Learn how and when to remove this template message, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, Australian occupation of German New Guinea, President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Papua New Guinea national rugby league team, List of active separatist movements in Oceania, "AUTONOMOUS REGION OF BOUGAINVILLE : Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Bill 2018", "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab", "The Constitution of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville", Will Marshall, "Papua New Guinea government obtains shaky weapons disposal pact in Bougainville", "Papua New Guinea not told of Australia's plans for new diplomatic post there", Canberra abandons Bougainville mission plan, "Bougainville confirms independence referendum before 2020 | Pacific Beat", "Ball rolling on Bougainville referendum", "Bougainville voters back independence by landslide", "Bougainville independence vote delivers emphatic demand to become world's newest nation", "Former rebel leader elected Bougainville president", "Pacific Regional Statistics - Secretariat of the Pacific Community", "Bougainville imposes moratorium on Panguna mine over fears of civil unrest", "BOUGAINVILLE FLAG, EMBLEM AND ANTHEM (PROTECTION) ACT 2018", "Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Bill 2018: Explanatory Note", "New Executives Set To Revive Rugby League", "League Bilong Laif program commences in Bougainville", "Sport: Bougainville to make PNG National Soccer League debut", Full text of the Peace Agreement for Bougainville, Conciliation Resources—Bougainville Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Autonomous_Region_of_Bougainville&oldid=995661602, Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, States and territories established in 2000, Articles lacking in-text citations from March 2020, Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the symbol caption or type parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from November 2019, Wikipedia external links cleanup from June 2019, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 December 2020, at 05:42. [48], Bougainvillean netball player Maleta Roberts has played professionally in Australia and represented the Papua New Guinea national netball team at the Commonwealth Games. [30][31], Ishmael Toroama, a former rebel leader, was elected president of Bougainville on September 23, 2020. In January 2018, a moratorium on one mine was imposed by the Papua New Guinea government, in a bid to calm civil unrest against mining in the region. He has called on all parties to ensure that the follow-up will be "inclusive and constructive". 1768 French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville is the first European to reach the island.. 1886 and 1898 Anglo-German accords see Bougainville, ethnically and geographically part of the Solomons, become part of German New Guinea. [29] The referendum question was a choice between greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea, or full independence. Bougainville Island (which is slightly larger than Cyprus in terms of area) and the smaller Buka Island that is adjacent to it, and that has the capital which bears the same name, is located in the northern part of the Solomon Islands archipelago in the southern Pacific, and is part of Papua New Guinea (PNG), the largest state in Oceania. [36], A law passed by the provincial assembly – the Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Act 2018 – affirmed the existing official status of the flag of Bougainville and emblem of Bougainville. [34] There are many indigenous languages in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, belonging to three language families. In 1942, Bougainville was invaded by the Japanese in order to provide a support base for the operations elsewhere in the South-West Pacific. Irwin, H. (1980). This content is not available in your region, Researcher at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. Bougainville, formerly an Australian colonial territory, has had a fractious relationship with Papua New Guinea since joining the country in 1976. British naval officer Philip Carteret saw Buka Island in 1767 and also visited what became the Carteret Islands. The Sandline affair was a controversial incident that resulted from use of these mercenary troops. [13] Both Austronesian and non-Austronesian languages are spoken on the islands to this day, however there has been significant mixing between the populations to the point that cultural and genetic differences are no longer correlated with language. He died in office on 6 June 2008. Understand . Such a massive vote has no issue than making it inevitable. [18] The first fully commercial plantation was established in 1908, but German annexation had little economic impact. The Bougainville conflict ended in 1997, after negotiations brokered by New Zealand. The lingua franca of Bougainville is Tok Pisin, while a variety of Austronesian and non-Austronesian languages are also spoken. [37][38], Rugby league in Bougainville is administered by the Bougainville Rugby Football League (BRFL), which is affiliated with the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL). The region's biodiversity, which is one of the most important in Oceania, is heavily threatened by mining activities. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Women in tribal colours attend a Bougainville reconciliation ceremony in November An island group that’s part of Papua New Guinea is about to vote on independence. For all your travel needs consult MK Business Consultants which provide reliable travel arrangements services. The interim capital is Buka, though it is expected that major government services and buildings will be moved to Arawa, following reconstruction.