Bougainville History

COCONUT REVOLUTION

“Coconut Revolution”

52 minutes, google video stream

Directed by Dom Rotheroe, funded by Soros Documentary Fund

-

Winner:
FICA Festival of Environmental Film, Brazil
BEMA Richard Keefe Memorial Award – WWF
Golden Kite, Best Documentary, Mar del Plata, Argentina
Silver Kite, Best Film for Young People, Argentina

Runner up:
BEMA (British Environmental Media Awards) Best Documentary
Amnesty International Awards, Best Documentary
One World Media Awards 2001, TV Documentary

-

Coconut Revolution shows the island of Bougainville fighting a revolutionary war for control of their own resources.

Bougainville has tremendous reserves of both copper and gold, and it has been at the hands of European colonialists for centuries.  BBC Bougainville Timeline (only up to 2007)

-

BOUGAINVILLE LEADERS

Francis Ona, leader of the Bougainville revolution

Kabui, future president of Bougainville

-

ECO ADVANCEMENTS & SELF-SUFFICIENCY

While at war, the people were closed out for outside contact. The island’s people ingeniously devised ways to cope:

* Fueling trucks and boats with only hand-refined coconut oil – 15 coconuts per litre

* Designing hydroelectric systems to power lights using old car parts

* Growing all their own food organically

* Building guns out of old cars

* Reusing/recycling everything

-

AFTER THE FIGHTING

Bougainville President Kabui (shown in the documentary) and Papa New Guinea signed an agreement with UN mediation in 2001. The parties agreed to giving Bougainville some increased autonomy, but still remaining a part of Papa New Guinea. Papa New Guinea claimed a referendum could be held in 10 or 15 years to totally recede. Papa New Guinea still owns a 20% share of the mining on the island, according the an ABC article.

The Autonomous Government of Bougainville was formed. Peace returned to Bougainville. However, the island went back to using petrochemical fuels. But I imagine that many of the rural poor still continue using vegetable oil as diesel fuel.

-

THE INVINCIBLE DEAL & KABUI’S DEATH – WHAT THE FUCK?

Watch “The Killer Deal,” from ABC Australia, 22 min

Click “Flash Video” after the link

Full Transcript to the Video

In 2008, Bougainville’s President Kabui announced a deal with a Canadian company (Invincible Resources, headed by an Australian), to sell 70% of Bougainville’s mining, fishing, and forestry rights – for only………..wait for it……………..$8 million dollars. Pause. Breathe. All without Parliament approval or foreknowledge.

Kabui also added a provision in the deal that he would get money for a $200,000 heart surgery he needed. And its about to get weirder.

On June 6, 2008, a women’s group decided to throw a little get-together to talk about this recent business deal. But the police stopped it before it even began, and apprehended two community leaders.

Then on June 8, 2008, Kabui died of a heart-related issues.

-

QUESTIONS

- What type of money would the government of Bougainville receive in the deal?

- Couldn’t he have reached out to the national community to pay for his surgery, since he was indeed the President of Bougainville? There is a chance that he was simply ashamed.

- Was it murder? There was already once an assassination plot on his life.

- Who is Invincible Resources, and what is their history?

-

ANALYSIS

This deal would probably be horrible for Bougainville’s economy, and only those benefiting economically / (read: corrupt) would vote for it.

I doubt the Autonomous Government of Bougainville will allow this to happen. But I smell corruption, extortion, and possibly murder, and I doubt anyone will ever go to jail over it.

Very recently, the Papa New Guinea government has been accused of stealing $40 million in logging deals, or 2.1 cents for every log exported since 2002.

Many government officials in Bougainville’s autonomous government are claiming the deal is illegal. Hell yes it is. An ABC article put it quite mildly: “what is guaranteed is a fiery debate between those for and against the President’s deal with Invincible Resources when parliament resumes.”

-

CULPRIT: Papa New Guinea

CULPRIT: President Kabui

CULPRIT: Bougainville Gov Leaders

PNG to vet Bougainville deal with Invincible of Canada

Radio New Zealand International, July 1 2008

Meanwhile, the Post Courier newspaper reveals that a delegation of Bougainville ministers and leaders, led by the Invincible CEO, is in Europe seeking to secure more funds for the Bogenvil Resource Development Corporation.

According to the paper, national government officials say the delegation will have to explain the reasons for the trip when it gets back on Friday.

They say officials also want to know why several legal documents advising against involvement with Invincible were apparently ignored by the Bougainville leaders.

Panguna Copper Mine Could Restart Soon

Red Orbit Business, June 13 2008

The Papua New Guinea government will seek to retain a stake in future profits from the mine and other resource projects.

The next meeting between the two governments is scheduled for June. It is expected to address transfer of power on certain issues.

Pressure grows on PNG government to probe logging deals

Radio New Zealand International, July 3 2008

Pressure is growing on the Papua New Guinea government to investigate allegations that a government minister has taken 40 million US dollars from logging deals.

The paper, The Post Courier, reported the money is being kept in two Singapore accounts and managed by a consortium for the unnamed minister, who allegedly took 2.1 per cent on every log exported since 2002.

Megan Whelan reports.

“Dorothy Tekwie, who is Greenpeace’s forest campaigner for Australia and the Pacific, says the prime minister Sir Michael Somare has been talking to the international about his commitment to conserve forests. She says if he is genuine about his commitment, he needs to immediately and urgently appoint an independent international investigator. Transparency International says the allegation is disgraceful, and if the story is true, it takes corruption in PNG from moderate to world class levels. In a statement, the opposition leader, Sir Mekere Morauta, says the report should have prompted an immediate reaction from the Government.