Bougainville Update: As ministers squabble, the people denounce re-opening Panguna
Published by MAC on 2006-06-16
Bougainville Update: As ministers squabble, the people denounce re-opening Panguna
16th June 2006
In a strange twist, Papua New Guinea's mining minister (himself a Bougainvillean) has rounded on Bougainville's president, Joseph Kabui, for inviting a Canadian mining company to invest in a copper refinery on the island. It's an obvious precursor to an attempt at re-opening Rio Tinto's Panguna mine.
While neither mining minister seems at all concerned about are the wishes of the landowners around the minesite itself. These have made it abundantly clear that they will not support any return to mining.