The Region in Review: International Issues and Events, 1995

The resumption of French nuclear test- tion to the French test resumption in ing was the international issue that the United Nations, in Europe, and most preoccupied the Pacific Island in itself. also states in 1995. Nonetheless, concerns employed diplomatic sanctions and, in about sustainable development and September, unsuccessfully attempted to the search for ways to promote it revive its 1973 case against French remained high on the regional agenda. nuclear testing in the International In this respect, became Court of Justice. ever more insistent in its attempts to The concerted campaign by regional encourage responsible management of nations to stop the tests was led by natural resources on the part of island Australia, which used its position as governments, particularly with regard chair of the South Pacific Forum to to logging in Melanesia. In the year maximize the regional response. Aus- under review mineral exploitation was tralia drafted a statement of protest to once more the object of controversy. France issued on behalf of the Forum Apart from the continuing conflict in and led a delegation to Paris in June. Bougainville, there were compensa- Forum environment ministers met in tion claims by landowners at the Ok Brisbane in August to discuss the eco- Tedi mine, and, most disturbing, the logical impact of the impending French Indonesian military perpetrated a test series. They issued a communiqué series of human rights abuses against arguing that the tests would contra- West Papuans near the Freeport mine vene two international environment in Irian Jaya. treaties to which France was party The June announcement by newly (sprep and unclos). Their request for elected French President Jacques an independent scientific mission to Chirac that a final series of nuclear undertake an environmental impact weapons tests would be held in French assessment at the site before testing Polynesia provoked an angry response commenced was refused by France. from the region. Islander concerns As part of the antinuclear protest focused on the dangers underground the Forum considered a proposal to tests posed to the environment and to boycott the tenth Pacific Games to be the health of people living in the vicin- hosted by French Polynesia in August, ity of the test sites. Antinuclear senti- but ultimately most Forum countries ment was also driven by fears that a decided to participate in the event. At test resumption would set back or pos- its twenty-sixth annual meeting, held sibly derail negotiations for a compre- 13–15 September in Madang, Papua hensive test ban treaty. New Guinea, the Forum issued a Unilateral measures by Australia strong collective statement condemn- included the suspension of elements of ing the resumption of French testing defense cooperation with France and a several days earlier. The declaration diplomatic offensive to rally opposi- called on France to pay compensation

410 political reviews • the region 411 for any environmental damage caused youth because of their low socio- by the tests. The sixteen nations also economic status in the territory. warned that if France proceeded with a Nevertheless, nuclear testing has second test its status as a post-Forum not acted as a catalyst for rapid decol- Dialogue Partner would be suspended. onization. The majority of Tahitians This threat to sever diplomatic ties still do not support secessionist parties, with France was carried out by Sir mainly because of the territory’s over- Julius Chan, the new chair of the whelming economic dependence on Forum, in the wake of another explo- France. In addition, the Madang sion in early October. Forum declined to link its antinuclear Pacific Islanders were not appeased campaign with decolonization, noting by hastily formulated French commit- that the future of French Pacific depen- ments to shut down the test site, sign dencies was a matter to be decided by the protocols to the South Pacific France and the territories. However, Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, and adhere the Forum did announce its intention to a zero-yield comprehensive test ban to scrutinize preparations for New once the planned test series was com- Caledonia’s 1998 referendum on inde- pleted. Instead island governments pendence. demonstrated their determination to On a positive note, delegates to the oppose French testing in various ways. Madang Forum felt there had been For example, Western banned progress with regard to fisheries in visits to its territory by French military 1995. In particular, Forum members ships and planes, the sent welcomed the adoption in August of a protest canoe to Moruroa, and the Agreement for the Implementation Nauru and suspended diplo- of the Provisions of the United Nations matic relations with France after the Convention of the Law of the Sea first test. Popular protests throughout (unclos) relating to the conservation the region maintained the momentum and management of straddling fish of the antinuclear campaign. stocks and highly migratory fish The resumption of testing revived stocks. The agreement opened for sig- regional interest in the remnants of nature in December. Forum leaders felt French colonialism in the Pacific, espe- that comprehensive regional fisheries cially French Polynesia. Protests by the management arrangements, and a Tahitian independence movement structure in line with unclos obliga- received extensive and sympathetic tions to administer them, should be coverage in the international media developed as a matter of urgency. and attracted rhetorical support from Member countries of the Forum regional leaders. France was widely Fisheries Agency (ffa) continued their held responsible for provoking the campaign to obtain multilateral fishing