Bougainville, with a population of only 160,000 has managed to close and keep closed one of the biggest copper mines in the world. Despite having to fight the well armed Papua New Guinea (PNG) army, they have held their ground for 11 years primarily with homemade guns made out of water piping and planks. Their founder, Francis Ona was a secessionist leader who led an uprising against the Government of Papua New Guinea, motivated by his concerns over the operation of the Panguna mine by Bougainville Copper, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group. Previously employed by the mine, he was increasingly critical of its impact on the environment and what he claimed was the low level of royalties paid the landowners. From the mid-1980s, he and others challenged the leadership of the Panguna Landowners Association (PLA) claiming that they were not representing the interests of all of the traditional landowners.
Francis Ona Faction
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