 Reconciliation in Bougainville |
Issue 84 |
Bougainville: Giving peace a chance
Bougainville is a beautiful tropical island, rich in natural resources situated on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, just to the north of the Solomon Islands. These natural resources, copper in particular, have been the cause of major upheaval on the island.
The Panguna mine triggered a 10 year "crisis" that the people of Bougainville are still coming to terms with. When it operated, the giant, open cut Panguna mine was six kilometres wide and four kilometres deep, a huge scar on the landscape. The mine was a focus for conflict on two fronts. It was a source of environmental destruction. The people of Bougainville relied heavily on the environment as a source of food and water as well as spiritual and cultural identity. As Raphael Bele, a young leader on Bougainville in the late 1960s put it:
"...to Bougainvilleans, land is like the skin on the back of your hand. You inherit it, and it is your duty to pass it on to your children in as good a condition as, or better than, that in which you received it. You would not expect us to sell our skin, would you?"
And if that wasn't bad enough, the profits from the mine seemed to bypass the local landowners.
The Australian based mining company Conzinc RioTinto Australia (CRA) and its shareholders were the major beneficiaries as was the Australian Government and subsequently the Papua New Guinea Government through payment of mining royalties.
The local landowners tried for many years to negotiate for a better deal and better environmental protection but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Some of the more radical landowners felt that their only option was to resist and to close the mine. The local people tried to resist through demonstrations, petitions, meetings and submissions. These came to nothing.
Finally, one group calling themselves the Bougainville Resistance Army (BRA) took more drastic action. They stole explosives from the mine and blew up the pylons which supported the electricity cables that supplied the mine site. The mine could no longer operate. The Papua New Guinean government decided to take action against the BRA. They sent in troops to put down the rebellion. This was the beginning of what was to be a long drawn out war.
As in any war there are many losers, most of whom take no part in the battles. Women and children were often caught in the middle of hostilities. Many were attacked and were forced to leave their homes and their sources of food so as to escape the fighting. Not only did the BRA fight the PNG Defence Force, different factions within the BRA fought each other. The locals obtained small arms from the Solomon Islands and armed conflict continued for almost ten years.
The huge scar that was the Panguna copper mine was nothing compared to the huge scar on the people of Bougainville. The trauma of ten years of conflict is still being felt. Young men now are trying to overcome a lack of education because they left school to fight. The lesson they learned was that they could get what they wanted through violence. This is not the way of peace. This is not the way of the future.
It is women who again are taking a major part in the rebuilding of the peace in Bougainville. They are the majority of teachers in schools teaching the young people about non-violent ways of dealing with problems. The women are taking an active part in the reconciliation process, which will heal the wounds of the "crisis" years.
Women like Helen Hakena and the Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency that she set up in 1992, have helped to end the cycle of retaliation, retribution and revenge that has plagued Bougainville for years. The women of Bougainville have led the way in making people realise the consequences of war and leading people to a new way of dealing with conflict. The peace building process is a difficult one but is in good hands when women like Helen Hakena are driving it.
To read more about Bougainville and the peace process go to www.dfat.gov.au/geo/png/
bougainville/bougainville_peace_process.html
and www.unpo.org/news_detail.php?arg=11&par=33
Religion/Social Sciences
Go to www.newint.org
Click on NI magazine and then back issues
Go to issue 350 October 2002
Scroll down to Making Waves and click on it
Read the article about Helen Hakena and answer the following:
- What were the war crimes committed during the Bougainville struggle for independence?
- Who were they struggling against?
- When was the Panguna mine forced to close?
- How big was the Panguna mine?
- What was the reaction of the PNG Defence force?
- How did the people like Helen Hakena react?
- What is Helen Hakena struggling against now?
- Why did she start the Leitana Nehan organisation?
- What role have women traditionally had in Bougainville?
- What did the Leitana Nehan begin to do in 1995?
- What was the effect of the march of 1000 women in Buka?
- The UN can help, but what are women like Helen Hakena trying to achieve on Bougainville?
Go to www.eco-action.org/dt/bvstory.html
- Look at the photo of the Panguna mine. Describe what you see.
- Read about the early contact of the Islanders with Europeans.
- Why were the European explorers interested in places like Bougainville?
- What were the Spanish particularly interested in?
- How did the Island get the name of Bougainville?
