Belisi_2000

For the people of Bougainville
This page is under development and participation by visitors of the site is welcome.
So far the Forum has been the main area that people have found useful. From here, a closenit group of mainly Bougainvillians, have decided to start up a Human Resource Register. This in the future,as business continues to grow will be used to give Professional Bougainvillians the chance to help rebuild the island. Why import foreign skill when there is so much indigenous to the island.

Welcome to Bougainville

Pics of Bougainvilian people and places.

Need to have a chat with a friend? Got something that peeves you?

Links to other Bougainvillian and relevent sites.

Sign the guestbook or leave a message for the Peace Monitors

The weeks forcast of the islands weather.

A brief chronological history of the conflict and mandate.

Click on the above link to access the register. It's simple to use, fill in only what you want to and hit send.

Bougainville thoughts....

A miscellaneous collection of info on Bougainville.

Bougainville Vs Rio Tinto in Court - an update and essay by specialised journalist Max Watts.

This Page holds the links to various pages on Bougainville including Photographs, a history on Bougainville and miscelllaneous writings on bougainville.

A painfull Home coming by Gorrethy Kenneth

Pacific Beats Bruce Hill speaks with Sam Kauona




		I KNEW she had millions to tell me when we first met for the first time in 14 years and after the 10-year-old Bougainville crisis. And it was “hell of a nut” seeing “our mother”, the lady I knew as a very jolly person in those years sitting down with nothing to say but teary eyes. I met one of my very close friends again for the first time after 14 years living at the house of childhood years in Arawa recently, and I thank the European Union delegation for having taken me there while touring the island to review and visit their funded projects. Rosemary Kauona, the daughter of a then elite Bougainville Copper Limited engineer killed during the conflict, was speechless when I showed up at the house to take a picture to take back home to Buka. It was very fortunate that we met at last but I noticed there was something strange — that she was not the same Rosemary I knew years ago. I could tell from the start that things have all changed, that I owed her a “hundred years” to sit down and listen to what she had to tell me. I had my head down for a second to think yes, it has been years and many things have happened within those years. It was all tears before we could speak a word until she finally uttered “dad is dead and it’s only me and mum”. It was so sad I knew no words to say as though I was dumb and I felt so guilty the moment I found out she was just completing Year 9 while I was already fortunate benefiting from what life had in store for me — working. Yes! Memories always last forever, many may be the best, others remain the biggest enemy and this is a classic example, it was one of the best. Twenty-eight years on after peaceful years on Bougainville and I look back at the memories the island gave me. Hundreds of friends, thousands of faces, myriad words to remember, a handful of beautiful places and my lovely family.

	20/06/2002 KAUONA: At the political level there have been some positive signs coming about. But, again there is also a negative aspect to the political process as far as the peace process is concerned. Now I'll give an example here, we have the latest autonomy package. In the package it conditions the political process to weapons disposal. Now in my opinion, this is not very healthy. The weapons containment period shouldn't be seen as the major factor in the whole of the peace process. The agreement, as it stands now, is that only after the completion of weapons disposal that the elections for a Bougainville autonomous government can take place. That clause there, it conditions the political process to weapons containment because the containment of weapons is open-ended. We don't have a date where weapons containment will be completed: that's why to some of our people on the ground, it can take them up to five years to hand in their weapons for containment. HILL: In the meantime what's happening with the provincial government on Bougainville? KAUONA: At this point of time the provincial government under the leadership of John Momis has been elected. But a problem is that the governor does not have the financial support that John Momis is supposed to get from the national government. That's why the provincial government has been inoperative. We have this body put in place with no finance, with no money to function. Filling the power vacuum HILL: Well if there's this power vacuum, what's filling it in the meantime? KAUONA: At this point of time we have the Chiefly system, with the Chiefs being leaders of the community. Basically the community is functional because of our Chiefs system. The Chiefs are holding our people in and it's not the provincial government. HILL: That sounds all very well for governing a village or perhaps a group of villagers but not for the whole island of Bougainville in the long run? KAUONA: Exactly, exactly. The overall island at this point of time seems to be in a vacuum. Now if that vacuum persists or if it continues not only it is not healthy, we may have all sorts of you know things happening. There is the danger anything could happen. We need to have our government put in place, our Bougainville government put in place as soon as possible, because by putting in a government it can make it possible for the community, for the society to function. Meantime we are taking our own initiatives to put in place whatever infrastructure, whatever services that we need to have on the island. HILL: Eventually there's going to be a vote on independence of Bougainville or staying within Papua New Guinea. The way things are going now which way do you think the island would vote? KAUONA: Well through the reconciliation process all the people of Bougainville are coming to one forum, and the feeling of independence is strong. It has been there prior to Papua New Guinea independence too, so the real test will come about when down the line, perhaps 10 years time, we call for a referendum. But by the feeling of the way we are going, the majority of Bougainville will vote for independence.