[7]. Over 98% of the valid ballots were cast for independence. Understand []. In New York, UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres applauded the "successful organisation of the referendum" and praised authorities and the electorate "for their dedication and peaceful behaving throughout the process". In 1996, Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan hired Sandline International, a private military company previously involved in supplying mercenaries in the civil war in Sierra Leone, to put down the rebellion. Bannoni and Torau are Austronesian languages not closely related to the former, which are spoken in the coastal areas of central and south Bougainville. Could Bougainville be the world's newest country? Buka, capital of Bougainville (Photo: Annmaree O'Keeffe) Published 9 Oct 2019 06:00 0 Comments Bougainville ; Papua New Guinea ... With 40% of Bougainville’s population under age 15, education is likely to be a top priority for the new country, which would need to consider how to deal with the reality that it only has seven lower secondary schools and four upper secondary schools. [42] Historically the Bougainville Soccer Association came into conflict with the Papua New Guinea Football Association over various matters. "Now, we feel liberated, psychologically at least", President of the autonomous region John Momis said. Only 3,000 were in favour of a bigger self-governance. During the colonial period the region was occupied and administered by the Germans, Australians, Japanese, and Americans for various periods. The … [11] Around 3,000 years ago, Austronesian peoples brought the Lapita culture to the islands,[12] introducing pottery, agriculture, and domesticated animals such as pigs, dogs, and chickens. [15] A German protectorate over the northern islands was established later that year, but the British Solomon Islands Protectorate was not established until 1893. It is an island with vast untapped potential for tourism with magnificently rugged, jungled terrain and amazing coral reefs offshore. People line up to vote in a referendum on Bougainville's independence from Papua New Guinea, in the region's interim capital of Buka Town, on Nov. 25. The majority of people on Bougainville are Christian, an estimated 70% being Roman Catholic and a substantial minority being of the Protestant United Church of Papua New Guinea since 1968. People queue to vote at a polling station in the capital Buka in an historical independence vote on November 25, 2019. Nurse Alexia Baria congratulated herself, bursting in tears of happiness: "This is the moment we've been waiting for.". They just voted 97.7% to vote in favour of independence. Then, if successful, the ratification by the Papuan Parliament in Port Moresby, the capital of the country, can occur. They will have to be ready to discuss the independence agenda. Geographically, Bougainville is the largest of the Solomon Islands, located near the northern end of that chain.Bougainville is 75 miles (120 km) long and 40–60 miles (65–95 km) wide. Historically the region was known as the North Solomons. The island and province Bougainville is part of Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Solomon Islands group. November 10, 2020 An Altamar podcast interview with Shane McLeod Research Fellow of The Lowy Institute’s Australia-PNG Network People queue to vote at a polling station in the capital city Buka, Bougainville, in a historical independence vote on November 25, 2019. Bougainville (/ˈboʊɡənvɪl/ BOH-gən-vil;[3] Tok Pisin: Bogenvil[4][5]), officially the Autonomous Region of Bougainville,[6] is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The majority of economic growth comes from agriculture and aquaculture. Takuu Dictionary. A former surveyor with Bougainville Copper, Ona was a key figure in the secessionist conflict and had refused to formally join the island's peace process. After the war the Australian government incorporated Bougainville and the rest of the mandate into the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, the immediate predecessor of present-day Papua New Guinea. The parties agreed to have a referendum in the future on whether the island should become politically independent.[24]. The languages of the north-central and southern lobes of the island belong to the North and South Bougainville families. Bougainville Referendum Commission Chairman Bertie Ahern (C) signs the referendum announcement in Bougainville on December 11, 2019. Bougainville, a small island belonging to Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific, has taken a major decision. The German administrative station at Kieta, established in 1905, was preceded by a Marist mission, which succeeded in converting a majority of the islanders to Catholicism. Disputes by regional residents with the company over adverse environmental impacts, failure to share financial benefits, and negative social changes brought by the mine resulted in a local revival for a secessionist movement that had been dormant. Elections for the first autonomous government were held in May and June 2005; Joseph Kabui, an independence leader, was elected President. Bougainville, officiellement région autonome de Bougainville, est une région autonome de la Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée. [17], The German Solomon Islands were administered through German New Guinea, although it took almost two decades for an administrative presence to be established. Geographically the islands of Bougainville and Buka are part of the Solomon Islands archipelago, but are politically separate from the independent country of Solomon Islands. It is an island with vast untapped potential for tourism with magnificently rugged, jungled terrain and amazing coral reefs offshore. Bougainvillean separatism dates to the 1960s, and the Republic of North Solomons was declared shortly before the independence of Papua New Guinea in 1975; it was subsumed into Papua New Guinea the following year. For census purposes, the LLGAs are subdivided into wards, and those into census units.