Though in light of the above, I would suggest - to borrow the words of Mr Sturm - it was in fact those scholars and journalists that rejected the allegations made against BCL by landowners and activists who might be accused of being "naive", after all accessible documentary evidence on BCL's involvement has been available since 1990 (following a Supreme Court of Victoria court case involving BCL and their insurers - BCL records are also stored in an archive at the University of Melbourne and may be viewed upon request). But a number of new entrants are also in the game. Our EIN or tax ID is 45-3714703. stories compiled by the Catholic Diocese of Bougainville, decided to divest from its local subsidiary in control of the Panguna mine, United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Bolivian national park hit hard by forest fires in 2022, satellite data show, Deforestation out of control in reserve in Brazils cattle capital, In Brazils Amazon, land grabbers scramble to claim disputed Indigenous reserve, Gold mining invades remote protected area in Ecuador, Machine learning makes long-term, expansive reef monitoring possible, Experts pushing for high-seas fishing ban win Nobel Prize for environment, Theyre everywhere out there: Three new nautilus species described, End of the tuna FAD? BCL was aware of the illicit tactics being employed by the government's security forces, yet still availed company assets to the PNGDF and RPNGC. It cannot be the case that a company can be seen to improve its environmental social governance standards, simply by cutting and running from any projects that pose a high risk and high liability to them, Adams said. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of tailings were deposited in the rivers. Of course, I can only hint here at the evidence collected over several years of doctoral research. 5. The Panguna mine is a large copper mine located in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in the east of Papua New Guinea.Panguna represents one of the largest copper reserves in Papua New Guinea and in the world, having an estimated reserve of one billion tonnes of ore copper and twelve million ounces of gold. [8], During 2017, President Momis and the Autonomous Bougainville Government advocated for the re-opening of the Panguna mine. In turn, the landowner groups supporting BCLs plans to reopen Panguna have also come under fire. On satellite images, the Panguna mine yawns amid the otherwise green mountain forests of central Bougainville Island in the South Pacific, a silty river valley tracing a jagged path from the mine south and west to Empress Augusta Bay. Another significant shareholder, Graeme Kirke, is the founder of Kirke Securities where Mr Forrest previously worked. But in the wake of that expected vote, there is a real risk of new disputes between landowner groups as miners, many with links to Australia, could reignite the crisis that engulfed the island 30 years ago. That's how they worked. Evidence from Thirteen Cases Author(s): Michael L. Ross Source: International Organization, Engitech is a values-driven technology agency dedicated. The 156 complainants live in communities around and downstream of the mine. Landowner concerns with their treatment when the mine was previously operated led to civil unrest and closure of the mine. The mine operated for 17 years and produced 3Mt of Cu and 9.3Moz of Au. Rio Tinto said representatives from the company hadnt been able to visit the mine site since 1990 because of the civil war and later ongoing severe security concerns. As a result, the company wasnt able to address these problems before 2016. "There are activities on foot in several areas that can positively assist Bougainville Copper Ltd make a return to profitable mining," he said. Bougainville landowner groups were called to vote on allowing BCL to renew their mining licence and potentially reopen the Panguna mine, but lacked support. The pulp is sent to the flotation station 4:15. This story was produced with the assistance of the inaugural Walkley/Sean Dorney grant for Pacific Journalism. There was no answer from Caballus in response to a series of questions, including regarding its links to Bougainville Advance Mining and how it achieved such a prime position. Bougainville Copper trained some 12,000 employees, including approximately 1,000 completing full trade apprenticeships and some 400 completing graduate and post-graduate studies that resulted in considerable progress in the localisation of the company's employees and significantly added to the number of skilled workers elsewhere in the country's The Panguna mine devastated our communities physically and culturally and we are still living with the consequences, said Theonila Roka Matbob, a teacher from the village of Makosi, which is downstream from the mine, according to a statement. [6], In his first statement on Radio Australia Pacific Beat on 8 June 2010, the newly elected President of Bougainville, John Momis, declared that the Panguna mine has to be reopened to assure Bougainville's future economic growth. Large dumb truck rolls through the mine 20:55. BCL regularly met with military commanders from the PNGDF and senior Cabinet figures. I remained somewhat aloof during the controversy elicited by an SBS report