Bougainville: BPC Unity Cracking Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - VIKKI@law.uts.edu.au Thu Jun 10 00:37:20 1999 The National - 10 June 99 Buka chiefs threaten to pull out of BPC By PHILIP KEPSON RABAUL: The Laitena Council of Chiefs yesterday petitioned the newly formed Bougainville Peoples Congress (BPC) President Joseph Kabui to include five of their nominated members in the congress, sources in Buka told The National last night. The Buka chiefs, who were upset with Sinato/Kabui led faction, have reportedly asked Mr Kabui and his 30 executive members to accept their request or they would pull their eight members out of the congress, two government officials in Buka said. The sources said they were not sure of the full content of the petition including other demands but it was understood that the Laitena Council of Chiefs is not happy with the manner in which the BPC was formed and its executive including the election of the president, two vice-presidents, and the Speaker. More than 100 BPC members elected Mr Kabui as president while two other Kabui friends -Thomas Anis (former Bougainville Transitional Government premier) and South Bougainvillean James Tanis as deputies. The Buka chiefs choice for the top post, George Lesi, was defeated in the vice-president's election by Mr Anis. Prior to the BPC executive's election, Mr Anis was defeated by a Laitena Council of Chiefs' candidate in the BPC election in Buka but he was appointed to the congress by Mr Kabui and his group in line with the Bougainville Constituent Assembly (BPC) constitution. Former rebel spokesman and BPC executive member Andrew Miriki confirmed last night that Mr Kabui left Central Bougainville yesterday for Buka to receive the petition. Mr Miriki also confirmed that the next BPC meeting was scheduled to be convened today at Arawa's Marimari church. "All I know is about the president's departure this morning to receive a petition from the Laitena Council of Chiefs in Buka. The other thing is that we are to have the second BPC meeting tomorrow (today)," he said. Buka sources said if Mr Kabui and his executive did not react favourably to their (Laitena Council of Chiefs) petition, there was a possibility that they may withdraw their eight elected members from the BPC. The National understands that the resistance forces, who had collaborated recently in opposing the Kabui/Sinato faction were behind the petition with the aim of causing instability in newly formed BPC administration. Attempts to contact Laitena Council of Chiefs chairman Joel Banam and Mr Kabui in Buka were unsuccessful last night. ========================= Honiara plea for PNG aid By SINCLAIRE SOLOMON PORT MORESBY: The Solomon Islands has turned to Papua New Guinea for urgent financial assistance to quell the social unrest on the main island of Guadalcanal by an ethnic militant group. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Bart Ulufa'alu yesterday dispatched his trouble- shooter, Minister for State Alfred Sasako, to Port Moresby with a letter of appeal for Prime Minister Bill Skate. Mr Sasako left the capital Honiara as a policeman was wounded earlier in the day after being caught in crossfire between the people of Guadalcanal and Malaita island. Authorities told AFP that the policeman was not badly hurt but the shooting happened as most of the capital was closed amid fears that the militant group, the Guadalcanal Liberation Army, might attack the city. The group made up of ethnic Guadalcanal people opposes the growing number of people from Malaita island in the capital. Apart from a meeting with Prime Minister Skate, Mr Sasako is also expected to meet Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Roy Yaki and Defence Minister Peter Waieng during his three days of talks here. Mr Sasako said last night that while his country would not say no to military or any other forms of assistance from Papua New Guinea, Honiara was more interested in financial assistance due to it under a 1997 aid agreement between the two countries. Under this agreement, PNG would provide the Solomon Islands an annual grant of K10 million for four years starting last year. Mr Sasako said that PNG has already paid K2 million of this year's contribution and his mission here was to ask for the rest to be paid soon so that it would be used for police operations and other programs to end the social tension. The Guadalcanal Liberation Group, which also goes by the name of Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army, has demanded 2.5 million Solomon Islands dollars (K1.7 million) from the Government for what it claims were the killing of 25 locals by the Malaita people in the past 20 years; and a state government. Mr Sasako said that the second demand was unrealistic while the Ulufa'alu Government wants the militants to lay down their arms first because negotiations could begin on the compensation claims which would be done in the traditional style involving shell money, pigs and other traditional items of solving dispute. He said that despite various overtures by the national government towards an amicable settlement, the militants appeared to be becoming more aggressive. "It is unsettling," he said, adding that it had all the signs of turning into "another Bougainville." Mr Sasako, a Malaita islander and UPNG graduate in journalism who covered the Bougainville crisis during a stint with AAP, said also that although the militants were armed with home-made weapons they resembled those "manufactured" on Bougainville during the crisis. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytpac-06.10.99-03:46:06-19418