The information in this file was recently published in FREEDOM  -
the fortnightly anarchist journal published by FREEDOM PRESS:

FREEDOM PRESS (IN  ANGEL  ALLEY)  84B  WHITECHAPEL  HIGH  STREET,
LONDON E1 7QX GREAT BRITAIN

Do write for a sample copy or for  a  copy  of  our  booklist  of
publications.  We will be putting more of this information out so
watch this spot...

Focus on... BOUGAINVILLE

 The following is an abridged version of an article by Max  Watts
in  the  Anarchist  Age  Monthly  Review (August 94) published in
Melbourne Australia.

 In 1899 old Queen Vicky and Kaiser Bill did some horse  trading:
Bougainville,  most  definitely  ethnically,  geographically  and
culturally one of the Soloman Islands was handed over  from  this
(British!)  to  Imperial  Germany  and  attached to (German!) New
Guinea. The Bougainvillians were not consulted. In 1914 Australia
took  New  Guinea  off  the Germans, attached it to (Australian!)
Papua. Thus it remained apart from  a  brief  Japanese  interlude
until  1975.  The Bougainvillians were not consulted and began to
object.
 These objections became particularly vocal around 1969 when  the
people  of central Bougainville learned that they did not own the
land more than 3ft. below their gardens. This  belonged  to  'the
crown'.  It  had  been granted to Bougainville Copper Ltd., (BCL)
part of the Australian face of Rio Tinto Zinc  (RTZ)  of  London,
who  were  planning  on  digging  it  up  including of course the
gardens trees and rivers. The Bougainvillians became stroppy.
 The objectors, particularly the land-owning women, were  hit  on
the  head  with batons, tear-gassed and where necessary jailed by
the Australian-led police. The multinationals got the land, dug a
six  km.  long  deep,  deep  hole at Panguna and shipped out much
copper and gold. The rest, pretty poisonous tailing's, was thrown
into the Jaba river system, which died.
 The 'benefits' were considerable: 2,341.7 million Kina  (over  3
billion  Australian  dollars)  with the local Bougainvillians the
'Landowners' getting rather less totalling some 28 million.
 Demands for independence went unsatisfied and  a  more  militant
leadership  of  the  Panguna land owners emerged calling for more
money, ecological safeguards and - shock horror - part  ownership
of  the copper. The multinationals laughed. The Pangunans 'stole'
explosives blew up pylons and  closed  the  mine.  The  PNG  riot
police  did  their  duty. People were killed. In March 89 the PNG
army  came  in.  More  people  were  killed  including  soldiers.
Villages   were   burned.  The  people  formed  the  Bougainville
Revolutionary Army (BRA). Australia  sent  Iroquois  helicopters.
All  in  vain. The mines stayed closed and by March 1990 with the
situation out of control the PNG army mutinous and  defeated  was
withdrawn.   In    May1990   an   Interim   Government   declared
independence.  The  Australian  Labor   government   decided   on
invasion.
 The fundamental element of this plan which is being  pursued  to
this day has been the total blockade of independent Bougainville.
The blockade, completely dependant on Australian  support  has  a
dual  function:  to  stop  supplies  getting  in  and information
getting out.
 The Australian government assumed that the public  in  Australia
would  become  increasingly  unhappy  at supporting a war of Neo-
colonial reconquest,  a  small,  but  specifically  Australian...
Vietnam.  If  it were impossible to maintain complete silence the
war was to be presented as an internal  matter,  concerning  only
PNG,   or,   even   better,   as  a  civil  war  between  'loyal'
Bougainvillians and villain 'criminal' secessionists.
 The plan spelled  out  that  while  Port  Moresby  pretended  to
negotiate  with  the  Interim  Government,  the  PNG  army should
reconquer the outer sections of  the  island  building  on  local
conflicts and recruiting local militias.
 The hardships caused by the blockade,  above  all  the  lack  of
medical  supplies, have been quite cold-bloodedly integrated into
this  strategy.  Aid,  food,  medicines,   must   be   channelled
exclusively  to  sections  reconquered  by  the PNG army. This is
clear Labor government policy. The so-called 'care centres'  even
where  run  by  the  Red  Cross,  have  always  been  part of the
reconquest plan. Inside them, Bougainville women and children are
to  be  kept away from their menfolk, fighting for their country;
outside they are legitimate targets in a country wide  free  fire
zone.
 Initially  the  planners  assumed  that  the  government   would
collapse  quickly.  Although thousands of Bougainvillians, mostly
children and the elderly have died, four years down the track the
war  continues. The interior, the mine and access roads are still
in  rebel  hands.  The  planned,  anti  BRA  militia  has  become
effective  only  in the SW, in parts of the Siwai region and even
there little territory has been taken.
 As the wars drags on information leaks have begun to appear.  An
Australian  radio  expert, Sam Voron, ran the blockade and set up
Radio Free Bougainville (RFB). Despite enormous  difficulties  it
is  still  broadcasting  and  although  ignored by the Australian
media they are used by  Radio  New  Zealand  International,  less
dishonest  in  its  Bougainville  reportage. Others like Rosmarie
Gillespie have run the blockade to take medicine in and news out.
The  Australian government go to great lengths to discredit these
people's reports and she has had her passport confiscated.


