Bougainville: Rio Tinto faces war crimes allegations in bid to reopen mine
British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is seriously contemplating reopening its Bougainville copper and gold mine, Reuters reported on February 7. Situated on Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) eastern border with the Solomon Islands, 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. Rio Tinto stands accused of being complicit in these atrocities.
See http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53429#sthash.6Hlcpx8a.dpuf.
Australia warned to stay out of Bougainville affairs
Former Bougainville Revolutionary Army commander Sam Kaona has warned Australia not to meddle in Bougainville affairs. He said the first policy draft on mining in Bougainville was no different from the colonial policy that caused the crisis. “The Australians have taken control of mining policy in Buka and the first policy draft by ABG legal unit headed by Tony Regan is no different from the previous policy,” Kaona, who is chairman of the recently formed Bougainville Resources Owners Representative Council, said. He added that the proposed policy, sponsored by AusAID and drafted by Regan, risked Bougainville’s first constitutional crisis.
See http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/46142.
Rio’s Mongolia Copper Dream Awakens 20-Year-Old Nightmare
Rio Tinto Group’s Mongolia copper and gold mine looks a dream location sitting next to China, the biggest market. Yet, Mongolia’s bid for more control of the project draws comparison with a Rio mine that went badly wrong. Rio has refused government overtures to rewrite the agreement on the mine known as Oyu Tolgoi, raising tensions and comparisons with another Rio copper mine more than two decades ago. That project known as Panguna on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea was shut by local protests and is still the subject of a U.S. court case.
See http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-20/rio-tinto-s-mongolia-copper-dream-awakens-20-year-old-nightmare.html.