The caretaker Papua New Guinea Government says nobody will be prosecuted for crimes directly related to the ten-year secessionist war on Bougainville.
While no-one has been charged with war crimes relating to Bougainville since a truce was declared five years ago, the PNG Cabinet has ruled this week that anyone convicted in future would be pardoned in the name of peace.
However some commentators say the move will set a dangerous precedent for the rest of PNG - especially at a time when further anarchy is expected in parts of the Highlands.
The Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta says he hopes the pardon will prompt rebel leader Francis Ona and his supporters to hand in their weapons.
He says the government's decisions on immunity and pardon clearly apply to them.
Sir Mekere says legal immunity would apply to all sides of the conflict, with the only exceptions for crimes deemed to be unrelated to the war, such as infanticide and sex offences.
However the PNG newspaper The National warns that the immunity declaration would encourage secessionists in other troubled provinces.