in June 2011, as I feel my research speaks for itself - on reflection, I perhaps erred in not correcting factual inaccuracies that were subsequently reported in the media (see Callick 2011). A map overlays the scene at the mine 27:04. Autonomous Bougainville Government president John Momis. Editing by Gerald Varney. In-depth copper exploration started in 1964 8:15. Bougainville's struggle sprouted from colonial exploits at the now-defunct Panguna mine. The Panguna mine was operated by BCL, majority owned by Rio Tinto, for 17 years from 1972 until 1989, when operations were suspended due to an uprising against the mine and subsequent civil war. In 1988, disputes around the notorious Panguna mine sparked a lengthy civil war in Bougainville, leading to the deaths of up to 20,000 people. The Autonomous Bougainville Region consists of 168 islands with the most populated being the large island of Bougainville and the smaller island of Buka to its north, separated by the narrow Buka Passage. Karoona Maket 21:14. For example, BCL was informed by the Minister of State that the security forces were planning to use "brutal firepower" to resolve the situation on Bougainville. There can be no independence without first setting the country on a pathway to fiscal self-reliance and Panguna is the only asset which can assist this fundamental objective.. This claim was confirmed by a senior civil servant who was working in Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister's department: "We relied heavily on some of the civilian facilities provided by the company. Moreover, noted McLeod, Bougainville is "right in the middle of a number of territories in the South Pacific. As one woman from Dapera told me in 2015: I have travelled all over Bougainville, and I can say that they [in Dapera] are the poorest of the poor. Landowners are guaranteed rights under the 2015 Mining Act, but in an urgent bid in January 2019 to raise funds for the referendum, the government proposed to abolish those rights, at the same time allocating near monopoly rights to Caballus's Bougainville Advance Mining. I spent several nights in a large two-story house built entirely from a single tree dragged out of the tailings dragged upright, with a tractor. So we supported them every way we could" (Personal Communication, 2006). Under his Prime Ministership the Papua New Guinea security forces - in an effort to reopen the mine - executed and tortured civilians, systematically destroyed villages, and imposed a blockade on Bougainville, which included the denial of humanitarian aid. Rebel guerillas above the Panguna copper and gold mine in Bougainville in 1994. I consider that issue now resolved.-- * Kristian Lasslett is a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Ulster and he sits on the Executive Board of the International State Crime Initiative. If you wish to join the group, please state who you are and what relationship you had with Bougainville. ", Investment strategy; Ongoing tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Commission of PNG; Litigation in the United States; Corporate governance; Safety; Risk management; Bougainville Copper Foundation; Significant events, beginning on Bougainville; and Bougainville Copper Agreement. Bougainville Coppers main objective is to work cooperatively towards realising the vision of resuming active exploration and sustainable copper, gold and silver mining at Panguna, in central Bougainville, after mining ceased in 1989. Equipment from Japan arrives for storage at the mine 24:00. A spokesperson said: We believe the 2016 arrangement provided a platform for the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and PNG to work together on future options for the resource with all stakeholders. A 16th century map 5:41. Rock crushers weighing 24 tons 24:20. A geologist with 17yrs industry experience in grade control geology, resource definition, near-mine and regional mineral exploration, and database geology. Louis-Antoine de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer. Re-opening Panguna would be a disaster., Rebel guerillas above the Panguna copper and gold mine in Bougainville in 1994.Credit:Ben Bohane. The moratorium was put in place in early 2018, but the government now appears to favour mining across the island as a means to generate income and underwrite independence. She acknowledged that environmental standards at the time were very, very poor in comparison to what would be acceptable today, but even those werent followed. The case ultimately foundered on jurisdictional grounds. Kalias bid is financially supported by a company run by Australian polo patriarch Peter Yunghanns. 