Bougainville Copper (ISIN PG0008526520) is an Australian-listed copper company which lost its main asset due to a civil war on the island of Bougainville during the 1990s. SYDNEY, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Communities around Rio Tinto's (RIO.AX), (RIO.L) shuttered copper mine in Bougainville face a serious threat of flooding due to unstable mine instrastructure, an. Bougainville Copper Ltd (BCL) yesterday announced a loss of K3.7 million in 2011 . Bougainville's struggle sprouted from colonial exploits at the now-defunct Panguna mine. The Mobile Squads were responsible for numerous atrocities on Bougainville during 1989-1990. On November 23, Bougainvilleans will go to the polls and are expected to vote overwhelmingly for independence from Papua New Guinea. Engitech is a values-driven technology agency dedicated. You shall not use your academic position as a platform for indoctrination and agitation.". Further, Bougainville Coppers presence in the North Solomons Province had promoted the development of significant local business enterprises to provide goods and services required for the mining operation and for the residents of the province. A peace agreement was signed in 2001 and Bougainville was given greater autonomy within PNG, with a non-binding referendum in favour of independence . These interviews were triangulated through extensive documentary research, using internal BCL records including meeting minutes and company memorandums (these documents became available following two court cases involving BCL and its parent company). Bougainville displays great cultural diversity in a relatively small region. As a leading mining company with world-class expertise, we constantly assess opportunities to build on our operational reputation to drive future growth through product diversification and asset development, chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said. In-depth copper exploration started in 1964 8:15. More recently a new player, Caballus Mining, has arrived in Bougainville. Following PNG security forces heavy-handed intervention allegedly under strong political pressure from Bougainville Copper the rebellion quickly escalated into a full-blown separatist conflict that eventually engulfed all parts of the province. She and her colleagues contend that shedding its shares in Bougainville Copper, which controls the still-abandoned mine, does nothing to absolve Rio Tinto from its responsibility to improve the lives of the people who are still affected by the mining operations to this day. Taylor said he was more optimistic about the future of this company than any year out of the previous 20 years. But they will not suffer corporate intransigence lightly. They, and others, sent the complaint to the Australian OECD National Contact Point after lodging it with Melbournes Human Rights Law Centre. You know we gave them everything, because as a far as we saw it we were hoping that they were going to solve the situation, so we could start operating again. In this respect, BCL can make an important contribution to democracy and reconciliation in Bougainville by, a) fully disclosing their role in the conflict; and b) making amends with those affected by their actions. 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So we supported them every way we could" (Personal Communication, 2006). 4. 2:56 pm on 1 June 2022. Nevertheless, it is not my intention to vilify BCL. Heavy fuel storage tanks 11:30. The copper slurry is then pumped to the seacoast 4:38. <br><br>Very keen to master the art of managing projects and providing sound team management and people leadership. "Bougainville Copper Limited shareholding", "Bougainville imposes moratorium on Panguna mine over fears of civil unrest", "BCL takes Bougainville Govt to court over licence non-renewal", European Shareholders of Bougainville Copper (ESBC), Bougainville Copper Limited - All Annual Reports since 1967, Blood and Treasure - SBS documentary 2011, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bougainville_Copper&oldid=1142268123, Copper mining companies of Papua New Guinea, Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 13:11. A 16th century map 5:41. Adams team cataloged the fouled water supplies that force communities to depend on drinking water piped from long distances upslope. This followed the departure of Rio Tinto in mid-2016. A large dump truck is lowered from a ship for work at the mine 23:40. Bougainville has voted to become a new country, but the journey to independence is not yet over, PNG marks 40 years of independence, still feeling the effects of Australian colonialism, allegedly under strong political pressure. Part of the gigantic Panguna copper mine, one of the largest copper and gold deposits in the world. In an act of goodwill BCL should publicly disclose the depth of its involvement in the security force operations on Bougainville. Bougainville is home to the Panguna mine - once one of the largest operating copper and gold mines in the world. The PNG national government received a 20% share of profit from the mine, of which the Bougainvilleans received 5% - 1.25% share of the total profit.