New state on the way: Papua New Guinea residents voted for independence
Residents of the Bougainville Autonomous District in the East Island group voted overwhelmingly in favor of abolishing autonomy status and becoming a state. The vote is part of the peace agreement, which ended 13 years of bloody civil war in the country. However, the move requires parliamentary approval and could take years
New state on the way: Papua New Guinea residents voted for independence
Photo: Reuters(Video: Ten women and five children were murdered in a battle between tribes in Papua New Guinea)
About 98 percent of voters have voted overwhelmingly today for the Bougainville Autonomous District exit for independence. The province, which is a group of islands in the east of Papua New Guinea in the southeastern Indian Ocean, may become the new country in the world with 244,000 of its 249,000 inhabitants supporting it.
Bougainville referendum commissioner Barty Aaron was welcomed with cheers as he declared that more than 98% of voters supported the exit to full political independence over the possibility of greater autonomy than Papua New Guinea. The referendum is not binding, and independence from the autonomous region has yet to pass in Papua New Guinea's parliament after negotiations with Bougainville, so the process of becoming a state could take several years. No response was received from the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister's Office.
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Voters in Bougainville (Photo: Reuters)
The referendum is an essential part of the peace treaty signed in 2001, ending the 13-year civil war between the province and Papua New Guinea. In the war that took place in a group of islands east of the country's central continent, at least 15,000 people were killed. The violence in Bougainville began in the late 1980s, in response to various struggles surrounding an open copper mine near the town of Panguna, Autonomous Province.
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To the full articleThe boundaries of the Bougainville Autonomous District of Papua New Guinea
Bougainville Autonomous District (Photo: Image Processing)
The mine was a major source of copper export to the state, but many in Bougainville felt that they were not receiving benefits from being the mine in their county, and were protesting against pollution from the mine and harming their traditional way of life. The mine has remained closed since the onset of the conflict, and in a situation where Bougainville will indeed gain independence, some believe it will be a major source of income for the future state.
Voters in Bogonville (Photo: Reuters)
Bougainville referendum (Photo: Reuters)
