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Bougainville

Strine | 16.12.2007 00:40

Current Australian warning to travellers

Bougainville: we advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Bougainville. You should consider your plans carefully and discuss them with the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby before travelling to Bougainville, particularly to the South. You must provide notice of your intention to visit the island to the Bougainville Provincial Administration (telephone +675 973 9798) and must contact the Administration again upon arrival.

The mountainous area in central Bougainville around the old Panguna mine is a 'No Go Zone'. We strongly advise you not to enter the 'No Go Zone'. Foreigners who have entered the 'No Go Zone' without authorisation from the PNG Government have been questioned by PNG authorities and had their passports confiscated on departure from the Zone

Strine

Comments

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Dont believe the hype!

16.12.2007 01:35

Things have changed a lot, you can practically fly there direct from Port Moresby these days, three times a week on Air Niugini. Plenty of opportunity to help with NGOs doing different things, and their cars run on coconuts. Well worth a visit, if you keep your head up, much like anywhere outside of the 'first world'.
In 2009 I am going to sail down there from the Med, maybe live there for 10 or 50 years. Funny really coz the island always had a reputation as being the most western-acclimatised part of that region of Melanesia, ever since WW2. Other areas of PNG and the Solomons are still pretty much Fourth World/First Nations, with some who have been uncontacted or else who just reject Western Civilization. I call these people the Fifth World, globally, and recommend you search for the Kwaio, online or at Lonely Planet.
Also, the Carteret Islands are possibly the first islands to be rendered uninhabitable by the rising sea levels caused by global warming.
Why the interest, anyway?

Mekamui Dreamer
- Homepage: http://www.eco-action.org/ssp

Why The Interest

16.12.2007 03:35

Could be because Bugainville threw out the Mining Company - much against the wishes of the Australian Government. The Mining Company or the Australian Government then sent Mercenaries in to recover the "stolen" assets. Under a state of siege created by corporations and compliant governments, it might actually be reasonable to be a little assertive when dealing with visitors.

An Enquiring Mind