By Norm Dixon
The Papua New Guinea government is openly preparing a major military offensive against strongholds of the pro-independence Bougainville Revolutionary Army in the island's central and southern regions. Port Moresby has told villagers to evacuate rebel areas and move to government-controlled "care centres". Rebel areas are to be considered free-fire zones and any civilians within them will be considered open game by PNG troops.
The PNG government recently boosted the number of troops on the island by 500 with the arrival of the First Battalion of the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (1RPIR). Originally scheduled to relieve the regiment's Second Battalion, the First Battalion will spearhead the offensive while the Second Battalion will remain on Bougainville to provide logistical support. There are now an estimated 1300-1400 PNG soldiers and police on the island.
Press reports and PNG Defence Force transmissions intercepted by the BRA indicate that the PNGDF will invade from the east and west, secure the coast, before moving inland in an attempt to trap BRA fighters in the island's central region. The operation will target the area around the closed Australian-owned Panguna copper mine which was the catalyst for the latest phase of Bougainvillean people's struggle for independence.
PNG police commissioner Bib Nenta has broadcast warnings over radio threatening villagers who refuse to abandon their homes that they will be caught in the "cross-fire". PNGDF communications intercepted by the BRA indicate nobody will be spared once the offensive is under way: "1RPIR, your duties are to get into the jungle of central and south Bougainville, to shoot up the rebels and the BIG [Bougainville Interim Government] members and supporters. You are to get into areas as hard as you can and to shoot at anyone you find in the jungle and to kill and kill."
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on June 19 that earlier this year the Australian government sold $200,000 worth of military supplies to the PNGDF in addition to the annual $16 million in Australian military aid. There are also reports that the PNG government has spent up to $10 million to resupply the PNGDF, including $2 million worth of mortars and arms from Singapore.
The BIG representative in Australia, Moses Havini, points out that the PNG force will be using arms and equipment supplied overwhelmingly from Australia, including Iroquois helicopter gunships, patrol boats and motor launches, automatic rifles, small arms and ammunition. He has called on the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, to use Australia's influence and intervene to stop the planned offensive.
BRA commander Sam Kauona described the warnings and leaked information about the offensive as part of a psychological war against the people of Bougainville. The war moves were linked more to "rising economic, social, and law and order problems" and the 1997 general election within PNG than bringing peace, he said. BRA fighters were ready for battle and their morale was high, Kauona added. BRA intelligence has been aware of the planned offensive for many weeks and BRA fighters have been on "full red-alert" since early June.
The BIG pointed out that the proposed offensive seems similar to the failed mid-1994 Operation Highspeed (the latest offensive has been dubbed Operation Highspeed II). In that operation, the PNGDF suffered many casualties including three officers dead and the wounding of operation's commander. The failure of that offensive forced the PNG government to call a cease-fire and begin talks with the BIG. PNG prime minister Julius Chan unilaterally ended the cease-fire and called off planned peace talks in March. Since then, the PNG government and army has become increasingly belligerent.
A series of raids have been launched into the neighbouring Solomon Islands, the last on May 31. The PNGDF claims to have killed four BRA fighters in a shoot-out on Choiseul Island. In another incident the same week, an Australian-supplied PNG patrol boat opened fire on the Solomons' village of Liuliug. On June 2, the Solomon Islands government delivered a diplomatic protest to PNG which read: "Since the lifting of the cease-fire by the PNG government on March 21, incursions into Solomon Islands territory have been continuing, seemingly at will and threatening the integrity of Solomon Islands, its sovereignty and its populace along the common border.
"Solomon Islands is of the view that these actions are provocative, aggressive and posturing armed harassment. They have continuously created an unnecessarily dangerous and tense situation and has instilled great fear in our people."