NEW DAWN ON BOUGAINVILLE

311210live tonight
By Aloysius Laukai

New Dawn Fm will broadcast until tomorrow morning tonight and will allow calls from people out there who would like to wish New Year Greetings to their Family in Buka.
The President JOHN MOMIS will come on live from Port Moresby at 2015 tonight. Number to call is 71915292 or text to 72302426

AL

301210 NAS
By Aloysius Laukai

NAS made two flights into Buin today to bring in medicine
tommorow it will bring freezer goods for Buin Businessmen.
Charter to Buin is K4,500 one way and Passenger fare if K600 per person.
AL

301210IMAKA COMMITMENT
By Aloysius Laukai

The National Aviation Services intends to fully service all Bougainville airstrips in the New Year according to its General Manager, JOHN IMAKA.

MR. IMAKA told New Dawn FM that the National Aviation services is setting up on Bougainville and is here to stay.

He said that they would be getting other planes to come and support the plane that is already in Buka.

MR. IMAKA said that they will be flying to Buin, Nissan, Torokina and Aropa from their base in Buka.

The aircraft would also carry out emergency Search and Rescue flights and other medivac charters.

Persons who wish to make bookings can call in at their Buka Office situated at the Buka airport.

Or call on digicel phone 73781743

29th December 2010
Ogio’s rep congratulates
BY SONIA KENU DWU Journalism Student
Read Only

A total of K10, 000 cheque was presented to St Martin Deforest Chapel at Nova today.

Joel Sive an officer representing member for North Bougainville Michael Ogio presented the cheque to the people of Nova during the opening of the new church.

He handed the cheque over to the Chairman of Village Assembly of Tonsu constituency Patrick Meterson.

He says this was part of the member’s partnership in development.

He congratulated the people for taking the initiative in taking the step forward in bringing development.

281210 picture of the Pilots of National Aviation Services pose for this AL Picture.
Captain John Imaka (Left)

28 December 2010
Flights to Buin commence
By Tapo Tovilu DWU Journalism Student

National Aviation Services will begin its flights to Buin tomorrow.

General Manager John Imaka says the flight tomorrow will officially commence the company’s operations in the region.

He says the maiden flight was made during the opening of the 3rd ABG games in which they flew with ABG President John Momis to Buin to open the games.

Mr Imaka told New Dawn FM that they weren’t able to fly after the maiden flight as fuel drums from Rabaul did not yet arrive.

He says however the fuel drums were offloaded from Makaia yesterday and the flight tomorrow will commence as scheduled.

The company is working on bringing one more of its planes in from Vanimo and they are aiming at restoring the provision of air services back into Bougainville.

28th December 2010
Gernic Hire donates
BY SONIA KENU DWU Journalism Student
READ ONLY

One of the few Hire Car Companies in the region has donated four wheel chairs and K500 cheque to a family living with disability.

Gernic Car Hire took the initiative to assist the disable at this time of Christmas.

Businessman Gerard Habitein and his family handed the wheel chairs and the cheque to the disable on Saturday, Christmas day.

The three brothers and their sister are from Hangan village. They have lived with disability since their teenage.

Their mother Maria Hamos received the donations with tears of joy and she was lost for words in thanking Mr Habitein and his family.

The wheel chairs were bought from Callan Services at a cost of K1500.

Business woman Nicole Habitein says Callan Services offered the wheel chairs for free, however, the company gave K1000.

Mrs Habitein says K500 was paid as freight charge for the wheel chairs which were shipped to Buka.

She says the company’s aim is to reach out to the needy as Christmas is a time of sharing and giving.

28th December 2010
Tohua reviews year operation
By Veronica Hannette

Bougainville Police Service this year has done a lot of awarenes throughout the region on Law & Order.

Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Huitona Tohua says Bougainville police have faced a lot of challenges with law breakers but had taken responsibility on dealing with the matters.

Acting ACP adds that laws are made for everyone and that we should abide to any laws made, to guide us.

Though there were some accidents and Law & Order problems that happened, still Bougainville police were able to address the matters.

Mr. Tohua says with a lot of awareness were given through out the year resulting in a lot of improvements with Law & Order in the region.

He is appealing to the public to work together and make New Year Celebrations trouble free.

28.12.2010
Source: The Australian

Miners hope to restart Bougainville gold and copper mine
by Rowan Callick

TALKS are under way on reopening one of the world's biggest copper and gold
mines, on Australia's doorstep -- the Bougainville mine that last produced ore
22 years ago and was widely believed to have closed forever.
The seemingly unstoppable China-driven commodities boom has pushed up prices, so
the reserves in the Bougainville pit are now worth about $50 billion.
Its port, its access road up 30km of rugged terrain and its 200 million tonnes
of pre-stripped ore are ready and waiting.
Crucially, leaders on Bougainville -- including former combatants and elected
politicians -- are all calling for the mine to reopen, although they have yet to
agree on the conditions they require.

