Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Papua New Guinea Province to Vote in Independence Ballot

Phil Mercer

   SYDNEY - The people of Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New
   Guinea, will head to the polls Saturday (Nov. 23) to decide whether to
   seek independence and become the world's newest country.

   It's a referendum that has been 20 years in the making, since the end
   of a brutal civil war.

   Analysts predict strong support for independence among voters, but the
   final decision would be out of their hands.

   "It was a crazy war. It started out with a few Bougainvilleans fighting
   a mining company. Then they took on the PNG army, but after forcing the
   army out they fought themselves."

   Bougainville's civil war lasted from 1988 to 1997. Up to 15,000 people
   died -- or about 5% of the region's population. The conflict was brutal
   and fueled by anger over a huge gold and copper mine. Locals felt
   dispossessed and exploited.

   A promised referendum on independence was at the heart of a 2001 peace
   agreement.

.