1 talking about this. The one thing both have in common is their respective share prices are in the gutter, with BCL trading at 10 cents a share and RTG trading at 6.5 Canadian cents (7.4 cents). The company purportedly aided the security forces by providing them with trucks, fuel, accommodation, communications equipment, storage space, messing facilities and office resources after concerns about human rights abuses became apparent. [7], A referendum on Bougainville's independence must be held no later than June 2020 under the Bougainville Peace Agreement. BCL must publicly apologise for its evidenced role in the Bougainville conflict. Its sole director is Arabian horse breeder and luxury goods dealer Jeff McGlinn a man who posted a flashy social media video of Saudi royalty at a luxury event, and another of him giving one of his fine equines to classical crossover singer Andrea Bocelli. Even the subsistence farming on which many local communities rely has been hampered by the tainted water flowing from the mine. For example, the company's charitable arm - the Bougainville Copper Foundation (BCF) - had surveyed homes lost to village burnings, which were conducted en masse by the Mobile Squads and the PNGDF during 1989. BCL/Handout via REUTERS. The issue of compensation went to the High Court of Australia, where it was found that the compensation was inadequate under ordinary federal Australian law, but that as an External Territory, Papua New Guinea was not guaranteed the same standards that applied to mainland Australia. Control room and men monitor the equipment 26:35. The mine was vitally important to the economy of Papua New Guinea. PNG marks 40 years of independence, still feeling the effects of Australian colonialism. Australian External Territories Minister Charles Barnes was accused of telling the Bougainvillean people they would "get nothing". Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Rio Tinto, therefore, is of the view that it is for the people of Bougainville to determine their future, including any potential redevelopment of the mine.. The PNG national government received a 20% share of profit from the mine, of which the Bougainvilleans received 5% - 1.25% share of the total profit. Bougainville Copper Limited 10:15. Indeed, Panguna along with the socially and environmentally disastrous Ok Tedi mine in the western highlands of PNG are widely credited with forcing the industry to reassess its social license to operate. But beyond the question of financing, those affected by the mine want the company to acknowledge the problems that the mine continues to cause. Heavy trucks sit rusting on the edges of Panguna copper mine, closed in 1989 as a result of sabotage.Credit:Friedrich Stark / Alamy Stock Photo. BCL did not alert the domestic or international community of the impeding humanitarian crisis. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. A recent example is when, after Rio Tinto divested from Bougainville Copper in 2016, former Bougainville President John Momis said Rio must take full responsibility for an environmental clean-up. If the ESBC wish to restore the integrity of BCL, then they should forward the following demands to BCL's Chairman and Managing Director Peter Taylor: 1. Another ASX-listed company, Kalia Limited, has been given two permits to explore in the northern tip of Bougainville. McGlinn was last week travelling in Europe. A ship in the bay 22:07. A man uses a 3-D map to plan the excavation 11:04. Following PNG security forces heavy-handed intervention allegedly under strong political pressure from Bougainville Copper the rebellion quickly escalated into a full-blown separatist conflict that eventually engulfed all parts of the province. The disposal of hundreds of millions of tonnes of tailings into the Kawerong-Jaba river system created enormous problems. Since the end of mining activities 30 years ago, tailings have continued to move down the rivers and the waterways have never been treated for suspected chemical contamination. "Due to the loss recorded and the need to preserve cash for future development the company will not pay a dividend. Such past shortfalls aside, Adams said that Rio Tinto has since agreed to more stringent environmental requirements for other mines. One of the key proponents of the company's innocence is major BCL stockholder, the highly-irascible Axel Sturm. Hansard editors report what politicians say in the House of Representatives. Despite revelations aired on SBS last year, which evidenced BCL's complicity in the brutal security force operations on Bougainville, BCL and the ESBC continue to play down the company's instrumental role in the conflict. An obstacle here is that the company fears ritual apology would expose it to liability in the courts. New methods of commerce are employed 21:30. However, he added that mining would be part of Bougainvilles future. Men crush rocks in the river looking for minerals 8:05. However, in light of recent personal attacks on my credibility as a researcher and scholar, I feel compelled to summarise the empirical evidence on which my recent suggestions were based. "Bougainville Copper Limited shareholding", "Bougainville imposes moratorium on Panguna mine over fears of civil unrest", "BCL takes Bougainville Govt to court over licence non-renewal", European Shareholders of Bougainville Copper (ESBC), Bougainville Copper Limited - All Annual Reports since 1967, Blood and Treasure - SBS documentary 2011, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bougainville_Copper&oldid=1142268123, Copper mining companies of Papua New Guinea, Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 13:11. Thats what communities want, Adams said. Land clearing begins 15:40. Photograph: Torsten Blackwood/AFP via Getty. David Johnston (no relation to Michael) and Kalia shareholder Nick Zuks also did not return calls. SYDNEY, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Communities around Rio Tinto's (RIO.AX), (RIO.L) shuttered copper mine in Bougainville face a serious threat of flooding due to unstable mine instrastructure, an. