By Norm Dixon
The Papua New Guinea government's highly publicised military offensive to "flush out" pro-independence rebels of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army from their strongholds in central and southern Bougainville has been stalled. Strong opposition by rebel fighters, impenetrable jungle and PNG troops' reluctance to fight have combined to halt the offensive.
The embarrassing failure has caused divisions in the PNG elite and forced some to propose various forms of "autonomy" for the island as a way to end the conflict.
The offensive stalled in its largest engagement with the BRA, at Aropa airport. A week after 300 heavily armed PNG troops landed under cover of bombardment from Australian-supplied patrol boats on July 8, PNG troops were forced to retreat by entrenched BRA fighters armed with a reconditioned Japanese 70mm anti-aircraft gun. BRA fighters retook the airstrip on July 15.
BRA Commander Sam Kauona said on July 15 that BRA fighters "controlled the jungle and it was a misconception that the PNGDF was capable of defeating my men, even if they were armed to the teeth by Australia or Asia. [The PNG government] now have a lot to explain to Papua New Guineans, in terms of costs and resources, why they have pushed on with this 'dirty war' even against all good advice."
The retreat means that the operation is all but over. Soon after the defeat, one of PNG's two infantry divisions on the island was withdrawn without any progress towards its stated goal of "flushing out" the rebels. It was an open secret that troops from the Second Battalion Pacific Islands Regiment, who were forced to remain on the island beyond their usual stint, were reluctant to continue their extended tour of duty.
Moses Havini, Australian representative of the Bougainville Interim Government, said that PNG had suffered "a clear defeat by the BRA. [The offensive] has only strengthened the spirit and morale of the BRA fighters."
The failure has caused a ruckus in the PNG elite over the future of PNG's Bougainville policy. Former prime minister Sir Michael Somare proposed that Bougainville be granted a form of self-government similar to the Cook Islands' relationship with New Zealand.
Theodore Miriung, the premier of the Port Moresby-appointed Bougainville Transitional Government, suggested that the PNG government look at the various forms of colonial "self-government" and "free association" that operate in the Pacific, such as those between the US and "American" Samoa, Micronesia and the Northern Marianas, or between France and "French" Polynesia. PNG Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan has promised to address parliament on "greater autonomy" for Bougainville, but ruled out going as far as Somare or Miriung had suggested.
Chan's favoured form of autonomy is unlikely to be genuine if statements made on ABC Radio by the PNG government's adviser on Bougainville, Warren Dutton, are anything to go by. Asked what kind of autonomy the PNG government would support, Dutton replied: "The PNG government must negotiate to concede as little as possible ... Whatever the national government cedes to Bougainville will be detrimental to the rest of the country."
The BIG rejected these sham proposals, Moses Havini said on Radio Australia on July 27. "In a statement issued from the ground, President Francis Ona said Bougainville had no time for any 'glorified local government council system'. The BIG will not waste time pondering anything that falls short of total political independence, by even a fraction. The issue is independence, no more, no less", Havini said.
The BRA has launched a counter-offensive called Operation Clean Up. At least four PNG security force members were killed in the last week of July. The PNGDF camp at Toiomonapu has been surrounded by BRA rebels.
While the PNG offensive has been blunted, there remain significant numbers of troops on the island. A BIG statement on July 31 reported that the Australian-supplied Iroquois combat helicopters continue to be used as gunships against civilians.
A number of villages near the Aropa airport "were bombarded from the air". The helicopters then moved over the area near the closed Panguna copper mine and attacked four villages. "Bombs were fired and dropped on civilian targets who were completely defenceless", the BIG statement said.