HAS RIO TINTO BOUGHT NOT ONLY THE PNG GOVERNMENT BUT AMERICA'S JUSTICE SYSTEM AS WELL? (Update and Essay by Max Watts) THE TEARING VEIL Marxists are often accused of dogmatism, or at least exaggeration by "liberals" when we say that Capital rules in Capitalist Democracies. After all, we are told we can all vote for our constitutions, our governments, making our laws. There are courts, independent judges, who apply them. And normally Capitalists are careful not to show their hand - or is it cloven foot? - too openly. But sometimes - when the stakes are high enough - they themselves tear apart the veils, which hide reality. Expose themselves. As Rio Tinto now has done, accused in a lawsuit by Bougainvilleans in the USA. BOUGAINVILLE: FROM VICTORY TO LAWSUIT For ten years Bougainvilleans fought, with bullets, guns, against today's second largest mining multi: Rio Tinto. Officially of course Rio hid behind multiple veils: The war was - the establishment media told us - a civil war between Bougainvilleans, or a war between Bougainville "secessionists" and Papua New Guinea, and only - when those first two veils had been removed - a war against Australia. As Francis Ona, the leader of the revolt, once said: "Papua New Guinea we can beat in a week. Australia will take a little longer." In reality, of course, it was a war against capitalism. The Bougainvilleans had imagined that because the BCL Panguna copper and gold mine was in the middle of THEIR island, THEIR country, polluting THEIR land and rivers, they could close it, take it away from its "legal" owners, Rio Tinto. This is totally against capitalist laws, and Rio Tinto fought (using poor bugger PNG soldiers, Australian mercenary Helicopter pilots, even Australian officers "seconded" to Bougainville) for ten years to get ITS property, ITS mine, back. Imposed a total blockade, to keep medicines from getting in, news from getting out. Killed, one way or another, 15,000 Bougainvilleans, ten percent of the population. Devastated the island. Normally, reasonably, the Bougainvilleans should have been defeated, Law and Order quickly reestablished, the Panguna mine restored to Rio Tinto, its - according to capitalist law - rightful owner. But quite unexpectedly the plans for a rapid reconquest, for the "destruction of the BRA" - hatched in Port Moresby, Canberra and London, didn't work out. The Bougainvilleans - and this is the essential - won the war. And have kept the Panguna mine. Kept it closed, stolen from Rio Tinto. Now these Bougainvilleans - cheeky buggers! - are even suing Rio Tinto for damages, reparations for the deaths and devastation they suffered in the ten year war - 1988 to 1998 - mining giant Rio war to recover its Panguna mine. The Bougainvilleans found a "big" Seattle lawyer, Steve Berman, famous for having beaten American tobacco companies in major legal battles, to take their case. In an American, Federal Court, in California, Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, because Alexis Sarei, chief "plaintiff", accuser, once a Bougainvillean provincial prime minister, lives there. In California, because defendant Rio Tinto has major installations, mines, refineries, in that state. And in far-off America, because the Bougainvilleans hoped that there they could find a less prejudiced, more neutral, court there than in Papua or Australia, where the establishments fought the war on Rio Tinto's side. Bougainvilleans accused Rio of over a dozen crimes, ranging from genocide, murder, environmental destruction down to being a public and even a private nuisance. The first, probably principal, legal problem for the Bougainvillean plaintiffs was to have jurisdiction accepted - in the American court. Rio Tinto, which has begun to worry seriously, has been fighting strenuously to have the lawsuit thrown out, to have it tried, if at all, in Papua New Guinea or at least in Australia. The mining multi fears that if a Los Angeles jury - nowadays including workers, Blacks - were to hear about its practices, its war against Bougainville - they might award