News 02.2010
25.02.2010
ESBC Vice President resigns.
Mr. Marcel Däschen, co-founder and vice president of the European Shareholders of Bougainville Copper (ESBC) resigned on February 25th, 2010. Mr. Däschen left the ESBC as well. The president of the ESBC, Mr. Axel G. Sturm, thanked Mr. Däschen for his work in the past. A new vice president will be announced shortly.
ESBC Vizepräsident tritt zurück.
Mit Wirkung vom 25. Februar 2010 ist der Mitbegründer und Vizepräsident der European Shareholders of Bougainville Copper (ESBC), Herr Marcel Däschen, von seinen Aufgaben zurückgetreten. Herr Däschen erklärte zugleich seinen Austritt aus den ESBC. Der Präsident der ESBC, Axel G. Sturm, dankte Herrn Däschen für seine Arbeit in der Vergangenheit. Die Ernennung eines neuen Vizepräsidenten wird in Kürze bekannt gegeben.
25.02.2010
Post-Courier:
ABG in final meet
By WINTERFORD TOREAS
AUTONOMOUS Bougainville Government President James Tanis and his delegation are in Port Moresby for the final Joint Supervisory Board meeting which will be held this week.
The delegation which comprises ABG ministers and administration officials left for Port Moresby yesterday.
Their trip to the final JSB meeting shows the ABG’s commitment to pursue outstanding issues on autonomy implementation to the drawdown of powers and functions on priority subject matters.
The Bougainville Executive Council on Tuesday approved the implementation of stage three of the revised indicative steps on the transfer of functions and powers relating to mining, oil and gas with regard to the review of the Bougainville Copper Agreement (BCA).
President Tanis said the ABG would put a request to the National Government to start the process of the review adding that the ABG was ready to start negotiation of the BCA.
“What is now required to be done on the ground is to attend to the landowners’ reconciliation, election of the landowners executives, social, environmental, land and other outstanding issues be fast-tracked in preparation for the landowners participation in the review,” said Mr Tanis
The National:
ABG all set for JSB meeting in Port Moresby
By KEITH PUARIA
THE Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) is preparing to attend the final meeting of the joint supervisory body (JSB) in Port Moresby this week.
ABG President James Tanis said any decision not to proceed with the scheduled JSB meeting, which was originally scheduled for Kavieng on Feb 26, was rejected by the Bougainville Executive Council (BEC) because it defeated the previous resolution on the date and venue for the consultation between both governments.
“I was mandated by the BEC in its special meeting last Friday to immediately inform the National Government that the JSB meeting will proceed as planned, and will be convened in Port Moresby instead of New Ireland province,” Mr. Tanis said.
The ABG has requested Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to attend since it will be the final meeting between the current ABG and the National Government in light of the ABG 2010 general election.
The BEC also endorsed representatives of foreign missions in Port Moresby to attend the meeting.
Mr Tanis said the BEC had also mandated the ABG representatives to the JSB meeting to include on the agenda a status report on the implementation of all JSB resolutions.
This report will be tabled in the first meeting of the JSB after the ABG election.
The JSB is made up of the National Government and Autonomous Bougainville Government to concentrate on the implementation of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
Second tanker hits Bougainville reef
By KEITH PUARIA
A SECOND oil tanker hit the reefs of Pokpok Island last Thursday night about a kilometer from the Kieta port in Central Bougainville and was rescued last night.
MV Queen, believed to be an Asian vessel, was sailing into Central Bougainville in an attempt to hose out oil from an old tank at the once Bougainville Copper Limited, Lolo Power Station.
The tanker was saved by a tug boat last night and is sailing back home.
The first tanker sailed into Lolo about a month ago, hosed out oil and created a leak between the tank of oil and Lolo wharf, splattering oil all over the Lolo coast line and nearby villages.
The tanker’s missions were business deals organized by known Bougainvilleans of Central Bougainville between overseas companies, likewise with scrap metal, which are now affecting the people and surrounding environments.
The people of Pompom Island, Suzerain and nearby coastlines are now demanding K1 million as a result of damages to their marine resources and sea water.
A petition has been delivered to the Central Bougainville Commissioner and the North Nisei council of elders (COE), demanding for the compensation to be paid immediately and for the tanker to be compounded by authorities concerned before MV Queen leaves Papua New Guinea waters.
Chairman of North Nisei COE John Donna supported the petition, adding that the ABG was not taking into consideration the seriousness of the problems.
Mr. Donna, who witnessed the tanker lying along the reefs of Pompom Island, said he was not sure whether the authorities knew about the organized vessels sailing into Central Bougainville in search of wealth.
“I am also concerned whether regulations concerning such deals are complied with.
“With the oil tanker MV Queen now returning, the people are now angered by this situation demanding for the tanker to be located and impounded,” he said.
Mr. Donna said such deals had been ongoing and the people were frustrated.
23.02.2010
Post-Courier:
Law and order improves in Arawa
By WINTERFORD TOREAS
THE law and order situation in Arawa town and other parts of Kieta district in Central Bougainville is improving.
This follows the formation of the Peace and Good Order committee in Arawa town last November.
According to the chairman of the Peace and Good Order committee, Sergeant Herman Birengka, since the formation of the committee last year they had been working tirelessly around the clock to address the law and order situation in the area, resulting in fewer problems being experienced there.
