People & Power - Bougainville: Reopening old wounds - 17 Mar 09 - Part 1

Bougainville, a large island east of Papua New Guinea, is rich in copper, the extraction of which has caused much tension over the past fifty years.

Historically Bougainville was part of Papua New Guinea. In a town called Panguna on Bougainville island, a huge copper mine, once the largest open-cut mine in the world, was responsible for a large percentage of the entire country's revenue.

At the time, Bougainvilleans felt the wealth was not being properly distributed and resented the pollution that the mine released into their environment.

The dispute sparked a civil war in 1988 that lasted for nearly a decade, after which Bougainville won autonomy with the promise of a referendum on independance after 2015. With the deadline just over five years away, the island is hoping to achieve economic independance before the referendum.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Al Jazeera
• People and Power
• Samah El-Shahat
• Bougainville
• Papua New Guinea.
• peoplepower

[tikenjahfakoly09]

Thanks Aljazeera 4 this incredible and touching story of the "oppressed" people under the European colonial emperors. Let's hope their land will be used for food to allow them to be self-sufficient, instead of mine which not only destroy the environment, but facilitate corruption and social inequality. The exple of South Africa. The same scenario, and only the poor people are paying the price. Never give back your guns, focus on producing food for yourselves first. That's the real independence.

[pandanus1]

leave the mine and grow food, dont let any foriegners rip you off again Bougainville! Bougainvilleans are blessed with an abundant fertile island!

[ipsofactoProductions]

The Award Winning features, In the Shadow of the Palms – Iraq, and Bougainville - "Our Island, Our Fight" are now available at iTunes!! (US and Canada only at the moment....) Watch them, Comment and Rate on iTunes: search for the films in the documentary section. Good luck!

[ABCarlough]

i thought the commander was Ishmael Terwana who is this guy

[melollylolly]

outside society is destroying these people; they were fine living their way of life off the land; now the land is being destroyed by greed and big corporations; and indonesians are intolerant and racist and will not welcome these people. Give them back their environment na let them alone.

[jankren]

Yo mama is a cunt.

[myrmecia1977]

Republic of Indonesia?..... More like republic of cunts!!!

[tobybw0]

It is more like the time for Indonesia to let  Indonesian Papua join PNG, and Bonneville join the Solomons.

[jankren]

I didnt say we are going to be tolerant toward them. We just want their copper. LOL

[cannoir]

nuh uh ! it ain't going to happen.indonesians are not known to be tolerant towards people of other ethnicities.

[jankren]

Its time for Papua New Guinea to join the Republic of Indonesia.