Bougainville

The autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville wants more say over the international aid it gets.

The autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville, which expects to have won its independence by 2027, has now drawn up a draft of a new constitution.

There are now 4500 Bougainvillean residents backing a legal suit against Rio Tinto, the mining company they say "must make amends for decades of environmental devastation".

"This is a very important time in the history of Bougainville. We are preparing for independence."

Papua New Guinea's national census has got off to a rocky start with reports reaching RNZ Pacific that training of enumerators is yet to be completed in parts of the country. Audio

Minister of Bougainville Affairs, Manasseh Makiba, says the Bougainville referendum is a sensitive issue and the government will not take any short cuts in dealing with it.

Rio Tinto has acknowledged that a class action has been filed against it and Bougainville Copper in the National Court in PNG.

Key decisions were reached last week at a pivotal meeting of the Joint Supervisory Body, which oversees Papua New Guinea's role in the management of the autonomous Bougainville region.

Bougainville is furious that it is being blamed for another deferral of a meeting of the Joint Supervisory Body, which oversees its relationship with Papua New Guinea.

A Canadian mining company, Island Passage Development Canada Limited (IPDC) is undertaking a mining exploration programme in Bougainville.

Hundreds of high-powered firearms - allegedly stolen from weapons disposal sites - are still in use today, the police chief in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville says.

The government in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville is carrying out an engagement programme in the Panguna Mine-affected areas.

Oonagh Brown, who styles herself the Cacao Ambassador, has been working alongside Pacific communities to help them improve the quality of their product.

Late last month, violence erupted when factions of the Me'ekamui clashed in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region's south.

The minister overseeing the implementation of independence has warned ratification of the referendum is not Bougainville's only path to independence.

The member for North Bougainville in the Papua New Guinea National Parliament, Francesca Semoso, has unveiled a series of transport projects for the constituency.