Bougainville-

Cover Stories

Bougainville- An island of

sorrow

Behind the politics affecting the war-torm island, lies a human tragedy. Writer Sireli Korovulavula and photographer Asaeli Lave bring a first-hand account of the horror that is Bougainville.

Annemary Niniku’s thoughts were on the hospital services she had just forsaken as she trekked through the treacherous trail to Damaosi village located deep in the Crown Prince mountain ranges.

The young mother clutched her day-old baby close to her chest for warmth as the mountain fog robbed them off their final reserves of strength. Jordan was born at Arawa Hospital 20 hours before the land ing at the Tunuku Catholic Station of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force two years ago. They had been sent to flush out members of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army.

“Jordan and Annemary were fine, both were healthy and I knew their future was good,” father Mark said.

He said the assertion was made hours before it dawned on him that they had to seek shelter in the jungle and that their safe future was to be something of a wish ful thinking for the next two years.As clan chief, his responsibility did not end with his wife and children. He had to look after his sisters as well.

Mark’s family was of chiefly stock. They once owned a service station on the east ern side of the now silent town of Arawa.

But because of its close proximity to the battle front, Niniku family thought it best if they evacuated town and moved to their village about five kilometres inland. BRA indoctrination began as soon as they arrived at the village, Mark recalled. They were told of atrocities committed by the defense force against innocent Bougainvilleans.

And then the troops landed, at about three on the morning of October 21, 1992. The troops secured a beachhead at

Tunuku. “We evacuated Arawa village at 3.30 am.”

“The date was vivid in my mind because my son was born a day earlier,” Mark says.

Word went out that night that the village had to be evacuated immediately. Mark joined about 300 other villagers who headed for the Red Cross centre in Arawa.

“My belief that the centre was safe and would give us protection faded when I saw its set-up,” he recalls.

At first light the villagers split up and each headed their own way up the moun tain tracks. His clan headed for Damaosi, his mother’s village. Included in the group was his father Raphael, who was also the paramount chief of Kieta district, his mother, four sisters, their husbands, his younger brother and their 10 children.

Except for the parents and himself, all members of Mark’s group were born and bred in town. The enormity of the task of just trying to survive troubled Mark.

Survival of the fittest was the law of the jungle; he and his family now had to live it.

His brothers-in-law were “urban bred” and “I had to assist them for the sake of my sisters. They were my responsibility.”

His sister, Theresa Jaintong, 45, thought her family’s future was already assured.

But wiping away tears from her eyes at the Arawa centre last week, she told PIM , the future was gone.

“I lost everything. I lost the future,” she cried.

Theresa’s husband was evacuated from Bougainville largely because he was not a Bougainville an. He was from mainland Papua New Guinea and now lives in Port Moresby with another woman, Theresa says.

The following song has become almost an anthem, especially for Bougainville’s women folk, in their plea to end the suffering.

Bougainville is an island, An island of sorrow, Bougainville is an island, An island of pain.

Bougainville is an island, An island of tears, Bougainville Island is an island I love.

There are people dying, There are people crying, Who is responsible?

There’s no education, There’s no hospital, Who is responsible?

Not the copper mine, Not the chopper flying, will not bring peace, Not your gun, not your silver ; Christ is my shield.

“It hurts you know. No more husband, living in the jungle and looking after our four children alone. I cry when I see my children go without food and clothes, it hurts real bad,"Theresa said.

This war has brought untold suffering for the Bougainvilleans, she says. Theresa says there were no more sources of finance they could rely on. The collapse of the social structure - including the fami ly and clan - during the darker days of the Bougainville unrest was still taking its toll, she said.

Theresa says her four children were all in school when the crisis began. Their ages ranged from eight to 14. The eldest was in grade 10. Now six years later he is 20 but has missed out on his education as

a result of the collapse of the civil govern ment in Bougainville.

“If things had been normal, he may have even been in university by now,” she said.

Her only daughter was in grade six then.

The younger sons were in grades five and three respectively. For them the future is limited.