[33]. [46], Boxing is popular in Bougainville. Then in 1975, leaving the remit of Australia, Bougainville became a province of Papua New Guinea with an autonomous government. In 1988, the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) increased their activity significantly. Bougainville is off the beaten track and far from easy to get to. The name of the region originates from French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville,[8] who reached it in 1768. He supports autonomy within a relationship with the national government of Papua New Guinea. Independence referendum to be held in Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville Off the coast of Queensland, a historic vote is taking place that could lead to the formation of a new nation. These constitute two language families, North Bougainville and South Bougainville. [14], The first Europeans to sight present-day Bougainville were the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire, who glimpsed Takuu Atoll and Nissan Island in 1616. [9] Until about 10,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, there was a single island referred to as "Greater Bougainville" that spanned from the northern tip of Buka Island to the Nggela Islands north of Guadalcanal. The largest island is Bougainville Island, while the region also includes Buka Island and a number of outlying islands and atolls. On the second biggest island of the archipelago, Buka, referendum commission chairman and former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern revealed the results. [39] A number of Bougainvilleans have played for the Papua New Guinea national rugby league team, including Bernard Wakatsi, Joe Katsi, Lauta Atoi, and Chris Siriosi. The Bougainville Government is about to start repossessing government assets in Arawa as it strives to restore services in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region. Originally from Bougainville, Musingku started U-Vistract in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby in the late 1990s, promising investors 100 per cent interest per month. Bougainville Explained: How the world’s newest country might bloom out of protests against a copper mine The conflict in Bougainville and the desire of Bougainvillean people for independence is rooted in the historic plunder of the resource-rich island that has large deposits of copper and the unequal distribution of wealth that followed. The interim capital is Buka, though it is expected that major government services and buildings will be moved to Arawa, following reconstruction. The region includes several Polynesian outliers where Polynesian languages are spoken. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles established the former colony as a League of Nations mandate, administered by Australia as the Territory of New Guinea. [35], The Papuan languages are confined to the main island of Bougainville. Bougainville is the largest island of the Solomon Islands archipelago, and an autonomous island region within Papua New Guinea. The current boundary between PNG and Solomon Islands is derived from the Tripartite Convention of 1899, which saw those islands ceded to the United Kingdom. 1921 Australia wins a League of Nations mandate over what is now Papua New Guinea, including Bougainville. A Central Bougainville leader and landowner, Theresa Jaintong, wants the capital of a future independent state of Bougainville to return to Kieta. Bougainville is very off the beaten track and far from easy to get to. [32], The region is divided into three districts, which are further divided into Local Level Government (LLGs) areas. The Buka Passage divides Buka from Bougainville Island. The bustling waterway of Bougainville's capital Buka is seen on Nov. 21, 2019, ahead of an historic independence vote. After interim elections to fill the remainder of his term, John Momis was elected as president in 2010 for a five-year term. A peace agreement resulted in the creation of the Autonomous Bougainville Government. [19], The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force occupied Bougainville in December 1914, as part of the Australian occupation of German New Guinea. They just voted 97.7% to vote in favour of independence. [10], The first inhabitants of Bougainville were Australo-Melanesians who presumably arrived from the Bismarck Archipelago. However, many elected officials are fiercely opposed to this independence, fearing a contagion effect across a country composed of several hundred ethnic groups. These include Rotokas, a language with a very small inventory of phonemes, Eivo, Terei, Keriaka, Nasioi (Kieta), Nagovisi, Siwai (Motuna), Baitsi (sometimes considered a dialect of Siwai), Uisai and several others. The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, a chain of islands that lie 959 kilometres northwest of Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, has voted unequivocally for independence. The PNGDF retreated from permanent positions on Bougainville in 1990, but continued military action. Citizens of Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, overwhelmingly voted for independence on Dec. 11, which means it may become the world’s newest country, CNN reported. Bougainville is about to open negotiations with Papua New Guinea following the overwhelming vote in favour of independence in a referendum late last year. Its capital is Arawa. The war claimed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 lives.