Bougainville

Man speaking to camera

BRA’s are fighting a self-defence fight. They are on their own soil, and the Papua New Guinea government are sending security forces to Bougainville. Papua New Guinea is a Christian country. That’s not Christianity, sending an army to Bougainville to murder people!

BRA Soldier talking

Sometimes all the Papua New Guinea defence force Iroquois helicopters come around and spray (shoot) the villagers. And they see that it’s not very safe for the people to live in these kind of villages. Because this village is on top of a mountain and there is not any safety for them to live and hide when the enemy is coming. So that is why they leave this place.

Francis Ona – President of Bougainville Interim Government

The main thing that we are fighting for is self-defence. Without Papua New Guinea forces here on Bougainville we will never fight anybody. So the big demand that we are pressing on Papua New Guinea and also Australia is to withdraw all their forces from Bougainville. We know, we know for fact, with many signs that Australia is fighting this war on Bougainville. Without Australia we can beat Papua New Guinea anytime, at any minute, we can beat them.

Under woman walking up mountain

I left home with my family in the morning very early in the morning on October 14 1992. We left for a good shelter in the mountains, in the bushes. Because the security forces came over to Tolarro and started bombarding our place with mortar bombs, so we had to leave. We didn’t leave because the BRA made us, but the security forces, we fear them for our safety. So we left our place and went up there. It was very cold, it had been raining before, raining for days and everywhere was very slippery and wet, but we still had to go.

BRA soldier

Sometimes when the Papua New Guinea army comes we shoot them all because we hold our guns this way and quickly take aim and shoot them like this.

Most of the time the Papua New Guinea army hold their guns like this. We always carry our guns like this when we are patrolling. When we see them coming we take aim and shoot.

I don’t feel frightened when I kill the enemy. I don’t feel anything like that. When I shoot them with my gun I feel proud… Yes, I feel proud to have shot one of

Joesph Kabui Vice President Bougainville Interim Government

The ability and the talent to fight has definitely grown over the last six years that the war has gone on. Our boys have proven that they are more that capable of matching a well trained and well armed army of Papua New Guinea, and that has definitely instilled a lot of confidence in us the Bougainvilleans. And the fact that the BRA has fought on against all odds, despite the blockade, despite of whatever that the PNC government has imposed on us, is a powerful indication that the BRA is the people's army.

Wounded man on Bench

All my relatives and family thought I was dead, five months ago when I was shot.

Early in the morning we made a coffin to bury my brother in law. When we had buried him we waited for darkness so we could come back to the mainland. While we were waiting I felt very sleepy because in the night we had carried the body of my brother in law from the bush camp. So I went to my house to sleep. When I woke up I looked out my window and I saw two soldiers who had pulled up in a boat. As soon as I saw them I ran out the door, outside and ran for the bush. I thikg that I had ran about twenty-five metres when they shot me. There was no warning, nothing. They shot me a I fell down. They asked me, “where is your gun?” I said “I have no gun.”

I’ve got an M-16 bullet in here, it’s still here in my body. So I asked the doctor to take it out. But he said it would stay there as my souvenir of the Bougainville crisis.

Francis Ona – President of the Bougainville Interim Government

Australia is really, you know proud of itself, saying that they are really up with the human rights issues, that they are really on the top. But here I can say, that if they are supplying helicopters and the arms, also ammunition they are contributing to this war on Bougainville.

Village Chief – Pidgin

The Papua New Guinea government’s army cam and shot up and burnt down these houses. I was at Toboli and I saw it happen. I was very sad and worried! Why? I don’t know why they did this? They burnt down private houses that belong to fathers and mothers. They can burn down places belonging to the government, but I don’t know why they did this? I ask where are the mothers and children going to live when the crisis is over?

Villager – English

It’s totally unwarranted what the Paupa New Guinea Security Forces or defence Forces have done to my house and the whole entire village on Pok Pok Island. And I just I can’t believe it. Why? Why? Why in world that the Papua New Guinea discipline forces, so called discipline forces have done this thing, when the war is between the BRA and the Papua New Guinea defence forces.

We were very happy with our electric city. We were just going up towards civilisation. But then what a mess. The war has ended us up like this and it’s pity, it’s going to be hard work for us to come back again. To do all these things again. We are back to the bush again now.

Bernard Turim – Bougainville UN Human Rights Conference Representative

BRA has not gone to Papua New Guinea and fight to steal land and resources. BRA has not gone to Australia to fight and steal whatever resources that are in Australia. No. BRA is here to defend the rights, self determination of the people of Bougainville and the land and environment. So whatever label that they have labelled BRA in the media of Australia and Papua New Guinea this is all garbage. You have seen for yourself, what Papua New Guinea armed forces have done to the people of Bougainville, the innocent people. They have burned down our houses, destroyed our property, killed our dear ones. Thousands have died. And yet the media of the outside world, especially Australia and Papua New Guinea are stilling calling us a bunch of hooligans, a bunch of murders.

BRA Boy

This rifle I’m holding is Japanese. It was used to fight in the second world war. Now we are using this Japanese rifle. We don’t want the army to stay here they must go back. If they stay here this 303 Japanese rifle will fire again on them. We want to live peacefully on our land.

We guard this beach because all the people had to move up from the beach into the bush. Were guarding all along here to Kieta because the Papua New Guinea army come in patrol boats and banana boats shooting and spraying bullets all around. They soot at anybody, even civilians on the beach. So now the BRA guards the beach from here to Keita. The BRA watch it all the time.

Medic

Many people who bring medicine from the Solomon Islands are shot at by the Papua New Guinea defence force and the medicine is lost in the sea. But sometimes they capture the boat and they take the medicine and anything else on the boat. The defence force takes it for themselves.

This is Fabian. Fabian he has been our patient for six years in the jungle. I come up to visit Fabian with the disease leprosy and he has been affected so baldly that he loses his feet and his hands. The only treatment that we are supplying him are only a few tablets, which is apart from the injections that he should get. As far as I know the tablets could not do much. Better the injection to cure his leprosy.

Fabian

I need better treatment.

Radio Broadcast inside hut

Sir Julius says that the challenge of peace is a challenge to which only decent men and women can respond to and Kouna (General) is not in the category.

Francis Ona – President of the Bougainville interim Government

With the fact that the Papua New Guinea forces have been violating, seriously violating the ceasefire agreement. We can not go down with the kind of behaviour that has been witnessed by many people down at Arawa.

Joseph Kabui Vice President Bougainville Interim Government

The success of the conference was a success that hinged on the leaders and the people, the leaders and the chiefs of the villages. It was all of us Bougainvilleas. Our attendance had the key to the success of the conference. And the villages were located in all around the place on the coast and in the mountains. And they had to go through these routes where the Papua New Guinea defence force where based and you know that any sensible man, person, in seeing the enemy still sitting down here at the entrance or the route your going down, you know would naturally be scared to go through, to pass through there.

Radio Broadcast

Mr Somelia told the UN secretary general that despite the Bougainville peace talks being stalled, there was still room for dialogue between the two warring groups.

Francis Ona- President of the Bougainville Interim Government

Independence is the only way that will solve the Bougainville  war. Otherwise, you know we can just put a bandage solution on top of it and say giving us what kind of solution. It will never solve the Bougainville Crisis, because the future generations will start again the revolution and they will continue the fight again. And we don’t want any more blood to be spilled on Bougainville. We want total peace to come about Bougainville.

BRA Soldier

We have nothing left. We’ve been working and fighting for what is ours, and for peace. Then we can be peaceful people again. That’s why we are fighting.