- What other colonial powers were interested in the area?
- How did Bougainville end up as part of the German colonies?
- Who controlled the rest of the Solomons group of islands?
- When did the Germans lose control of Bougainville? Why?
- What was the first contact between Australians and Bougainvilleans?
- Who occupied Bougainville during World War II?
- Who controlled Bougainville after World War II?
- Who controlled Bougainville after 1975?
Go to www.newint.org/issue311/rebel.htm to find out how many people were killed in the nine year war on Bougainville.
- In what way was the Island turned upside down?
- How were some families split by the war?
- How much has the Australian Government given Bougainville in aid?
Scroll down to The Octopus of War
Create a timeline marking all the significant dates for the island of Bougainville beginning with 1768 and going up to 1990.
Go to www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/
globaled/go/pid/564
- Read the introduction and summarise the reasons for the conflict in your own words.
- What was the impact of the war on ordinary people?
Read the section titled Peace Keeping
- What was special about the Peace Monitoring Group?
- How did they support the peace process?
Read the section titled Peace building
- Describe some of the ways local people got through the conflict period.
- How are young men being helped to readjust to normal village life?
Read the section titled Women as peace builders
- Outline the role of women in beginning the peace process
- Why did Helen Hakena get involved in the peace process?
- How did her organisation Leitana Nehan assist the rebuilding of Bougainville?
- What was the role of AusAid in their work?
- How does Helen get her message of peace to schools?
Organise several groups to discuss the meaning of peace for the students of Buin Community School (Children as peace builders).
Go to www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/
map/profile/bougainv.pdf to locate Buin at the Southern end of the island. Locate Panguna as well, a little further north. Choose one each.
Present these to the rest of the groups considering the following:
- Their personal experience of war, violence and conflict
- Their hopes for the future
- Your group's thoughts on what peace means to you.
Design a mind map for your group with PEACE at its centre.
Send an e-greeting to a friend with an image that appeals to you, from Bougainville. Go to www.electronic-greetings.com/cgibin/c1.cgi?9176 to view the images.
Bougainville is a country that is struggling to overcome years of conflict. Complete this exercise which focuses on the areas of conflict around the world and the strategies that you can come up with to solve the conflict.
Perhaps your experience of looking at Bougainville will give you some ideas. Go to www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/
globaled/go/pid/570
A comprehensive webquest has been designed which covers the history, geography, cultures of the Pacific as well as a Civics component which looks at issues and skills of governance involved in running a Pacific Island. Go to www.uq.net.au/pacificwebquest/students.html to see what is involved.
Go to www.webquestdirect.com.au/
championsofjustice/prologue.htm to look at an activity which looks at the issue of how to build a society which respects human rights and children's rights in particular. This is particularly difficult but all the more important after a war. This site looks at the issues in an imaginative and amusing way.
Go to www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au
/globaled/go/pid/566 for more teaching and learning ideas about peace building which can be used in Primary schools as well as Secondary schools. It focuses on women and children as peace makers as they are on Bougainville.
Go to www.datec.net.pg/~phowley/ to look at the issues of restorative justice which have been at the heart of the Bougainville peace process. This site looks at the role of the Marist Brothers in this work.
Compare the peace keeping on Bougainville with the peace keeping in Iraq. Compare the two and discuss possible reasons why Bougainville has had more success up to this point in building a peaceful society after war.
Peace needs to be fought for and built on reconciliation. Discuss.
Go to www.caritas.org.au/ourwork
/where_png_story.htm to find out what projects are being supported by Caritas Australia in Bougainville. Please continue to support this work.
Update
Thanks to all who responded to the suggestions regarding children in detention centres. The Government is responding to the pressure from ordinary people who realise that this policy is cruel and unnecessary.
There are however, still around 100 children in detention centres (www.chilout.org). Please continue to apply pressure to the politicians to have this policy changed. Go to www.amnesty.org.au
/whats_happening/refugees/article?cid=20&pid=236 for suggested action.
Go to www.thebetterway.info/ to view more campaigning ideas on this issue. This site is designed by Melbourne Catholic Communications.
In the run up to the Federal election in Australia, a coalition of welfare organisations is trying to bring the issue of poverty to the attention of our politicians with the hope that they will make a commitment to address this growing problem. Visit www.nomorepoverty.org.au/ to find out more and get involved.