Welcome to the concert of nations and do not follow the path of South Sudan where a bitter civil war broke up after Independence

Note: Bougainville is 700 km ( about 435 miles )
from mainland Papua New Guinea

Bougainville: World's newest nation expected to form as islands vote in independence poll
Region thought likely to break away from Papua New Guinea would be first new country since South Sudan

Nick Perry
21 hours ago
The Pacific islands of Bougainville are voting in a historic referendum to decide if it will become the world's newest nation by gaining independence from Papua New Guinea.

The vote will run over two weeks and is a key part of a 2001 peace agreement that ended a civil war in which at least 15,000 people died in the cluster of islands to the east of the Papua New Guinea mainland.

Experts believe the 250,000 people of Bougainville will vote overwhelming in favour of independence ahead of the other option, which is greater autonomy, but the vote will not be the final word.

The referendum is non-binding and a vote for independence would need to be negotiated by leaders from Bougainville and Papua New Guinea. The final say would go to legislators in the Papua New Guinea parliament.

In his weekly column in the Post-Courier newspaper, Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape said complex discussions and negotiations would be needed after the referendum before a political settlement could be reached.

The violence in Bougainville began in the late 1980s, triggered by conflict over an enormous open cast copper mine at Panguna.

The mine was a huge export earner for Papua New Guinea but many in Bougainville felt they got no benefit and resented the pollution and disruption to their traditional way of living.

The mine has remained shut since the conflict. Some believe it could provide a future revenue source for Bougainville should it become independent.

The civil war lasted for a decade before the peace agreement was signed. The other key aspects of the agreement were a weapons disposal plan and greater autonomy for the region.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/bougainville-independence-referendum-papua-new-guinea-new-nation-a9214796.html

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