Bougainville - Papua New Guinea

May 2006
One of the most volatile and reclusive figures in PNG's recent history, Francis Ona has re-emerged from his mountain hideaway.


Ona is the man who created the secessionist Bougainville Revolutionary Army, or BRA, in 1989 originally to fight against the operations of the Panguna mining company which Ona believed was destroying the land and environment, and paying little or no compensation to the owners of the land. The Panguna Mine - then the largest copper mine in the world - was closed, and remains closed today. The BRA fought a savage civil war for independence against the PNG government during the 1990s.

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Bougainville
• BRA
• Papua
• New
• Guinea
• PNG
• World
• Independence
• Government
• Civil
• War
• news
• documentary
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• journeyman
• journeyman pictures

[michaelswam]

@RobbotChong R.I.P Francis Ona. We fight for man and his culture, land and the environment, INDEPENDENCE. Down with Rio Tinto. I and I are the roots!

[oldhippy111]

@shawbros I worked their 75/77

[whatsoldisnew]

i wonder if this pyramid scheme has been shown for the fraud it is? i wasn't born in Bougainville but spent 10yrs growing up in panguna with ma, pa and sister. my sister was born there. such a pity the wealth of the mine wasn't parlayed into health, education and infrastructure for the islanders and the broader png nation. if it has i've not seen the evidence. how can a country so well endowed with natural resources be bankrupt? anyone in buka come across a friend of mine, dominic telesi?

[mshorthouse]

hope Im welcome when I get back, Tohona Iroro, Felix Boroko, Nigel Amos, Sam Wanirara, Robert Talbot, all my friends from Panguna, I loved Bougainville, and have struggled since, miss my mates!!

[mshorthouse]

I love bougainville, born and bread, cant wait to go back!!!!



[Prisco36]

this is my real blood uncle.... don't know what to say & what to believe anymore.... but all I can say is I LOVE my family !!

[shawbros]

I lived there about 35 years ago, when I was around 4 or 5 years old.

The environment was very primitive, natural and unspoiled. (aside from the copper mine)

I remember it as a fun place to live.

[acedagaiin]

Power to the people

[RobbotChong]

Dont write that its Francis Ona in the info when its not.Ona is a great man,leader and revolutionary.Get the text right now or you will be pissing people off..

[MopacMurtaza]

The "King" is not Francis Ona, i have seen him myself in another documentary.