destructive riots that took place in access arrangements with Asian coun- Pape‘ete after the first test in Septem- tries, similar to the one that currently ber. These riots erupted not only in exists with the United States. Ffa mis- response to the nuclear test, but also as sions were sent to Korea and Taiwan a result of disaffection by indigenous to discuss this proposal, and these two 412 the contemporary pacific • fall 1996 countries look likely to be the first to involvement in the Forum Fisheries agree to multilateral terms, whereas Agency. Japan remained suspicious of the con- Overexploitation of timber re- cept and preferred bilateral ties. In mained an issue of great concern to the recent years, one of the region’s bar- Forum and, notably, to Australia as the gaining strengths with distant-water region’s primary aid donor. Asian tim- fishing nations has been a unified ber companies, mainly from Malaysia, approach to fisheries negotiations, but continued to log Melanesian forests at cracks were beginning to appear in ffa unsustainable levels and provided solidarity. The Federated States of inadequate financial returns to host Micronesia has expressed the view that governments. had earlier initi- countries rich in tuna, like itself and ated controls to stop the rapacious Kiribati, are not getting a fair deal out exploitation of its forests. The Papua of the multilateral treaty with the New Guinea government was under United States, because they are effec- extreme pressure from the World Bank tively subsidizing other ffa countries to improve its forestry practices as a with fewer fish stocks. FSM Foreign condition for receiving a major loan. Minister Asterio Takesy claimed sub- In the , however, logs regional and bilateral fisheries access continue to be harvested at several arrangements had been more beneficial times the sustainable rate. Systematic to his country in the past and could logging of West Papuan forests is also well be so in the future. under way but, as a province of Indo- The Forum Fisheries Agency contin- nesia, Irian Jaya is beyond the purview ued its efforts to prevent poaching and of the Forum. increase returns from fish stocks to the The Madang Forum wanted to island nations. Plans are underway by adopt a “Code of Conduct on Log- the agency to develop a vessel monitor- ging” to enforce sustainable forestry ing system to be installed on foreign management in the principal Pacific fishing vessels; it would greatly facili- logging countries. Because of stiff tate ffa’s monitoring of vessel move- resistance from the Melanesian states, ments and catch reports. Another issue the code was endorsed but not for- of concern to the agency is that, mally adopted. As a result it is not despite the huge catch taken in Pacific legally binding and, if they see fit, indi- waters, the fishing industry provides vidual countries can continue unsus- few jobs for Pacific Islanders. It is tainable logging practices. In a devising schemes to promote more separate move, the Australian govern- high seas fishing by local vessels and to ment decided in December to ban encourage foreign companies to use imports of timber from countries that services and facilities in the islands do not have appropriately managed themselves. Finally, Director Victorio forests, in line with a United Nations Uherbelau recommended that the Tropical Timber Agreement recently French and United States Pacific terri- signed by Australia. tories either have associate member- The Solomon Islands had begun to ship or some other form of increased implement forestry reforms under the political reviews • the region 413 government of Billy Hilly. These tor and terminated support for the reforms included the establishment of Timber Control Unit. This measure a Timber Control Unit funded by Aus- amounted to an annual reduction in tralia to curb malpractice by foreign bilateral aid from a$11.2 million to timber companies. The change in a$9 million. The funds were to be government and return to power of diverted to “more responsible” Pacific Solomon Mamaloni in late 1994 led to Island countries. these reforms being reversed in 1995. The govern- Following the Madang Forum, which ment was also highly critical of Austra- Prime Minister Mamaloni did not lia. Relations with Australia became attend, the Solomons government shut acrimonious after several instances in down the Timber Control Unit. Far which Papua New Guinea officials from reining in harvest rates, Mama- criticized the substance of bilateral mil- loni has allowed the pace of logging to itary cooperation and Australia’s pro- accelerate under his administration. gressive shift from budgetary support At the current rate it is predicted that to project aid. Prime Minister Sir Julius timber stocks in the Solomons will be Chan went so far as to accuse Austra- exhausted within ten to fifteen years. lia of meddling in Papua New Guinea’s As log exports provide the govern- internal affairs. Australia rejoined that ment’s main source of cash, the inevi- it merely sought greater accountability table depletion of the forests is likely to for its aid. push the country into bankruptcy. The unprecedented move in Austra- In recent years the Australian gov- lian aid policy toward the Solomons ernment has taken an increasingly dim has broader ramifications for the view of what it perceives as short- Pacific Islands at a time when other sighted resource management by some sources of aid are dwindling as, except island countries. Intimations were for Japan, major donors turn their made that future Australian aid would attention elsewhere. Island countries be conditional on the implementation have been put on notice that if Austra- of reforms to conserve natural lia’s minimum criteria for responsible resources. Prior to the Madang meet- government