Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG)

Autonomous Bougainville Government President, Ishmael Toroama, condemned the atrocious act, saying “it goes against every effort my government, in collaboration with our police and our communities, are trying to do to curb crime and lawlessness on Bougainville”.

“While I understand the pain and sorrow the family of the young man are going through, I urge them to refrain from further actions,” said the President.

“I am also issuing a stern warning to opportunists from capitalising on this tragedy by trying to cause havoc and mayhem in Arawa Town.

Bougainville President, Ishmael Toroama, made the statement during his New Year’s message for the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

President Toroama said in the last three years, his government had focused on the post referendum joint consultations with the National Government.

With the 2019 Bougainville Referendum results about to be tabled in the National Parliament for ratification this year, the ABG is focused on capacity building in each of its social and development sectors.

Autonomous Bougainville Government President, Ishmael Toroama, said the real challenge to the government is the method of law enforcement on Bougainville.

“At the swearing in of the current Minister for Police, Bosco Ragu, this year, I mentioned that the Bougainville Police Service functions as a community policing oriented law enforcement agency, as opposed to the Royal Papua New Guinea Police Constabulary’s functions,” said Toroama.

“The BPS does not employ force nor does it have a paramilitary unit to deal with tactical situations.

The ABG has issued this notice to parents and guardians who will have students attending tertiary institutions in the 2023 academic year.

There are 4 forms for 2023:

The MoU, signed on 25 November in Port Moresby, will pave the way for more efficient and effective collaborations between the ABG Department of Lands and UNOPS, with expansion into the provision of project management, procurement and infrastructure development services in Bougainville.

ABG Minister for Lands, Physical Planning, Environment and Conservation, Amanda Masono, says this arrangement will provide a valuable boost to her Ministry and Department, particularly in progressing towards a green economy for Bougainville.

The first step is reclaiming the company’s former holdings in Bougainville by agreeing to abide by the terms of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) on inward investment.

Bray expressed the company's gratitude to the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the people of Bougainville for their confidence allowing the company to reclaim the lands they leased before the Bougainville crisis, and because of their history together, he hopes this relationship can continue.

Insurance firms in Papua New Guinea have a clause in their policies where it explicitly states that they will not offer insurance coverage for businesses that operate on Bougainville.

This policy was brought about due to the unfavourable business environment created in Bougainville as an aftermath of the ten-year civil war, from 1988 - 1998.

In the last twenty years since the 2001 signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, people have worked hard to cultivate a conducive business environment on Bougainville.

To kick start the discussion on the process and arrangement, the team from the Department of Justice and Legal Services, comprising of Robert Aneisia and Luke Clancy held a meeting with Chief Censor, Jim Abani in Port Moresby, to establish an understanding on the opportunity to bring down censorship responsibilities to Bougainville, under the current political arrangement as provided for under the Bougainville Peace Agreement.

Vice Minister for Bougainville Affairs, Peter Tsiamalili said this at the National Coordination Office for Bougainville Affairs (NCOBA) Sharp Agreement Summit at the APEC Haus yesterday, Friday 26^th November. Mr Tsiamalili said he was pleased at the outcome.

“I applaud both Prime Minister, James Marape and ABG President, Ishmael Toroama for their foresight and leadership in ensuring that the ABG achieves and administers its own affairs and finally exercising its full autonomy in preparation for its future political settlement.

The K50 million (AUD19million) upgrades will support work to improve, restructure and transition grids in Buka and Arawa to renewable energy.

In a statement, Jon Philip said, “The upgrades are designed to connect businesses and communities to reliable, affordable and renewable electricity, as well as providing long-term capacity solutions and reducing operating costs.”

The upgrades to Buka and Arawa grids will connect neighboring areas to have access to more reliable electricity.