“I knew education doesn’t stop. They have to be rehabilitated, they have been in the bush far too long. If government can set up schools here and accept students regardless of their ages,” she said.

Education must go on, it is the only way to survive, says Theresa.

Theresa said her children together with those of her brother and other sisters were lucky to be alive after so long in the jungle. “Women and children were the most ill-treated people in the jungle,” she said. Food was in abundant supply. But children died in droves because of the absence of proper health facilities.

“There was no immunisation for babies as they died in large numbers. Then there were mothers who died in painful circum stances during child birth,’’Theresa said.

She witnessed women who should have received caesarean operations die because they did not have access to facilities.

Others died in pregnancy complications, women died because of the absence of proper medical facilities or trained staff.

Medical facilities in the jungle were non-existent. People suffering from chron ic diseases just died.

“Just imagine mothers watching their babies die in front of them, and they were helpless,” Theresa says. They were not allowed to leave the jungle and seek refuge in Arawa. The revolutionists ran a successful propaganda campaign warning people of the atrocities committed against civilians by the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.“ Fear was driving us all the time. It was a nightmare. They could come and get you anytime of the night,” she says.

BRA was feared as much as the security forces. Brothers and brothers were forced to join the BRA out of necessity. They had to do that to protect their womenfolk and children. Because of the clan system in the society, it was important to have a brother or father join BRA. Theresa believes that was a way families could be

guaranteed safety while living in BRA-con

trolled territories.

BRA members would harass civilians in their areas of operation if a community either did not have a member in the BRA group in control of that area.

“If we did not have a male member in the BRA for that sector, they will harass us.

We did not have freedom of speech and everything we did, we must submit to authorities,” she said. “The BRA in control of the area we live in will not give us pro tection if we do not belong to the same clan or if no male from our family unit joined them in their struggle.

“They’d do nothing if members of

another BRA command were to come and take material goods from us, even young women,” she said. Theresa said she had never had to do as heavy a task as she did while in the jungle.

“I did back-breaking gardening from dawn to dusk, my husband was no longer with me, but I had to see to my kids and, as far as I was concerned, they were the most important things in my life.”

She says now there was no room for pay-backs; it was now time for peace.

“But if there is to be forgiveness it has to be done according to our traditions and customs because that is what we under stand best. Blanket amnesty or legislated peace will not be effective.”

Pauline Onsa, a volunteer with Papua New Guinea Red Cross, says it pained her to see women and children isolated in the jungle. They were once paid workers in Arawa, but now lived a nomadic lifestyle in the jungle. wore almost noth % jL j ing and would disappear ▼ T into forest cover at the first appearance of men. They lived hard,” she said. They could not turn to churches because of the same reason, Onsa said.

She said food was not a problem to those living in the jungle. Their main prob lem was medical supplies and clothes.

“A lot have died from malaria, pneumo nia, cold and exhaustion,” she said. Onsa said her main wish was for the re-estab lishment of peace in Bougainville. She believes both sides were guilty of indis criminate killings but it was time to iron out differences and discuss peace. Onsa echoed the sentiments of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan who said peace should be given a chance so the 10-year-old Bougainvillean could once again smell freedom.

“The 10-year-old is suffering more than the six-year-old because he has already experienced freedom. Are we going to keep on denying him that right?” he asked.

Patricia, a refugee in the Arawa Care Centre, said she was frightened for her children. She had lived in the jungle with her husband and two children since 1990.

“We were always scared to move about: of the BRA and the security force,” she said.

Maryanne Mases, representative of the women in BRA-controlled areas, said she defied censor to attend the conference “because it was what the people wanted”.

“The two conflicting parties in the

Bougainville conflict must compromise

and participate fully in this conference,” she said.

“We the women of the BRA and the interim administration want to convince everyone of the importance of this meet ing.”

Of all those who spoke at the confer ence, on one spoke of anything but mak ing peace. And if that is the only thing achieved it would have served its pur pose.. ■