[22][23]. Canberra – and Beijing – are watching intently. Arawa, Bougainville Island Photo : Arawa Town the capital of Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Port Moresby will quickly have to digest the result. [49], Districts and Local Level Government Areas. Within the country, your best bet is New Guinean national carrier Air Niugini (sound it out), which flies to Buka. [citation needed], A small percentage of the region's economy is from mining. [41] Previously, a team from Bougainville won the national soccer championships in 1977, defeating Rabaul. The law also established "My Bougainville" as the region's anthem. This vote was for "your peace, your history and your future" he said, and has demonstrated "the power of the pen against weapons". As Bougainville is rich in copper and gold, a large mine had been established at Panguna in the early 1970s by Bougainville Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. Mining activities have caused civil unrest in the region many[quantify] times.[when?] L'ensemble de ces îles fait partie des îles Salomon contrairement au reste du pays qui s'étend sur l'archipel Bismarck et la Nouvelle-Guinée. [16] The initial boundary between the two territories was much more southerly, with Choiseul Island, Santa Isabel Island, Ontong Java, the Shortland Islands, and part of the Florida Islands included in the German section. Bougainville, a small island belonging to Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific, has taken a major decision. About 207,000 Bougainvilleans are registered to vote on whether Melanesian isles will become world’s newest country. Conflict over the Panguna mine became the primary trigger for the Bougainville Civil War (1988–1998), which resulted in the deaths of up to 20,000 people. A civilian administration was established in 1920, after which German nationals were deported and their property expropriated. And, if the poll goes as expected, Bougainville could become the world’s next country. Pacific Island Referendum Could Give the World a Tiny New Country By . These languages are closely related. The ballot went without any noteworthy incident, according to Bougainville Referendum Commission. For general communication most Bougainvilleans use Tok Pisin as a lingua franca, and at least in the coastal areas Tok Pisin is often learned by children in a bilingual environment. 428pp. Bougainville is the largest island of the Solomon Islands archipelago, and an autonomous island region within Papua New Guinea.. On 25 July 2005 rebel leader Francis Ona died after a short illness. To gain autonomy, there still are two stages to go through for Bougainville. Capital: • Buka (interim) • Arawa (traditional; inactive) Status: Autonomous region within Papua New Guinea: Update on the Bougainville Independence Process As we discussed in our Bougainville referendum explainer article last year, a YES vote in the referendum was never intended to result in immediate independence. On Saturday, a new chapter will be written, when 207,000 people begin voting on whether they want greater autonomy or independence. [12], The German Empire, which had already begun operations in New Guinea, annexed present-day Bougainville in 1886, after agreeing with the United Kingdom to divide the Solomon Islands archipelago between them. A peace agreement was completed in 2000 and, together with disarmament, provided for the establishment of an Autonomous Bougainville Government. Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975. [citation needed] The most widely spoken Austronesian language is Halia and its dialects, spoken in the island of Buka and the Selau peninsula of Northern Bougainville. The region won the 2017 National Boxing Championships, which were hosted in Arawa. Jason Scott , November 20, 2019, 4:00 PM EST Papua New Guinea province to … None of the languages are spoken by more than 20% of the population, and the larger languages such as Nasioi, Korokoro Motuna, Telei, and Halia are split into dialects that are not always mutually intelligible. Bougainville Island (/ ˈ b uː ɡ ən v ɪ l / BOO-gən-vil; Tok Pisin: Bogenvil) is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea.It formed the main landmass of the German Empire-associated North Solomons.Its land measures 9,300 km 2 (3,600 sq mi). Both the flag and emblem feature stylised depictions of the upe, a traditional headdress worn by men in parts of Bougainville to symbolise their transition to adulthood. Elle est composée principalement de l'île Bougainville et de quelques îles proches. Referendum announcement in Bougainville on December 11, 2019 to move to Buka and abandon their.. North Bougainville and South Bougainville families seen on Nov. 21, 2019 11,.... L'Océan Pacifique 1767 and also visited what became the Carteret islands districts and Local Level government ( LLGs ).... By the United Nations under Australian guardianship in 1947 inclusive and constructive.... To 20,000 lives. 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