are not met they must ing, Australia’s Minister for Pacific suffer the consequences. Australian Island Affairs Gordon Bilney issued a policy, and especially Minister Bilney’s final ultimatum: “If the leaders of a doomsday rhetoric, have raised country do not have the best interests charges from some island governments of their citizenry at heart...then no that Australia is once again aspiring to amount of aid will save them. Indeed, an unwelcome “big brother” role in to continue to give aid in those circum- relation to Pacific microstates. stances is to condone and encourage Another demonstration of Austra- malfeasance and poor government” lia’s desire to play a more influential (IB, Oct 1995, 26). The dire warning role in regional politics was an aggres- was fulfilled in December, when Aus- sive, and ultimately successful, cam- tralia withdrew its aid from the paign to have its candidate chosen as Solomon Islands natural resource sec- the new secretary-general of the South 414 the contemporary pacific • fall 1996

Pacific Commission (spc). Australia, ing, which contaminated many Mar- which is the commission’s biggest shallese atolls and affected the health donor, had expressed dissatisfaction of their inhabitants, the proposal to with management of the body in recent host radioactive waste dumps seemed years. Outgoing Secretary-General Ati surprising. It reflected a desperate George Sokomanu and a Fijian candi- attempt by an atoll nation with few date, Jioji Kotobalavu, were out of natural resources to find economic the running before it came to the final alternatives to American aid. Under vote at the annual spc conference in the 1986 Compact of Free Association Noumea in October. The contest was with the United States, funding to the between New Zealand’s Mâori candi- Marshalls was to be phased out by the date, Tia Barrett, and the retired Aus- year 2001. US aid accounted for about tralian diplomat, Bob Dun. As former sixty percent of the Marshallese gross head of the Australian aid agency, domestic product before the first major AusAid, Dun was well qualified, but cut of us$5 million in 1995. for a quarter of a century Pacific Marshallese advances to waste trad- Islanders had held the post. There were ers in Asia were countered by the misgivings in the region over the aban- Forum’s adoption in September of the donment of this tradition of indige- Waigani convention banning such nous leadership. practices. In December it was appro- In a move to resolve a contentious priate that Papua New Guinea, both as environmental issue, the Madang originator of the proposal and chair of Forum adopted the Waigani “Conven- the meeting that adopted the treaty, tion to Ban the Importation into was first to ratify it. Fourteen members Forum Island Countries of Hazardous have signed, and it must be ratified by and Radioactive Wastes.” The idea for ten countries before it enters into a regional ban on the hazardous waste force. This is a matter of urgency trade dates from the Nauru Forum in because low-lying coral atolls are 1993. The initiative was in response to among the worst possible sites for the repeated efforts by foreign companies storage of hazardous wastes, especially to negotiate the export of toxic waste with the prospect of rising sea levels as to island states. The Forum sought to a result of global warming. The area of prohibit the import of hazardous and the new treaty, in which the import radioactive wastes generated outside and storage of imported wastes will the region and to safely control the be banned, encompasses the national passage of such wastes being trans- territories together with the high seas shipped through the Pacific Ocean. enclosed by their exclusive economic In May 1995, regional concern zones. about hazardous waste had mounted Despite its obvious merits, the after a decision by the Waigani convention is significantly government to go ahead with a feasi- weaker in its controls over hazardous bility study for importing and storing waste than the Bamako Convention radioactive waste on a commercial that covers Africa. The Forum’s con- basis. Given the history of nuclear test- vention has allowed loopholes to the political reviews • the region 415 extent that it does not stop transship- ciliatory gesture by granting amnesty ments of radioactive waste through the to Bougainville Interim Government zone. Nor does the Waigani conven- and bra leaders for alleged treason tion contain an obligation to prevent and other offenses. or minimize the generation of radio- A breakthrough occurred in Sep- active waste within the region; it thus tember in the form of a Bougainville has no jurisdiction over waste pro- meeting held on neutral ground in duced by France as a result of nuclear Cairns, Australia. There, for the first testing. time since 1990, representatives of the Mineral exploitation in Melanesia bra and its political arm, the Bougain- continues to raise concerns with regard ville Interim Government, began to regional security and human rights. discussions with the transitional Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea government and Bougainville Mem- were beset by increasing social unrest bers of Parliament to find a lasting and violence arising from the conflict peace for the troubled island. At the between indigenous landowners on the end of a subsequent five-day meeting one hand, and multinational mining in December, Bougainville leaders companies in league with national gov- issued a twelve-point communiqué in ernments on the other. Apart from the which the delegations committed ongoing crisis in Bougainville—which themselves to “enter into a process of had its origins in local discontent over dialogue that will permit the achieve- the Panguna mine—disputes have ment of a political settlement to the emerged around