One particular aspect of  Australia's  war  against  Bougainville
which  the  mainstream  media ignore is the growing resistance to
the war internationally and internally. Criticism by the UN,  AI,
Medecins  sans  Fronti res and others may briefly and distortedly
appear in the 'quality' press  but  almost  nothing  is  reported
nationally  about  the  growing  opposition within the Australian
union movement. The Bougainville  Freedom  Movement,  apart  from
organising  medical  shipments  tries  to  redress  the  balance,
'carrying a glass of clean water up-hill  against  a  torrent  of
shit  coming  down'  Some  efforts  have been successful but much
remains unknown to the broad public.
 In January 1994 the NSW South Coast Labour  Council  joined  the
protest  calling  on  a  black  ban  on  all  shipments to PNG. A
Gibraltan registered ship wanting to load 15,000  tons  of  wheat
has  fallen  under  the  ban.  This led to a meeting with Foreign
Minister Gareth Evans where he repeated the standard line: it  is
a PNG internal matter. Australia will continue supplying arms and
finance. The BRA are criminals and in any case 'we' have won  and
'they' have lost. There are only a few hundred BRAs left.
 Even in Port Moresby this was treated as a joke.
 To placate unionists a parliamentary delegation was sent.


 It went for three days in April and turned out to be an exercise
in    fig-leaf    hanging,   obfuscation   and   deception.   The
Bougainvillians had  always  welcomed  outsiders,  often  risking
their  lives to bring outsiders in. On the other hand such visits
had been restricted or banned by the PNG government. Initially at
least the 'left' delegates seemed to believe they would visit all
Bougainville and talk to all Bougainvillians including those  the
Australians  had  been  machine-gunning  and  suffering under the
blockade.
 However, a few days before the visit Canbera announced it  would
be  restricted  to  PNG  army bases and PNG occupied parts of the
island. No contact with independent Bougainville. Canbera claimed
that  the BRA would endanger the delegation. The fact that it was
these   Bougainvillians   who   have   constantly    asked    for
international,  even  Australian  visitors,  was  -  as  usual  -
suppressed. The delegation went  and  returned.  Apart  from  one
right winger they've said little so far.
 The right-winger, Mr Loosely has said that Australia, 'may  have
either inadvertently or through sheer neglect contributed to some
of the problems' which have hit  the  Bougainvillians.  A  rather
curious  way  of  defining  5 years of war, waged against a small
people, by the Australian  establishment!  5,000  perhaps  10,000
deaths  directly  attributable  to a blockade which wouldn't have
lasted a week without Australian military assistance.
 Loosely, and his delegation, may surprise  us  yet,  when  their
'report'  comes  out,  but  in the meantime I much fear that they
have only, once again, loosely hung a fig-leaf  over  Australia's
war, against Bougainville.

 BFM POB 134, Erskineville 2043, Australia Fax (02) 267 4746














































