12 Months

It is exactly a year today since I boarded a plane and departed Bougainville. Definately feels like a personal milestone in terms of that's now in the past and I got to be focused on the here and now.

It was a hard slog for those first 8 - 10 months out but have plenty of good things going on now. Speaking of which, off to a music festival this afternoon, I think its my fifth since I left Bougie! Really appreciating all the great things on offer in Australia, most especially new friends, new beers, new cities and new music.

So here's to good times and great memories!


Much love,

MW.

Radio New Dawn

Some of you may already be aware of its existence but Radio New Dawn of Buka, Bougainville, maintains an online blog: http://www.bougainville.typepad.com/

I have found this to be a great way to keep updated on events in Lan Bilong Sunkamap.

Peacebuilding Compared

G'day,

This post is well overdue but please let me introduce you to the ANU Peacebuilding Compared project and its work on reconciliation in Bougainville.

Those of you who have worked in Bougainville will be familiar with their customary approaches to conflict resolution, which were ultimately fundamental to creating peace after years of war. This story has now been captured in a thorough paper on Bougainville's peacebuilding efforts: http://www.peacebuilding.anu.edu.au/

I came across this paper following a chat with John Braithwaite, one of the architects of the project and an academic with a long history in Bougainville. John gave me some very good career advice at the time and I've long since intended to draft a post about the paper. I strongly encourage you to take a look at the website and get yourself a copy.

BBQ with a Bougainvillean

So I was travelling to work the other day and happened to glance out of the bus window…and much to my surprise I saw the former President of Bougainville, James Tanis, standing on the side of the road.

As soon as the bus stopped I bolted out the door and caught up with him. Turns out James has been in Canberra for the past six weeks, working on his memoirs and consulting on some papers in cooperation with the Australian National University.



From left: Me, James, Saskia



We’ve since had James over for a couple of barbeques at our apartment. It has been great catching up on events but more importantly we have both enjoyed just having a beer together. Saskia also set up a talk for James and ANU academic Anthony Reagan at the Attorney-General’s Department which apparently went very well.

James heads off next week and may return next year to study a Masters in International Relations. He’s got some ideas on how to continue to help Bougainville while he is abroad, and with all of his connections I’m sure he will be able to get something going. If he does I will be sure to write a post about it.

The debate continues

G'day from Canberra, Australia,

Since leaving Bougainville on the 8th of May I've managed to spend my time running around NZ and Australia. Places I've managed to visit (in order of appearance): Port Moresby, Brisbane, Napier, Wellington, Auckland, Sydney, Woollongong, Canberra and Jindabyne. Have managed to see most of my friends and family which is fantastic, but all this travel and socialising left me exhausted! Am now temporarily settled in Canberra, where I've been relaxing and taking things in. I hope to work at Perisher Ski Field for the winter season so I hope the snowfall improves soon...

Enough about me though. Those who have worked in PNG, whether as a volunteer or on a salary, may take great interest in this article. Susan Merrell, a freelance journalist hits the common points on the debate around whether Australian aid can really help PNG. I encourage you to check the comments that follow, they run across the spectrum. For a local perspective check out this blog post on Tubuans and Dukduks.

Also have some news on Bougainville. Apparently there was a bit of drama in Arawa with a ship coming illegally into PNG waters (again) and handing out arms to a local faction that is competing for the last of the oil at Loloho. The faction was successful and managed to out do a dodgy Kiwi/local joint venture which had spent months working to salvage the oil (this had nothing to do with the NZ government or other Kiwis working in Bougainville).

The dodgy Kiwis apparently retaliated by complaining to the authorities on their way out of PNG. The PNG Customs and Immigration Department eventually intercepted the boat and seized the ship when it left Loloho on its way to Singapore. It is anyone's guess as to what is going to happen to all that valuable oil now...

The real issue here is the impact on New Zealand ex-patriots in Bougainville. I'm reliably told that a curfew was imposed on the weekend of the 19th of June because factions associated with the ship fought local police and threatened to seize assets associated with NZ. This just reinforces the importance of local relationships in ensuring any ex-patriots are safe. All it takes is one group with selfish interests to put everyone at risk.

On a less serious note, to those who offered support for Alvin I am pleased to say that my last act in Bougainville was to purchase an open ticket that will fly a dermatologist to Buka so that Alvin can finally get the treatment he needs. Bjorn has updated his website with the details here. My flatmate Victoria (still in Buka) is now pushing for confirmation of the travel dates. I will continue to post updates on this as they come through.

All right, plenty to chew on in this post! Lukim yu.

Bogan I Go Pinis

Hey there,
After 21 months of adventures I finished my contract and left Bougainville on the 8th of May 2010. It was an amazing adventure....I wish I could say more, but words fail me!
Thanks for reading my blog, I don't know if I will keep it up but at least for now it stays for those with an interest in the issues I've written about. If you are interested in Bougainville and have any questions I can be contacted on hi.mrwolf@gmail.com. If I can't help I may be able to forward you onto someone who will.
Peace, love and jagermeister,
Wolfy.

Elections

The elections have closed and the results are in: John Momis will be the new President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. He will be Bougainville's third President (James Tanis is the outgoing President, voted in after Joseph Kabui passed away during the first term). If you'd like to know more, the Ginger Ninja has covered it here.