This ended up causing a civil war in Bougainville, which led to the closure of the mine. Many of the BRA leaders are the traditional land owners within the mine's lease. In 1989 in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, a copper mine co-owned by an Australian mining company and the PNG government became the focus of conflict. Production began in 1972 under management of Bougainville Copper Limited with Rio Tinto and Papua New Guinea as major shareholders. The operation closed 17 years later amid a prolonged campaign of sabotage by the Bougainville Revo- The area of Panguna has also been closed off by Panguna landowners, represented by the Meekamui Tribal Government and remains a 'no go zone'. HISTORY PANGUNA MINE. Bougainville Copper Last updated June 13, 2020. The discovery of vast copper ore deposits in Bougainville's Crown Prince Range led to the establishment of the copper mine in 1969 by Bougainville Copper Ltd, a subsidiary of the Australian company Conzinc Rio Tinto of Australia.The mine began production in 1972 with the support of the Papua New Guinea National Government as a 20% shareholder. It provided over 45% of Papua New Guinea's national export revenue and was important to the economy. A mine surveyor and active figure on the New Panguna Landowners Association, Ona had demanded compensation in the billions for the environmental damage caused by Bougainville Copper Ltd. Bougainville Copper, a company in which the local government (known as the Autonomous Bougainville Government) has a 36.4% stake is up 200% over the … The first Bougainville independence movement began to arise in the late 1960s, as people began to air their grievances against the then Australian colonial government over the handling of the Panguna mine. My Valley is Changing The building of a giant open-cut copper mine on the island of Bougainville brought profound change to local landowners. President Momis asserted that progressing with BCL could "cause a total explosion of the situation again". But the identification of a major gold, copper and silver orebody at Panguna in the 1960s prompted Bougainville Copper Ltd, (BCL) a … An Australian mining company began prospecting for copper in the Crown Prince Range at Panguna in the early 1960s. Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) is a mining company of Papua New Guinea (PNG) that is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). [10], In February 2018, BCL begun legal proceedings against the Autonomous Bougainville Government following the cancellation of the exploration license. 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]. History. BCL operated the copper, gold and silver mine at the Panguna mine on Bougainville Island in PNG from 1971 to 1989. On satellite images, the Panguna mine yawns amid the otherwise green mountain forests of central Bougainville Island in the South Pacific, a silty river valley tracing a jagged path from the mine south and west to Empress Augusta Bay. No environmental impact study was carried out. Occupation of the entire mine area is by controlling entry at the Morgan's Crossing Checkpoint, which is manned by armed guards. [7], A referendum on Bougainville's independence must be held no later than June 2020 under the Bougainville Peace Agreement. [11], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}6°18′55″S 155°29′47″E / 6.31528°S 155.49639°E / -6.31528; 155.49639, "Bougainville Copper Limited shareholding", http://www.abg.gov.pg/peace-agreement/referendum, "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=962228382, 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, This page was last edited on 12 June 2020, at 20:49. Bougainville Copper Limited is an independently-managed company of Papua New Guinea that is publicly listed on the ASX (Australian Securities Exchange). Mining operations were officially halted on 15 May 1989, when employees were attacked during an uprising. An inglorious example of company misbehaviour remains Rio Tinto’s predations through its Panguna copper mine, of which it was a majority shareholder for 45 years. The mine was one of the largest in the world… The Bougainville civil war raged for a decade after indigenous landowners, incensed by environmental devastation and inequities associated with the Rio Tinto majority-owned Panguna copper mine, waged an armed campaign to shut the mine down. Mining operations were officially halted on 15 May 1989, due to militant activity and the mine has remained closed since. Shovel at Panguna mine undergoing maintenance, engaged in overburden removal, c. 1971. Mining Bougainville is an excerpt from the film My Valley is Changing (26 mins) produced in 1970. An inglorious example of company misbehaviour remains Rio Tinto’s predations through its Panguna copper mine, of which it was a majority