14 Sep 2004

Land dispute in PNG affects airport at Buka

5:09 pm on 14 September 2004

Reports from the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville say a land dispute is disrupting air traffic at Buka airport.

The news agency, AAP, says this has delayed the delivery of the latest draft of the Bougainville Constitution to the PNG capital Port Moresby.

The author of the PNG National Constitution, Sir Jim Fraser, has been in Bougainville consulting with the island's leaders on what is hoped to be the final draft of the constitution.

But residents from the Ieta village at Buka Airport say flights in and out of the island will be prevented from landing or taking off until their demands for payments from the Bougainville Administration are met.

The Ieta villagers would not say how much money they were demanding but were entering into negotiations with the Bougainville governor, John Momis.