24 Aug 2017

More protests against resumption of mining on Bougainville

From , 3:03 pm on 24 August 2017

A group calling itself  'Bougainvilleans United Against Mining' has re-stated its opposition to a resumption of mining at Panguna.

The government in the autonomous Papua New Guinea province wants the huge copper and gold mine re-opened to give the economy a lift ahead of the independence referendum in 2019.

Bougainville's mining minister Raymond Masono this week applauded a joint resolution by ex-combatants to back the re-opening, but one of those praised by the minister, a former Bougainville Revolutionary Army commander, James Onartoo, says he and his group do not support it.

The minister's comments came after weeks of mediation, but a spokesman for Mr Onartoo, Lawrence Mattau, told Don Wiseman of the barriers they faced at the talks before pulling out.

An abandoned building at Panguna mine site in Bougainville

An abandoned building at Panguna mine site in Bougainville Photo: supplied