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. They were the only ones that could come, and put a lid on this thing before it got out of hand" (Personal Communication, 2006). Your naive adoption of statements and claims from rebel groups on the ground disqualify you as an honest scientistI suppose your work in Ulster [Northern Ireland], a region well known for rebellion and organised crime, troubled your visionUnfortunately you are also allowed to spread your ideas among you students. And in an unsuccessful class action, launched by Bougainvilleans in the United States in 2000, Rio was accused of collaborating with the PNG state to commit human rights abuses during the conflict and was also sued for environmental damages. You shall not use your academic position as a platform for indoctrination and agitation.". In recent months, the mudslinging by supporters of both groups has died down. The natives of Papua New Guinea are to be trained to work in the copper mines 14:03. It should also reveal the relevant conversations that took place between the BCL management and senior state officials during this period. MELBOURNE, July 21 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX) said on Wednesday it has reached an agreement with stakeholders of the Bougainville community to look into potential environmental damage. A total of K1,088 million was contributed to the National Government, which represented 62 per cent of the net cash generated by the project between 1972 1989. The Duke of Edinburgh visits in 1971 22:25. Calls to the Perth offices of another suitor, Kalia Limited, which is now led by Michael Johnston, the former boss of failed PNG miner Nautilus Mining, went unreturned. The Panguna mine was operated by Bougainville Copper (BCL), majority owned by Rio Tinto, between 1972 and 1989, when operations were suspended owing to an uprising against the mine and subsequent . Construction continues at a rapid pace 25:27. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. A no-go zone around the Panguna mine, set up by the Meekamui Defence Force, is signposted in Bougainville, 2008. In its heyday, the mine, which would take an estimated $US5 billion in infrastructure spending to restart, was a productive asset for Rio Tinto, then known as Conzinc Rio Tinto. [10], In February 2018, BCL begun legal proceedings against the Autonomous Bougainville Government following the cancellation of the exploration license. It ended the day at 89 cents, up 122.5%. But that race has also already sparked intense political disagreement between rival groups on the island. Mining giant Rio Tinto Group, which was historically Bougainville Copper Limited's major shareholder, exited on 30 June 2016 when it transferred its 53.8 per cent shareholding for distribution to the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. Taylor said he was more optimistic about the future of this company than any year out of the previous 20 years. BCL placed substantive pressure on the Papua New Guinea government to send the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Mobile Squads - a paramilitary style force, who according to their own commanders excel in the use of terror (RPNGC Assistant Commissioner, Personal Communication, 2006) - to Bougainville in 1988, following attacks on mine property by a landowner group. Clouds in the mountains 6:45. All friends up till the closure of the mine. It is astonishing, in light of these facts, BCL would appoint Sir Rabbie Namaliu to the Board of Directors, and that the ESBC would support this decision. 3. As one General Manager informed me: "We knew the riot squads were heavy handed, that was well known in PNG. There can be no independence without first setting the country on a pathway to fiscal self-reliance and Panguna is the only asset which can assist this. These communities used the rivers for drinking water and the adjacent lands for subsistence food gardening. The colonial-era approach to mining when Panguna was developed in the 1960s stands in stark contrast to the corporate social responsibility paradigm supposedly governing the global mining industry today. Be worried when fossil fuel lobbyists support current environmental laws. RTG claims BCL has lost its local goodwill and cannot operate in Bougainville, and that RTG has the support of a landowner group the Special Mining Lease Osikaiyang Landowners Association - one of the groups who say they represent landowners in the Panguna area. Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) is a mining company of Papua New Guinea (PNG) that is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Rivers and streams became filled with silt and significantly widened. When Prime Minister Namaliu opted to send a peace delegation to Bougainville to resolve the impasse with landowners in December 1988, BCL's Chairman - who was also an executive at Conzinc Rio Tinto Australia (CRA) - threatened to withdraw all CRA investments from Papua New Guinea. Luke Fletcher, a long-time Bougainville watcher and executive director of think tank Jubilee Australia warns of the resources curse that has plagued PNG.