very hefty damages, perhaps Billions of American Dollars, for the plaintiffs. Los Angeles judge Margaret Morrow seemed ready to let the case, at least its international and human rights aspects, proceed in her court. Many legal experts, Americans but also leading lawyers from Papua New Guinea, including PNG's Ambassador to the United Nations Peter Donigi and PNG's Attorney General Frances Daman, declared that this case could be better tried before a "neutral" American court rather than before PNG judges. Attorney Berman, the plaintiffs in Bougainville, were optimistic. Bougainville leader Francis Ona: "Although we have won the war, we have had enough fighting, we want to decide this matter peacefully, before a neutral court." Rio Tinto, however, had other ideas, and - perhaps at the cost of tearing off another veil hiding "reality" - other means. THE ACCUSED WRITES THE LAW In early October Rio's lawyers visited Port Moresby, PNG's Prime Minister "Sir" Mekere Morauta. Soon thereafter, on 17 October, a Mr. Robert Igara, "Chief Secretary to the Government" (that is to Prime Minister Morauta), wrote to the American Ambassador Ms Susan Jacobs in Port Moresby. Over seven pages Secretary Igara explained that the continuation of this trial in America would "seriously undermine" the relations between Papua New Guinea and the United States. Furthermore it would gravely endanger the ongoing Peace Process between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. Above all, it would seriously damage PNG's "ability to secure foreign investments". Igara's letter said nothing about the fact that the accused, Rio Tinto, is itself still the biggest foreign investor in PNG. Nor did it discuss to what extent RIO'S LAWYERS HAD, THEMSELVES, WRITTEN THIS OFFICIAL PNG GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT. Port Moresby lawyers, who eventually saw it, immediately pointed out that several pages contained American legal details, case law precedents, "which secretary Igara would never have heard of! Rio's lawyers simply wrote them for him, didn't even bother to change their typeface!" Igara also stated that the previous legal opinions of PNG's Ambassador to the UN, Peter Donigi, and of PNG's Attorney General Frances Daman, declaring that this case be best heard before an American court, were herewith "withdrawn." Morauta and Igara kept their intervention in an on-going legal process, intervention FOR a foreign mining corporation, AGAINST their own citizens (officially Bougainvilleans are still considered PNG citizens), secret as long as possible. The Bougainvilleans and their lawyers only learned about it three weeks later, when the American Government, i.e. the US State and Justice Departments, sent them Igara's writes and their - supportive - statements, on their way to Los Angeles judge Margaret Morrow. State Department Legal Adviser William H. Taft, IV (the fourth?) doesn't dispute "the accusations against defendant Rio Tinto.. including 'the commission of various atrocities'.. mining operations ..(which) destroyed the island’s river system and fish supply and polluted the atmosphere.. war crimes.. blockade preventing medical supplies from reaching the island resulting in many civilian deaths.. PNG defence forces committed acts of torture, killing, bombing, rape and pillage." Indeed, Taft notes that the American State Department had previously expressed its concern over human rights abuses on Bougainville. And that it still has such concerns. But this is not the issue. State Department's Taft: "The continued adjuration" of the case against Rio Tinto would risk "a potentially serious adverse impact" on the peace process in Bougainville, and thus on "the conduct of our (American) foreign policy". Interestingly Legal Adviser Taft fails to mention the worries Igara has that this process would discourage foreign investment in PNG. Taft seems blissfully unaware that defendant Rio Tinto wrote at least part of the Igara letter, which has now become "advice" - almost instructions - to the court judging their case. Taft