Papua New Guinea: Bougainville votes for independence from Papua New Guinea
Bougainville moved a step closer to becoming an independent nation on Wednesday (Dec 11) after results from a referendum showed an overwhelming majority want the province to cut its ties with Papua New Guinea.
More than 176,000 of the 181,000 voters who participated in the two-week referendum that concluded on Dec 6 supported independence, with about 3,000 choosing greater autonomy under Papua New Guinea, the Bougainville Referendum Commission said.
The result will bolster independence advocates who live on the small group of islands in the South Pacific and encourage mining interests that want to reopen the massive Panguna copper resource, while dashing hopes within the PNG government that the poll would see support of the status quo through voters opting for greater autonomy.