizing productivity and improving safety. Bougainville Copper Project 1969/1970 Photos Under his Prime Ministership the Papua New Guinea security forces - in an effort to reopen the mine - executed and tortured civilians, systematically destroyed villages, and imposed a blockade on Bougainville, which included the denial of humanitarian aid. The landowners demanded more than $10 billion in compensation. In 1643, the inhabitants of Takuu and Nissan atolls had the first recorded contact with Europeans from an expedition led by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Army stands guard over the Panguna copper mine. "President (John) Momis has been proactive in assisting the company carry out safety work. The Panguna mine was operated by BCL, majority owned by Rio Tinto, for 17 years from 1972 until 1989, when operations were suspended due to an uprising against the mine and subsequent civil war. 2. Clearly it is up to the people of Bougainville to decide how they wish to manage their natural resources. Despite revelations aired on SBS last year, which evidenced BCL's complicity in the brutal security force operations on Bougainville, BCL and the ESBC continue to play down the company's instrumental role in the conflict. More than 30 years later, The situation is worsening, as waste continues to seep into the regions rivers, said Keren Adams, legal director at the nonprofit Human Rights Law Centre in Australia. In recent months, the mudslinging by supporters of both groups has died down. Women in a market at Bougainville earlier this year.Credit:Ben Bohane. Bougainville Copper (ISIN PG0008526520) is an Australian-listed copper company which lost its main asset due to a civil war on the island of Bougainville during the 1990s. BCL must publicly apologise for its evidenced role in the Bougainville conflict. In his latest broadside, Sturm accuses Ulster University criminologist, Kristian Lasslett, of using his "academic position as a platform for indoctrination and agitation.". "Some of these are within the control of the company itself, others less so. The mine, located in Bougainville, was centrally important to Papua New Guinea, providing over 45% of the country's national export revenue. I consider that issue now resolved.-- * Kristian Lasslett is a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Ulster and he sits on the Executive Board of the International State Crime Initiative. Following the discovery of vast copper ore deposits in Crown Prince Range, Bougainville Copper Limited (Bougainville Copper or the company) operated a large open pit mine and processing facility at Panguna in central Bougainville in the North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) between 1972 and 1989. Thats what communities want, Adams said. Lets examine what led to the ongoing crisis. Melbourne Australia 10:06. Its clear the time has come for Rio to finally take responsibility for cleaning up the mess on Bougainville. President Momis asserted that progressing with BCL could "cause a total explosion of the situation again". Eighteen months later, Rio Tinto decided to divest from its local subsidiary in control of the Panguna mine, Bougainville Copper Limited, handing over its majority stake to the governments of PNG and Bougainville. But even before its closure in 1989, the knock-on effects of the release of what would come to more than a billion metric tons of mining waste had surfaced, affecting the land, its wildlife and the people who live there. Dew Farmers in Bougainville to Produce Rice with Mill donated by Bougainville Copper Limited, Outstanding Leadership Skills Awarded at Tonu Secondary School. Sale today only. [4] Papua New Guinea has been an independent country since 16 September 1975. A ship in the bay 22:07. In particular Axel G Sturm argued: "Your disgraceful lampoon is remarkable. 2:56 pm on 1 June 2022. You shall not use your academic position as a platform for indoctrination and agitation.". Bougainville Island, easternmost island of Papua New Guinea, in the Solomon Sea, southwestern Pacific. African Turntables (Pty) Ltd turning underground. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Man in the laboratory testing the soil for copper content 8:54. Nevertheless, it is not my intention to vilify BCL. While the arrival of the mine brought infrastructure and helped to modernise Bougainville, perceived inequities in the distribution of compensation and . An obstacle here is that the company fears ritual apology would expose it to liability in the courts. The political structure of Bougainville as an autonomous region within Papua New Guinea reflects the important need, following the civil war, for parliamentary representation of different interest groups. Read more: RTG claims BCL has lost its local goodwill and cannot operate in Bougainville, and that RTG has the support of a landowner group the Special Mining Lease Osikaiyang Landowners Association - one of the groups who say they represent landowners in the Panguna area. Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) is a mining company of Papua New Guinea (PNG) that is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Moreover, noted McLeod, Bougainville is "right in the middle of a number of territories in the South Pacific. For example, BCL was informed by the Minister of State that the security forces were planning to use "brutal firepower" to resolve the situation on Bougainville. PNG marks 40 years of independence, still feeling the effects of Australian colonialism. It is one of the largest known copper reserves in PNG and in the world having estimated reserves of 1,000 Mt of ore grading 0.34% Cu and containing perhaps as much as 12 Moz of gold. Professor of Development Studies, The University of the South Pacific. BCL company secretary Mark Hitchcock said from his office in Port Moresby that the company retained strong support among landowners and rejected suggestions the company had lost its social licence to operate. Opened in the late 1960s and early 1970s, The mine at Panguna was officially opened in 1972 and was majority-owned by Rio Tinto. Its sole director is Arabian horse breeder and luxury goods dealer Jeff McGlinn a man who posted a flashy social media video of Saudi royalty at a luxury event, and another of him giving one of his fine equines to classical crossover singer Andrea Bocelli. Prince Philip tours the mine 22:53. The Mobile Squads were responsible for numerous atrocities on Bougainville during 1989-1990. A large dump truck is lowered from a ship for work at the mine 23:40. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. This followed the departure of Rio Tinto in mid-2016. Allegations have been made that BCL's Chairman supported the military blockade which was placed around Bougainville during 1990 - this blockade included the denial of humanitarian aid. Yet this reconciliation to some extent holds a key to international reconciliation among Bougainville, Australia and Papua New Guinea". However, in light of recent personal attacks on my credibility as a researcher and scholar, I feel compelled to summarise the empirical evidence on which my recent suggestions were based. Bougainville Copper trained some 12,000 employees, including approximately 1,000 completing full trade apprenticeships and some 400 completing graduate and post-graduate studies that resulted in considerable progress in the localisation of the companys employees and significantly added to the number of skilled workers elsewhere in the countrys workforce. The entry of Caballus sparked fears among Bougainville locals specifically those linked to rival miners that a three-way fight for Panguna would erupt. This story was produced with the assistance of the inaugural Walkley/Sean Dorney grant for Pacific Journalism. Local residents informed me it was tens of metres deep in places. It was a critical but hopefully constructive piece, on how BCL might mend certain bridges with communities on Bougainville, using fairly orthodox transitional justice techniques. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. My specific claims relate to a small window in the company's life, 1988-1990, where decisions were taken that implicated BCL in the hostilities, and the human rights abuses they generated. 411 University St, Seattle, USA engitech@oceanthemes.net +1 -800-456-478-23 // BCL BCL Today Bougainville Copper's main objective is to work cooperatively towards realising the vision of resuming active exploration and sustainable copper, gold and silver mining at Panguna, in central Bougainville, after mining ceased in 1989. SYDNEY, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Communities around Rio Tinto's (RIO.AX), (RIO.L) shuttered copper mine in Bougainville face a serious threat of flooding due to unstable mine instrastructure, an. It was a resentment bred of an insensitive approach on the part However, democratic decision making about the future depends upon accurate knowledge of the past. The cities are built 19:15. Re-opening Panguna would be a disaster., Rebel guerillas above the Panguna copper and gold mine in Bougainville in 1994.Credit:Ben Bohane. Bougainville displays great cultural diversity in a relatively small region. The Panguna mines footprint was gigantic, stretching across the full breadth of the central part of the island. FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. Because of this, no dividends will be paid, chairman Peter Taylor announced at BCL's 45th annual general meeting in Port Moresby. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. The Bougainville Copper company of today is quite different from the Bougainville Copper that I reported about in 2004 and 2007. The mine was operated by Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), an Australian subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and sought to tap large deposits of copper, gold and silver in the Emperor mountain range. Computers anticipate marketing and management challenges for the exploration 12:05. Rio Tinto, therefore, is of the view that it is for the people of Bougainville to determine their future, including any potential redevelopment of the mine.. The Rio Tinto spokesperson said that when it gifted its shares of Bougainville Copper, the arrangement provided a platform of support for the PNG Government and the Bougainville government to work together on future options for the resource.. International Organization Foundation How Do Natural Resources Influence Civil War? Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. But they will not suffer corporate intransigence lightly. They cannot rely on the land anymore to produce what they need.. Over 10 years we help companies reach their financial and branding goals. 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