passes the whole matter on to the Department of Justice, where Robert McCallum, Jr. - Assistant Attorney General - promptly forwards the file with an explanatory letter to Judge Morrow. Whether this Judge can, or will wish to, resist such massive "advice" we shall only learn in the coming weeks or months. If she does dismiss the case, the Bougainvilleans will probably appeal to her decision. But in any case there is a fair chance that the Morauta government in Port Moresby may disappear, either as a result of a no confidence vote or - in June 2002 - the upcoming election. Many PNG parliamentarians, including opposition leader Somare, are outraged at Morauta's subservience towards Rio Tinto, and the real danger that this may destabilise the delicate situation on Bougainville. The planned "disposal" of weapons (i.e their placing in locked containers) will depend on an upcoming positive parliamentary vote on the peace accords. Much here remains uncertain, to put it mildly. THE TORN VEIL However, we can already note that the vaunted independence of an American Federal Court is somewhat less than the Bougainvilleans had hoped for. And - faced with a major capitalist concern, much less than non-Marxist "democracy" advocates so often declare. That the present Mekere Morauta PNG government acts against its own citizens on orders of Rio Tinto is - after all - hardly surprising. Morauta was installed with the open blessing and connivance of Canberra, and - of course - the mining companies. But it is dangerously revealing to see how the "independent" American Justice system can receive "advice" amounting to orders not only from its own executive State Department, but almost directly from a defendant, when that accused is a major multi-national corporation. When it gets down to the nitty-gritty, Capital Rules. The Australian Shearers song said it well: "It's a rich man's country still". Finally: Reality has little to do with Justice. It is, of course, an utter nonsense to declare that the Peace Process between Bougainville and PNG is endangered by this lawsuit. The guns are silent on Bougainville above all because the Bougainvilleans have won their war, closed the Panguna mine. For them this lawsuit has become an alternative, a peaceful means of continuing to press their claims. But - as Francis Ona, president of the Mekamui (Bougainville) National Congress - states: "[Rio Tinto] CRA and the PNG government have joined forces.. to remove the lawsuit out of the US courts.. If they effectively influence the court's decision and the case gets thrown out of US jurisdiction it will amount to another total economic blockade of Bougainville.. Deliberately prolonging my people's suffering, increasing our plight.. will only tomorrow haunt .. PNG, in more ways than many people would like to imagine." Update: Opposition leader Sir Michael Somare questioned the government's interference, too, but Morauta - ironically (or hypocritically?) claiming to uphold the spirit of reconciliation - in fact decided to go on the attack in his answer in parliament last week (4th December). He named and threatened to sue 21 plaintiffs under a "Compensation (Prohibition of Foreign Proceedings) Act 1995" with imprisonment for up to 5 years, thus taking again a firm stand in favour of Rio Tinto. This act was designed to protect another mining giant - Australia's BHP - from being sued abroad (here: Victoria) for the vast destruction of life caused by their Ok Tedi mine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PNG Prime Minister Morauta’s answer(s) to Somare’s questions in parliament on the 4th of December can be accessed via www.pm.gov.pg [click on “Media Releases” and then scroll down] or click resp. “cut & paste” this - complete - link: www.pm.gov.pg/pmsoffice/pmsoffice.nsf/vPressreleasePM2/ d25ecbaba98042a8ca256b180028c148?Open Francis Ona's press release on the lawsuit "Unless we are freed, you are doomed" is now online - see Pacific Islands Report @ pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2001/November/11-29-25.htm