shareholder for 45 years. [4] Papua New Guinea has been an independent country since 16 September 1975. The transnational company Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), a joint venture of the Australian based companies Conzinc Rio Tinto and Broken Hill Corporation, began prospecting in 1963. The area is secured by the Me'ekamui Defence Force (formerly the Bougainville Revolutionary Army - the "BRA"). The Panguna mine is a large copper mine located in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in the east of Papua New Guinea. The mine was once the world's largest open pit copper gold mine generating over 40% of PNG's GDP. Bougainville Copper — Ltd is a Australian copper, gold, and silver mining company that operates the Panguna open cut mine on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea (PNG). [6], In his first statement on Radio Australia Pacific Beat on 8 June 2010, the newly elected President of Bougainville, John Momis, declared that the Panguna mine has to be reopened to assure Bougainville's future economic growth. Up to 20,000 people, or 10% of the population at the time, lost their lives. Shares in Bougainville Copper Ltd, the former operator of the giant Panguna gold and copper mine that was shut by civil war, have surged in recent … The Papua New Guinea Independence Constitution had stated land ownership was to just below the surface of the soil; this meant that all mineral rights would belong to the State. They demanded billions in compensation from CRA — a total of half the mine's profits since … CRA Ltd is an Australian company which in turn was dominated by the British mining company Rio Tinto Zinc. Mining giant Rio Tinto Group, which was historically Bougainville Copper Limited's major shareholder, exited on 30 June 2016 when it transferred its 53.8 per cent shareholding for distribution to the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. Once it relinquished its share in Bougainville Copper Ltd, the company washed its hands of responsibility for the environmental damage wrought between 1972 and 1989. Ore mill at Panguna, Boungainville mine under construction, c. 1971. Following the discovery of vast copper ore deposits in Crown Prince Range, Bougainville Copper Limited (Bougainville Copper or the company) operated a large open pit mine and processing facility at Panguna in central Bougainville in the North Solomon’s Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) between 1972 and 1989. BCL once operated the Panguna mine, which sparked a decade-long civil war in 1989 and remains a source of tension between the autonomous island of Bougainville and the PNG mainland. The mine began production in 1972 with the support of the Papua New Guinea National Government as a 20% shareholder. [8], During 2017, President Momis and the Autonomous Bougainville Government advocated for the re-opening of the Panguna mine. In 1987, Ona and Serero called a meeting of landowners at Panguna, and as a result, the Panguna Landowners' Association was formed, with Serero as 'chairlady', and Ona as General Secretary. It was one of the world´s largest open pit mines. [1], The mine at Panguna was opened in 1972 and was majority-owned by Rio Tinto. BCL operated the copper, gold and silver mine at the Panguna mine on Bougainville Island in PNG from 1971 to 1989. The mine is controlled by the Me'ekamui Tribal Government of Unity and its leaders, President Philip Miriori and Vice President, Phillip Takaung and Stanley Ona, son of Francis Ona. This led to an uprising in 1988, led by Francis Ona, a Panguna landowner and the Commander of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army. Bougainville landowner groups were called to vote on allowing BCL to renew their mining licence and potentially reopen the Panguna mine, but lacked support. The mine at Panguna was opened in 1972 and was majority-owned by Rio Tinto. The MDF is led by Commander Moses Pipero. The Bougainville Copper had set up a system of racial segregation on the island, with one set of facilities for white workers and one set for the locals. An inglorious example of company misbehaviour remains Rio Tinto’s predations through its Panguna copper mine, of which it was a majority shareholder for 45 years. The introduction of Australian and New Guinean workers caused resentment and the exploitation of the mine became increasingly intertwined with issues of indigenous identity. These allegations were previously denied by BCL's former Chairman, but Dr Lasslett insists on their veracity. The discovery of vast copper ore deposits in Bougainville's Crown Prince Range led to the establishment of the copper mine in 1969 by Bougainville Copper Ltd, a subsidiary of the Australian company Conzinc Rio Tinto of Australia.
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