[APWW-Meet] Women's Minister of the Bougainville Autonomous Government was

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sacked from her Cabinet position
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From: annewalker@iwtc.org


Dear PeaceWomen and Friends,
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Please respond to this urgent action alert.=20

On Monday 3 June 2008, the Women's Minister of the Bougainville
Autonomous Government was sacked from her Cabinet position.
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We urge you to fax a letter to Bougainville Autonomous Government
President Kabui demanding that he reverse this decision. =20
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We have drafted a sample below for you to adapt, put on your letterhead,
and send it to the fax numbers provided. Please also send your letter to
your own Foreign Ministry to alert them to what is happening. =20
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Why was Magdalene Toroansi sacked from Cabinet this week?

Magdalene Toroansi was the lone voice in the Cabinet to oppose President
Kabui's signature to a mining contract with Canadian mining company,
Invincible which would reopen the Panguna Mine in Central Bougainville,
taking 70 per cent of the profits offshore. =20
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President Kabui had not consulted the women landowners.  He had not even
consulted the parliament about this contract.
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Magdalene Toroansi was sacked because she represented the valid fears
and concerns in Bougainville that conflict that could occur if this
controversial mine is reopened without proper consultation.=20
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The Panguna mine is very sensitive and significant because it was at the
centre of fighting in Bougainville between1989 and 2002.  At that time,
another foreign company, Australian owned Rio Tinto subsidiary CRA, was
extracting a million dollars worth of copper per day.  While obscene
amounts of toxins and tailings polluted the rivers, Bougainvilleans
received very, very little of the profits from this mine, which was
closed by the people against great odds.  The militarised response by
the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, strongly supported by Australia,
caused divisions in the society, and terrible killings; a civil war.  A
blockade imposed by Australia stopped medicines coming in, causing many
people, thousands of children, to die of malaria and other easily
preventable diseases.  A lot of guns managed to make it through the
blockade, however, many are still there today, strongly impacting
Bougainville today. People are scared to speak their minds, make
decisions, and move freely. Women are being raped at gunpoint.=20
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Please can the international sisters and NGO friends stand in solidarity
with the women of Bougainville to help prevent more mining-driven
conflict in Bougainville?
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Please send the letter below.  You can also find more information is in
the Press Release from the Bougainville Women's Development Agency,
Leitana Nehan, quoting the Executive Director, Helen Hakena.=20
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Best wishes


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Helen Hakena (Leitana Nehan) & Felicity Hill (WILPF)=20
DRAFT LETTER=20


(this is also attached so you can use the WORD version if it is easier!)




YOUR LETTERHEAD
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DATE=20


President Kabui
Bougainville Autonomous Government
Buka, Bougainville
Fax: + 675 973 9061
Email: abghausparl@daltron.com.pg
Ph: + 675 973 9416

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Dear President Kabui,
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The members and leadership of INSERT NAME OF YOUR ORGANISATION urge you
to reinstate the Women's Minister of the Bougainville Autonomous
Government, Magdalene Toroansi.
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Magdalene Toroansi represented very valid concerns in your country when
she opposed the reopening of the Panguna mine in your Cabinet vote. =20
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The sensitivities around the Panguna mine and the associated fears of
conflict aroused by its reopening are valid given that this mine, and
particularly its operation by foreign companies, has caused so much pain
and death in your country during the 1989-2002 fighting. =20
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There are strong grounds for questioning your signature on the agreement
with the Canadian company, Invincible.  There was no transparency,
accountability or due process; the parliament had not been consulted,
let alone the women land owners. =20
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Mr. President, to preserve the very fragile peace in Bougainville, and
to preserve your culture, the women land owners must be consulted on any
decision to mine land by your government. =20
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Your Women's Minister was serving you well by representing her
constituency, and by trying to help you see the potential results of a
hasty action on the Panguna mine.  Your leadership should be able to
sustain criticism and questions; sacking those who challenge you is not
acceptable.  It is especially unacceptable to remove voices who are
working to prevent conflict, and conflict is a very strong possibility
if the Panguna mine is not handled very carefully.=20
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My organisation strongly urges you to withdraw the agreement with
Invincible and reinstate Magdalene Toroansi. We are contacting our
Foreign Ministry to communicate our concerns about the situation in
Bougainville.
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Sincerely
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YOUR SIGNATURE
YOUR TITLE
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 =20

PRESS RELEASE=20


The Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency (LNWDA) deeply concerned
about the tension brewing in Bougainville, urges the President to
reinstate sacked Women's Minister=20


President Kabui of the Bougainville Autonomous Government has endangered
our fragile peace by entering into a contract with Canadian mining
company, Invincible.  This contract was not discussed in parliament and
results in Bougainville receiving 30 per cent of the proceeds, and the
company taking 70 per cent, an unfair deal. =20
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Helen Hakena, Executive Director of Leitana Nehan said, "Women own the
land in Bougainville. They own the land on which the Panguna mine is
situated.  For too long, men have negotiated and made agreements about
our land without our input or permission. =20
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"From 1989 until it finally ended in 2002, a devastating war was fought
over the Panguna mine and claimed the lives of thousands of women, men
and children.  The suffering and the trauma continues today.=20
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"Bougainvillean women and men have learned lessons from this war
experience. We have learned that the government must consult the people
before signing contracts with foreign companies who stand to make
massive profits from our rich land. =20
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We have also learned that conflict can be prevented, and that our
children, our land and our society is badly damaged by violence and must
be spared from war.  That is why we in Leitana stood up and opposed this
illegal agreement which was not even discussed by the parliament.=20
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The Women's Minister, Magdalene Toroansi, also opposed the Bougainville
Resource Investment Corporation's plans to reopen the Panguna mine, the
only person to oppose this in the Cabinet. She bravely spoke for many
Bougainvilleans with her vote and voice. For representing the people,
for being a woman of integrity, for sensing the danger and the
possibility to prevent conflict, she was sacked. =20
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This is a shocking reflection on the state of our democracy, and we urge
the President to reverse this decision. =20
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We also urge the President to understand that the Panguna mine is a
sensitive and potentially explosive issue in our country.  If we are to
keep the fragile peace and avoid descending once more into violence, an
open, accountable, transparent decision-making process must occur about
any decision to mine in Bougainville. =20
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To contact Helen Hakena currently in Fiji for comment: +679 937 8070
Bougainville Inter-Church Women's Forum, Monica Taga in Bougainville: +
675 973 9062



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