Source: Post Courier

OPPOSITION to the opening of the Panguna copper mine is near universal, the much criticised Jubilee Australia Research Centre study "Voices of Bougainville" has found.

"Individuals not only expressed their personal opposition but reported that this was the feeling of the majority in the area," said the study which was released in Australia last week and was heavily criticised by Bougainville President John Momis.

Jubilee Australia, a scientific researcher, combined with Australian partner International State Crime Initiative and Madang-based NGO Bismarck Ramu Group, to compile Voices of Bougainville, sub-titled ‘Nikana kangsi, nikana dong damana’ (Our Land, Our Future").

Mr Momis was the first to condemn the "biased" report, calling on Jubilee Australia to apologise to the people of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The Jubilee Australia study found that there were three main reasons for the opposition to opening the Bougainville Copper Limited mine. They were:

The negative environmental and social consequences associated with the first period of mining;

The role the Panguna mine played in sparking the ten-year Bougainville Crisis, and,

The lack of meaningful reconciliation and justice, associated with which was ongoing trauma from the conflict period. It notes in its executive summary that about one fifth of the respondents of its study would be prepared to consider discussing the prospect of reopening the mine after the independence vote has been taken.

Other additional conditions for reopening were local ownership/control of the mine or a proper reconciliation ceremony.

"Respondents were deeply critical of recent consultations surrounding the proposed reopening of the mine," the report said.

"Some felt that the consultations had not been sufficiently inclusive of communities that would be directly affected by the reopening, and that youth, women and elders had been excluded.

"Others felt that they had been poorly represented by the landowner associations or their elected representatives; others felt that there had been misleading statements in the media."