PNG Government to Pursue Constitutional Change to Keep Bougainville Demilitarised
Papua New Guinea will legislate to ensure that Bougainville remains a demilitarised zone, Prime Minister James Marape confirmed during Wednesday’s Joint Supervisory Body meeting. The change will be pursued before the 2027 national elections and will explicitly prevent PNG’s military and police from entering the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
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| President Ishmael Toroama, Marape |
Addressing President Ishmael Toroama, Marape said the amendment forms part of the government’s reset program and will be placed clearly in the Constitution. He stressed that future generations must understand the sensitivities surrounding Bougainville’s history and the need to preserve peace.
Marape also revisited the events of 1988, saying that the initial police deployment has often been misunderstood. “The scars are healing. Lest we forget, in 1988, when the first policemen moved in, they didn’t move in to kill Bougainville. I want it to be on record. Police never went in to kill Bougainvilleans. Just like we deploy police now to Enga and Hela Province to settle tribal fight and lawlessness,” he said.
He said officers sent to the island were responding to rising arson and disorder, but the situation escalated into conflict. The Prime Minister added that the law will remove uncertainty by declaring Bougainville permanently free of PNG Defence Force and police presence.
President Toroama acknowledged the Prime Minister’s assurances and linked them to Bougainville’s political aspirations under the Constitution. He said, “Whatever happens, my first statement is: ‘We will not be afraid. We are not afraid’. Because it’s the national Parliament that has given us that political leverage into amending part 14.”
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