The leader of a Bougainvillean group that claims the backing of most people in the Papua New Guinea province, says there's no chance of the huge Panguna mine re-opening until demands for reparation first made more than 20 years ago, are met.
The Me'ekamui Tribal Nation and its self styled president, Philip Miriori, says before any development will be allowed a monument to the island's civil war dead must be built and outstanding human rights issues addressed.
He says, in addition, the longstanding demands for financial redress from the mining giant Rio Tinto for the destruction caused by the mine must be satisfied.
"Those demands were being put in place 20 years ago, and nobody made any response then on those demands. Ten billion kina, that was for environmental damage and the other issue is the compensation issue."
The Me'ekamui Tribal Nation's Philip Miriori.