"The key to the door," Bougainville Copper chairman and managing director Peter
Taylor said, "is the landowners."
Nothing could happen "until they say to BCL, as a united group, 'We want the
mine and we want you to run it' ".
"Then I'll focus on the process that would follow."
Veteran politician and former Catholic priest John Momis, the recently elected
President of Bougainville -- an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea -- said:
"We are keen to reopen the mine and we are holding talks with the landowners."
BCL's share price has doubled since August and trebled since May, as canny
investors have watched vital and promising talks begin.
Bougainville Copper, which is 53.58 per cent-owned by Rio, 19.06 per cent by the
Papua New Guinea government and 27.36 per cent by other shareholders, estimates
it will cost about $3bn to reopen the mine, whose production was suspended on
May 15, 1989.
The trucks and the electricity pylons may have been blown up, rusted or
cannibalized, but the resources in the mine have not been damaged or diminished
over the past 21 years. It contains 3.5 million tonnes of copper, today worth
about $32.4bn, and 12.7 million ounces of gold, worth today about $17.8bn.
There are more reserves beyond the pit but still in the mine lease area.
The mine as presently configured is capable of producing up to 170,000 tonnes of
copper and 500,000 ounces of gold annually.
The copper price has quadrupled since the mine closed, the gold price seven
times.
The values of the two metals have usually run counter-cyclically, but this year
they have peaked together.
But the cost of capital is also high, and is likely to come at a premium given
the tumultuous history of the mine.
Former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, who has close Chinese commercial
connections, in late November visited Port Moresby, where he talked with Prime
Minister Michael Somare and Mr Momis.
The discussions included plans to reopen the Bougainville mine.
After leading a Bougainville delegation of 34 on a visit to China, where he was
once the PNG ambassador, Mr Momis said: "The Chinese have expressed an interest
in the mine, but we are keeping all our options open."
The overwhelming focus of 40 years ago on the mine as a national economy maker
or breaker is no longer present.
It would remain the crucial income earner for Bougainville itself, but for PNG
the spotlight has shifted to the $16.5bn ExxonMobil-led venture piping gas from
the Southern Highlands to Port Moresby, where it will be liquefied for export to
Asia. This is by far the biggest project ever conceived in the Pacific islands.
In this context, Port Moresby might more readily contemplate transferring its 19
per cent ownership of Bougainville Copper to the island itself -- where
preliminary discussions have contemplated the autonomous government retaining 60
per cent, and the landowners taking 40 per cent.
On a pro rata basis, the owners of PNG's 19 per cent share would have to raise
$570 million towards the mine's reopening.
It is possible Chinese entities, eager to obtain reliable sources of resources,
may be prepared to help fund it, either in return for equity, or for future
copper output.

Axel,

28.12.2010
Source: The Australian

Rising prices boost Bougainville mine hopes.
by Rowan Callick, Asia-Pacific editor

