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Bougainvillians deserve the chance to say “it’s mine”

24 Apr 05:50am

Filed under: Bougainville, Civil War, Environment, Independence, Mining, Rio Tinto

By the time Francis Ona and the various factions of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army permanently laid down their arms on 30 April 1998, it is estimated that more than 15,000 Bougainvillians had lost their lives.

Independence this way, PNG that way.

The decade long conflict – part war of independence, part civil war - had been the most bloody and costly war in the Pacific since WWII. At the turn of the millennium, Bougainville was a place of devastation.

Bougainville has long loomed large in the consciousness of many Australians.

Continue reading "Bougainvillians deserve the chance to say “it’s mine”" »

Latest 2 of 13 comments

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Alan says:

10:27am | 26/04/11

Richard, why not focus on the mess you and your ilk have made at home before you start trying to fix the world? Read more »
Old timer. says:

05:21pm | 25/04/11

I think the writer will find that the 25th Battalion did not serve in Bouganville but mainland PNG & then Borneo after Japan came into ww2. The Battalion that served in Bouganville was the 24th Battalion. There is no Marles listed as being a member of the 24th. They did… Read more »

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