Panguna reconciliation unites old enemies

By Aloysius Laukai

The people of Panguna today attended a traditional clenching ceremony in preparation for tomorrow’s reconciliation ceremony.

The traditional ritual was to remove blood stains from former fighters in the Bougainville crisis that killed about 20,000 people and left another 40,000 people homeless.

The Panguna event was the first of three reconciliation ceremonies scheduled for the area around the former minesite.

The reconciliation was between uncles of the late chief and Panguna landowner killed at the start of the Bougainville conflict.

Those who were clenched included fighters in the conflict, Mekamui soldiers, Bougainville revolutionary fighters and those who fought alongside the PNG Defence force, the resistance fighters.

After the ceremony, ABG President, James Tanis said the ritual had united the youths of Panguna and there should be no more factions in the area.