Peter Taylor, who has been chairman of Bougainville Copper (BCL) since 2003 and
managing director since 2000 and who worked on Bougainville as company secretary
from 1985 to 1987, is a mining industry veteran whose priorities are all about
people.
He says his focus is not on the hardware or the engineering or on raising the $3
billion that the reopening is expected to cost.
He says: "We must ensure the landowners retain number one importance. And the
Bougainville government's support is also critical. All the signs are that the
leaders on Bougainville want the mine open, and as soon as possible, rather than
just some day. And the national government agrees."
Bougainville's new President, John Momis, elected for five years in June, is a
former Catholic priest and former deputy prime minister.
While campaigning for the PNG election in 1987, he famously presented a letter
to the then BCL managing director, Paul Quodling that demanded the company give
3 per cent of its gross income to the Bougainville provincial government.
The request received wide support on Bougainville, but Quodling said it was
impossible to meet, adding to tensions that soon exploded on the ground.
During the civil war, a leading rebel attempted to shoot Momis at close range
from behind, but the pistol jammed.
Momis now says: "We are keen to reopen the Panguna mine, and we are holding
talks with the landowners. Of course, Bougainville needs the mine to be reopened
under a new regime. All parties should learn lessons from the crisis, and
collaborate to build a better future."
Momis recently led a group of 34 -- including former combatants -- to China,
where he recently served as PNG ambassador. China is likely to play a role in
the rebuilt mine as leading customer, equity partner, or both.
Bougainville is an autonomous region within PNG, and under a peace accord with
PNG, it has the right to administer its own mining and land laws. The World Bank
has been funding a program to help Bougainville define its own mining regime.
Taylor hopes that this will complement the PNG mining legislation, which has
helped facilitate a boom in foreign investment there.
Besides the $16.5bn ExxonMobil LNG project, there are promising gas finds in
Western Province, and an onshore project in Gulf Province led by InterOil. The
Frieda River copper-gold project led by Xstrata is due to move soon to full
feasibility mode, and the Wafi project -- also copper-gold -- is not far behind.
These are each likely to become $4bn-$5bn ventures.
The latter is owned by Newcrest and Harmony, which are commissioning the Hidden
Valley gold-silver project.
Marengo Mining is proceeding with a feasibility study at Yandera, a copper-gold
deposit not far from the $1.4bn Ramu Nickel project being developed by China's
Metallurgical Construction Corp.
Since BCL suspended the mine, many groups have tried to control the promising
mining zone.
"The Bougainvilleans have seen them come to the island, and haven't liked them,"
Taylor says.
So they have come back to BCL -- the devil they know -- despite all their past
disagreements. The rogues have done BCL and its ultimate parent, Rio Tinto, a
favour.
The 10-year civil war on Bougainville had many complex causes, and was a
nightmare for many Rio executives.
The conflict led to big changes in how miners relate to host communities
worldwide. So the reopening of the Bougainville mine would be redemptive for
many groups, including Rio.
There is no timetable. Once an agreement is reached with the landowners, a
feasibility study is approved and finance is in place, it will take a further
two to three years to get mining under way again. The lengthiest part of that
process would be the lead-time needed to order the huge trucks and other
equipment to operate the mine.
Taylor says BCL will facilitate landowners' meetings and help ensure the
reconciliation process goes ahead, "but we're mindful that we should not be seen
to influence the proceedings.
"Everything needs to be worked out as the agreement is renegotiated -- including
environmental issues such as tailings disposal, revenue sharing, ownership. And
the landowners need to be resourced to participate effectively."
This is in marked contrast with the first incarnation of the mine, when the
company was not permitted by the Australian government to negotiate directly
with landowners.
"The situation is quite the reverse this time," Taylor says. "The landowners are
setting the agenda, although everyone will put their wish-lists on the table."
He wants to see the landowners obtain equity in the project because it makes
them "part of your business" and gives them a share of the income stream.
"The balance needs to change in favour of those who are giving up the most, and
they are the landowners. To make the project successful and saleable, they have
to be part of the company."
Raising the $3bn will be a relatively minor challenge.
Three big selling points of the project are that it already has a port at
Loloho, an access road winding up 30km of rugged terrain, and has pre-stripped
ore ready to extract, with 200 million tonnes available immediately.
"They give us a big leg-up," Taylor says.
Technology has improved since the mine was suspended, he says, and tailings can
be safely stored even in an earthquake-prone area. "The landowners have to say
which method they prefer," Taylor says. Previously, they were disposed of in the
Jaba River, a cause of controversy.
They will also discuss whether workers fly in and fly out to the island or are
based there, as they were before in the largely destroyed town of Arawa. Taylor
says that the more local workers can be recruited, the better. "We have received
numerous inquiries from ex-employees asking when we are re-opening."
The Ok Tedi mine would be an obvious source of skilled staff as it starts to
scale down as the resource declines.
The other big factor exciting interest in the reopening of the Panguna pit is
the likelihood that it will lead to the end of the moratorium on exploration
that began in 1971.
Seven exploration licences covering 20 per cent of the island are held by BCL,
and the potential to find new orebodies near the existing pit are considerable.
No one else holds any other exploration permits, even though a German-funded
aeromagnetic survey 25 years ago revealed many highly prospective zones.
Through the past 21 years, the principal owner, Rio Tinto, did not close down
BCL -- it has remained listed, playing a low-key role, waiting for the climate
to change.
Its share price has soared as the likelihood of a reopening dawned on investors.
They were rallied by Axel Sturm, the energetic German president of the European
shareholders of Bougainville Copper. The company has even made a profit most
years, from placing its remaining cash in Australian listed investment
companies.
Taylor says that since the mine closed, the BCL Foundation has continued to fund
100 scholarships a year.
In a US court case, Bougainvilleans have claimed damages from Rio over the
operation of the mine. This has become a test case for the extent of American
jurisdiction, but no decision is likely until after the mine has reopened.
Former Bougainville Revolutionary Army "general" Ishmael Toroama insists that
all the demands made by Bougainvilleans during the fighting must be met:
"Panguna -- after the war -- now belongs to all Bougainvilleans," he says,
insisting that the original claims for environmental compensation remain extant.
But the recently elected Bougainville government, and the Panguna Land Owners
Association, have begun intense discussions.
No one is publicly discussing timetables yet. But in the minds of most of the
stakeholders, the countdown has already begun.