[3]. The mine at Panguna was opened in 1972 and majority-owned by Rio Tinto.It was important to the economy of Papua New Guinea, but the people of Bougainville were seeing little benefit from it.The first Bougainville independence movement arose in the late 1960s, as people aired their grievances against the Australian colonial government over the handling of the Panguna mine. Several sources linked to the company and NGOs operating on the island said this was due to the request by the government that the miners are not seen to be influencing the independence vote. Economic structure and growth 1. Bougainville Copper Limited, (BCL) a subsidiary of the British-Australian resources giant Rio Tinto, owned the mine at the time of the conflict and despite extracting around 550,000 tonnes of. Autonomous Bougainville Government president John Momis. In turn, the landowner groups supporting BCLs plans to reopen Panguna have also come under fire. The colonial-era approach to mining when Panguna was developed in the 1960s stands in stark contrast to the corporate social responsibility paradigm supposedly governing the global mining industry today. Adams said an independent review, conducted while the mine was still operational, revealed the companys failure to manage copper levels in the effluent from the mine which the company had agreed to do had completely obliterated the fish life downstream. Landowners are guaranteed rights under the 2015 Mining Act, but in an urgent bid in January 2019 to raise funds for the referendum, the government proposed to abolish those rights, at the same time allocating near monopoly rights to Caballus's Bougainville Advance Mining. It cannot be the case that a company can be seen to improve its environmental social governance standards, simply by cutting and running from any projects that pose a high risk and high liability to them, Adams said. Its a curse that many think is worth risking. Bougainville has voted to become a new country, but the journey to independence is not yet over. An abandoned Rio Tinto mine in the Bougainville region of Papua New Guinea has caused flooding as well as pollution, according to the Human Rights Law Center, which released this photo from last year. However, in light of recent personal attacks on my credibility as a researcher and scholar, I feel compelled to summarise the empirical evidence on which my recent suggestions were based. Now, the mines longtime operator, the British-Australian company Rio Tinto, must make amends, they argue. Kalias bid is financially supported by a company run by Australian polo patriarch Peter Yunghanns. In fact Mr Lasslett's critique of the company's complicity in human rights abuses, during the first 15 months of the bloody conflict, is quite measured. It should also reveal the relevant conversations that took place between the BCL management and senior state officials during this period. Rio Tinto, therefore, is of the view that it is for the people of Bougainville to determine their future, including any potential redevelopment of the mine.. McGlinn was last week travelling in Europe. Rebel guerillas above the Panguna copper and gold mine in Bougainville in 1994. The Panguna mines footprint was gigantic, stretching across the full breadth of the central part of the island. The petition has brought the plight of these communities back into the media, but calls for Rio Tinto to clean up its mess have been made for decades. Missionaries hold mass 7:17. The mine at Panguna was opened in 1972 and was majority-owned by Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian multinational and the world's second largest metals and mining corporations 10:00. The PNG national government received a 20% share of profit from the mine, of which the Bougainvilleans received 5% - 1.25% share of the total profit. The case ultimately foundered on jurisdictional grounds. In 1975, the people of Dapera were relocated to make way for mining activities. The landowners demanded more than $10 billion in compensation. Here you can read our near-verbatim reports on all debates, including oral questions and proposed laws (bills). Australian External Territories Minister Charles Barnes was accused of telling the Bougainvillean people they would "get nothing". Die Bougainville Copper Ltd.Shs Aktie wird unter der ISIN PG0008526520 an den Brsen Frankfurt, Dsseldorf, Mnchen, Stuttgart, Berlin, Sydney, Nasdaq OTC, Gettex, Tradegate, Lang & Schwarz und. I spent several nights in a large two-story house built entirely from a single tree dragged out of the tailings dragged upright, with a tractor. The mine produced copper concentrate that also contained significant quantities of gold and silver. That may have been true for the duration of the conflict, Adams said. Bougainville Copper Limited 10:15. Ben Bohane is a Vanuatu-based photojournalist. But that same year, the company abruptly said it needed to do its own internal review, Adams said. PANGUNA, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, Sep 7 2016 (IPS) - The Panguna copper mine, located in the mountains of Central Bougainville, an autonomous region in the southwest Pacific Island state of Papua New Guinea, has been derelict for 27 years since an armed campaign by local landowners forced its shutdown and triggered a decade-long civil war in the late 1980s. [7], A referendum on Bougainville's independence must be held no later than June 2020 under the Bougainville Peace Agreement. Iron ore magnate Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest has joined the race with an unruly bunch of small, struggling mining companies, all with links to Australia and share prices of 10c or less, for access to some of the worlds biggest copper and gold deposits on the Pacific island of Bougainville. 60 Minutes' report, "Seeing Red," on China in the Pacific airs at 8.30pm on Sunday November 17, 2019. During its operation from 1972-1989, the mine operator, then a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, dumped one billion tonnes of mining waste into Bougainville's rivers with devastating environmental consequences. Meanwhile, a Chinese delegation is rumoured to have offered substantial funds in late 2018 to help finance a transition to Bougainville independence, along with offers to invest in mining, tourism and agriculture, with a figure of $US1 billion cited. The Conversation contacted Rio Tinto for comment. 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