Bougainville - The Desire for Peace Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - VIKKI@law.uts.edu.au Wed May 12 00:33:51 1999 The National - 12 May 99 Trouble-free polls evidence of Bougainville desire for peace By PHILIP KEPSON RABAUL: The Bougainville peoples' desire for the restoration of a proper government on the crisis-torn island was demonstrated in the week-long, trouble-free polling of the Bougainville Peoples Congress (BPC) election. Provincial electoral officer Mathias Pehei said yesterday that the polling for the BPC election, which started last Monday, was completed a few days ago without any reports of disruptions. "The peaceful election was a demonstration of the peoples' desire for the restoration of a proper government. We never expected trouble-free polling but it worked so well and encouragingly," he said. Mr Pehei said a total of 102 ballot boxes, mainly from Nisan Island including the atolls and South Bougainville were transported safely to Buka early this week. He said polling in Wisai constituency in Oria (South Bougainville) was suspended for a day last Friday following a complaint by South Bougainville resistance force commander Jacob Naisy, who wanted the people to select a representative for the constituency as did Central Bougainville and Buka, instead of having a proper election. Mr Pehei said the polling in Wisai, where rebel strongman Andrew Miriki is contesting, resumed on Monday after the chiefs there and Mr Naisy had reached an understanding on the dispute. Despite the Wisai case, he said the election officials, mainly the district managers, were happy with the manner in which the people had exercised their freedom in choosing the leaders after nine years of crisis. Mr Pehei said the ballot boxes were locked up at the Buka police station, adding that the counting will start tomorrow evening. "We are not sure at this stage when we will finish the counting but hopefully on the weekend," he said. ================= Japanese city to aid schools in Buin area PORT MORESBY: Education Foundation of Nagaoka city in Japan has committed 1.25 million yen (about K26,400) to schools in the Buin area of Bougainville. The money was presented by the Education Foundation of Japan through Education Minister Muki Taranupi who was a guest of honour at the opening of Yamamoto Memorial museum at the Nagaoka city last week. Mr Taranupi in receiving this fund on behalf of the PNG Government and the schools assured that Japanese people that the money would go a long way in assisting the schools of Buin district as normalcy was returning to the island. The money was released under a foundation called the Yamamoto Buin Education Foundation which was established in 1997 under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Yamamoto Association of Nagaoka city in north west Japan and the National Museum and Art Gallery. After the agreement, an amount totalling K100,00 was deposited in Japan and transferred to the Boroko branch of the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (PNG) Limited. The agreement stipulated that the principle amount will remain the property of Yamamoto Association, and only the interest accrued from this amount can be used. Secondly, a committee a committee should be set up here to decide on how the money is used on Buin. The Yamamoto Buin Education Foundation is a volunteer contribution from the Yamamoto Association of Nagaoka who are presently in custody of Admiral Yamamoto aeroplane wing which was taken out of Bougainville in 1979. ================================================================= 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-05.12.99-17:27:03-5004