“The law and order situation in Arawa town is now improving.
“This follows the establishment of the peace and good order committee in November last year,” he said.
Sgt Birengka said they are now meeting with the council of elders’ chairmen in the district so they would help formulate the plan of this peace and good order committee in their areas.
Meanwhile, Sgt Birengka has called on all the districts in the region to set up their own peace and good order committees.
He said it was important to set up these committees because once all the reconciliation ceremonies in their districts were completed the Peace and Good Order committees would help maintain law and order in their districts.
Bougainville not prepared
By WINTERFORD TOREAS
THE Autonomous Region of Bougainville is not prepared to deal with a cholera disease outbreak that may strike the region.
“Bougainville is not prepared for any disease outbreak like dysentery and cholera.
“If we are not ready we can lose 100-300 Bougainvilleans in three days,” said acting chairman of the Red Cross Society branch in the region, Robert Semoso.
“That is why it is very important that we need to come up with preventive measures to address these outbreaks before they claim the lives of the people,” he said.
Red Cross volunteer in the region, Francis Botsia shared the same sentiments and said that Bougainville was sitting on a time bomb.
“Bougainville is vulnerable to these sicknesses. Bougainville is sitting on a time bomb. If nothing is done to address these sicknesses many people can be killed,” Mr Botsia said.
Both Mr Semoso and Mr Botsia had voiced their concerns regarding the cholera disease outbreak during the recently completed Nationwide Public Health and Orientation Training which took place in Buka last week.
16.02.2010
Post-Courier:
BCL declares jump in profits for 2009
By ERIC TAPAKAU
OWNERS of the once world class Panguna copper/gold mine, Bougainville Copper Limited has announced a jump in the company’s profit for the year ended December 31, 2009.
The company reported a net profit of K8.7 million ($A4.3 million) compared with a loss of K4.8 million ($A2.3 million) the previous year.
In addition there was an unrealised K63.6 million capital gain which together with the net profit equates to a 24.6 per cent increase in shareholder funds.
Operating expenses in this reporting period were in line with those of last year.
Company secretary Paul Coleman said that the higher net profit this year was attributable to realised gains on the sale of investments and exchange gains.
He also said that the tax dispute legal fees continued to be a drain on revenue.
Mr Coleman reported that the directors of the company did not declare any dividend in respect of the 2009 net profit.
The annual general meeting of the company will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port Moresby at 10 am on Thursday April 29, 2010 and annual report and notice of meeting will be mailed to shareholders by March 26.
Operations at the Panguna mine stopped in 1989 due to secessionist uprisings and an impairment loss of K350 million was made for deterioration, damage or pilferage of company assets on Bougainville.
According to Mr Coleman’s report, the accuracy of that provision could not be proved because the lack of access to Bougainville prevented a detailed assessment of the nature or extent of those losses.
No depreciation charge or increase to the impairment loss has been made since 1991.
The directors consider that any review of the impairment loss would be completely arbitrary because of the continuing lack of access to the mine.
12.02.2010
Post-Courier:
Election preparations on track in Bougainville
By GORETHY KENNETH
BOUGAINVILLE election officials have started removing “ghost” names from the common roll that they have started working on two months ago.
Bougainville election commissioner Reitama Taravaru yesterday said in his update that with great help from all council of elders in all 13 districts that make up Bougainville, they had started taking out ghost names. Before the issue of writs on next month, Bougainville will have a completely new common roll.
Mr Taravaru said the preliminary roll for these 13 districts is complete and will be put out for public scrutiny by next week and for the next two weeks after that, there will be an objection period.
“I, as the commissioner, have been very impressed with all COEs (council of elders) in all 13 districts because they have been very helpful in assisting us with the Common Roll,” Mr Taravaru said.
“This is a very big positive achievement and I commend them for that. The rolls are now on track, the process is progressing very well. There are people from several areas where we have never been to in the past, now asking if we can get to them and update their names and inviting us to enrol them.”
Mr Taravaru said all programs were ready and that help would come from headquarters and the Australian Electoral Commission.
“Before the issue of writs on March 26, we should be able to complete the whole new common roll and be able to use it come the polling period,” he said. “All materials are already being organised, training is still continuing.
“Otherwise, I am on target. We have some financial problems but that’s okay, we are getting ourselves organised before the polling period because this is going to be a tough one for me especially when my mentor, or former commissioner Mathias Pihei, is no longer in office with us. “But as we always say, we will do our best,” he said.
10.02.2010
Good Results.
The directors of Bougainville Copper Limited announced the following audited results of the
company for the year ended 31 December 2009 together with comparable results for twelve months to 31 December 2008.
Results
For the year ended 31 December 2009 the net profit was K8.7 million (AUD$4.3 million) compared with a loss of K4.8 million (AUD$2.3 million) the previous year. In addition there was an unrealised K63.6 million capital gain which together with the net profit equates to a 24.6 per cent increase in shareholder funds. Operating expenses in this reporting period were in line with those of last year.
The higher net profit this year is attributable realised gains on the sale of investments and exchange gains. The tax dispute legal fees continue to be a drain on revenue.
> see original BCL document here !
