Rebuilding peace and security

THE Mekamui faction has pledged its support to the Autonomous Bougainville Government, to work together to develop Bougainville.

Mekamui President, Philip Miriori, made this pledge during a reconciliation ceremony between Mekamui members of North and Central Bougainville in July.

“We have limited time to make change happen and therefore we need to work together towards our referendum and independence. This is what we fought and died for,” said Mr Miriori.
“Peace and unity amongst Bougainvilleans, was the dream of the late Francis Ona, and the Mekamui’s and it was important to work with the Autonomous Bougainville Government to bring lasting peace on the island.”

Ten years of friction between the two factions stemmed from an incident where Northern faction strongman Willie Haga, was barred from attending the funeral of secessionist leader, Francis Ona at the infamous Morgan Junction in 2005.
The Mekamui leaders, who hosted the reconciliation ceremony in Buka, funded the event out of their own pockets.
This is one of similar reconciliation ceremonies that are happening in Bougainville under the Panguna Peace Building Strategy.

The Panguna Peace Building Strategy (PPBS) with support of the Governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia, through Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen has provided PGK1.28 million to complement the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s (ABG) funding commitment of PGK1 million in 2013 and a further commitment of PGK1 million in 2014.

Following a reconciliation in July 2013 amongst the three high ranking former BRA Commanders (Ishmael Toroama, Chris Uma and Moses Pipiro), each of the former Commanders vowed to resolve other high profile issues/atrocities committed under their respective commands.

This has seen significant progress as the PPBS implemented by the ABG continues to strengthen community cohesion through reconciliation peace ceremonies that are helping to unify fractured communities.

In April 2014, PPBS conducted a unification ceremony of chiefs and ex-combatants for Ioro 1 Council of Elders at Parakake village.

The ceremony was very significant because it was the first occasion for ex-combatants to publicly hand back to the chiefs that power that they had usurped through militant force during the Bougainville crisis.

The ceremony was attended by 65 participants (10 Council of Elders and ABG representatives, 16 women, 12 youths/ex-combatants and 27 chiefs).

Other significant reconciliation and unification ceremonies include the Orami Reconciliation where PPBS facilitated a reconciliation ceremony on 4 June for former Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) ex-combatants from Orami (inland Panguna) and Panam villages of Bana District, over the killing of a Panam man who was accused of treason by BRA and executed without trial.

His body was dumped inside a school toilet pit and has remained there for over twenty years until PPBS mediators facilitated a successful mediation and reconciliation culminating in the exhumation, repatriation and reburial of the remains of the body. The local members of the Bougainville Police witnessed the event.

On 11 June 2014, PPBS – together with Chiefs and relatives of the seven men killed – facilitated a traditional confrontation, mediation and reconciliation process called “Dankinang” in the Nasioi language.

Dankinang is a traditional confrontation and mediation process that brings together the victims and perpetrators into a neutral arena that is specifically marked by two tanget plants spaced about 10 meters apart. The space in between the two tanget plants becomes a neutral arena (Dankinang) where the victim families can confront the perpetrators and accuse them of the killings.

A neutral traditional chief sits adjudicates the confrontation process. Eyewitnesses are called upon during the confrontation process to verify or deny the allegations. The perpetrators also enter the neutral arena to confirm or deny the alleged killings. All the“toktok” that happens in the Dankinang, stays in the Dankinang and must be concluded at the neutral arena. Any information made public at the Dankinang cannot be used by anyone in the future to cause trouble. All cases begin and end at the Dankinang. The process concludes with the perpetrators being forgiven by the families of the victims and traditional shell money and food is exchanged to mark the reconciliation.

About 1,200 men, women and children and chiefs witnessed the Dankinang for the seven killings committed by Chris Uma and his men at Kerei Nari. The mediation ended with a reconciliation ceremony.

PPBS are planning to follow similar traditional mediation processes for the other two high ranking commanders (Toroama and Pipiro). The peace building strategy is assisting ABG in strengthening unity across Bougainville in the lead up to the Referendum on Autonomy.

Bougainville President Chief, John Momis who was present at the Buka Mekamui reconciliation in July expressed satisfaction and joy at the initiative undertaken by the Mekamui Tribal Government.

“This was important as it showed the leadership the Mekamuis have taken to develop their province,”said Mr Miriori

Chief Momis said ABG, through the Bougainville Peace Agreement, is the vehicle that will unite Bougainvilleans to achieve self-determination.

The Mekamui unification was facilitated by the Australian Government funded PPBS program as part of the project on “Mainstreaming Panguna Leadership and Governance” into the ABG.