|A young freedom fighter from the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) |
at Panguna mine in 1994. Photo: Francis O'Neill, via eco-action.org.
British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is seriously contemplating reopening its Bougainville copper and gold mine.
The company's Bougainville operation was forcefully closed down in November 1988 by traditional landowners who objected to the mine’s environmental and social effects.
A bloody civil war ensued, which took up to 20,000 lives on an island of 175,000 people. The war crimes committed by government security forces in the conflict were horrific.
Bougainvillean nurse Sister Ruby Mirinka recalled: “One of the victims was a 24-year-old pregnant woman. Shot dead by the PNG soldiers, her abdomen was then cut open to remove the foetus. The dead foetus was then placed on the chest of the dead mother for all to see — as a warning.”