the Ok Tedi mining Bougainville conflict.” The Papua New operations, and serious human rights Guinea government was not repre- abuses have occurred in connection sented at these talks, but the under- with the giant Freeport gold mine in standings obtained at Cairns are Irian Jaya. subject to its approval. The Bougainville crisis marked its The Bougainville leaders also agreed seventh year with intermittent clashes to continuing involvement by the sec- between the Bougainville Revolution- retary-general of the United Nations ary Army (bra) and Papua New and the secretary-general of the Com- Guinea Defence Forces. A positive monwealth in ongoing discussions. development was the establishment of After further preparatory meetings, a the Bougainville Transitional Govern- new round of talks is scheduled to be ment in April, set up by moderate held in Bougainville in March–April forces and led by the former bra parti- 1996. The agenda includes pressing san, Theodore Miriung. Further issues such as the cessation of violence progress was achieved with the resto- on the island, the protection of human ration of limited services to the island rights, and the resumption of socioeco- as a result of the transitional govern- nomic development. Agreement was ment’s cooperation with the govern- also reached to allow medical services ment in Port Moresby. Via the Waigani access to the island. As a priority, Pre- Communiqué in May, the Papua New mier Miriung emphasized the need for Guinea government also made a con- Bougainville leaders to establish a 416 the contemporary pacific • fall 1996 common stance on the island’s future since their lands were appropriated for political status as a basis for negotia- mining in 1967. tions with the Papua New Guinea An absence of consultation and the government. exclusion of the indigenous people In another case of conflict over min- from the process of exploiting natural ing operations, controversy surrounds resources has been the main source of the behavior of the multinational conflict between West Papuans and the Broken Hill Propriety Limited in rela- Indonesian government. Forcible dislo- tion to its Ok Tedi copper mine. In cation of the indigenous people has August, the company had signed a deal occurred, without compensation, in with the Papua New Guinea govern- order to free up land for extensive for- ment to compensate local landowners estry, hydroelectric dam projects, and for damage caused to the Ok Tedi and mining operations. Mining concessions Fly Rivers by the mine. Yet, the com- have been the locations of major upris- pany’s reputation was later tarnished ings and brutal reprisals by security by its attempts to deny villagers any forces. Freeport’s mining installations future right to sue the company for were first attacked by the Organisasi polluting rivers downstream of the Papua Merdeka (opm) or Free Papua mine. Broken Hill Proprietary was Movement and local Amungme people found guilty of contempt by an Austra- in 1977. The Indonesian military retal- lian court in September because it had iated by bombing villages and resort- helped shape Papua New Guinea legis- ing to harsh reprisals on civilians and lation to outlaw any additional com- their property. pensation to Ok Tedi landowners at a Local people, with the support of time when the court was hearing a the opm, have recently been demon- claim by these landowners. In view of strating against an expansion of the experiences at Bougainville and Ok Freeport mining concession, which Tedi, there are grave concerns about now totals 3.6 million hectares. Indige- the adequacy of environmental stan- nous protests have focused on land dis- dards to be applied by the proposed possession, the forced resettlement of Lihir gold mine in Papua New villages to malarial areas, and the envi- Guinea’s New Ireland Province and its ronmental damage caused by the mine, potential impact on the local people’s especially its pollution of waterways. environment and lifestyle. The Indonesian government’s response In 1995, a series of exposés docu- to these demonstrations was once mented serious human rights abuses again to employ military force against committed by the Indonesian armed local people, both opm and civilians, forces against indigenous West including women and children. Papuans living in the vicinity of the Revelations of the recent human mine run by the American-based multi- rights abuses began with a report national, Freeport, in Irian Jaya. This issued by the Australian Council for was the culmination of a long history Overseas Aid in April. The extent of of bad relations between the mining atrocities committed by security forces giant and the local Amungme people was subsequently confirmed by three political reviews • the region 417 independent investigations carried out member delegation to the province to by the Australian ambassador to Indo- investigate the situation in July. Fur- nesia, by the Indonesian Human thermore, Australia urged Indonesia to Rights Commission, and by the Catho- undertake a thorough inquiry of its lic Church in Jayapura, Irian Jaya. own and take appropriate measures to Although figures vary as to the number prevent further abuses. Since then, of people affected by these activities, a Australia’s enthusiastic signing of a leaked report by the Australian ambas- treaty on security with Indonesia in sador conservatively estimated that at December has placed doubt on its free- least twenty-two West Papuans had dom or willingness to criticize the been killed by the military in the Free- Indonesian military forces in the port concession area between June future. The human rights situation in 1994 and June 1995. In addition to Irian Jaya was not formally discussed these cases of summary execution and at the Madang Forum, despite calls by murder, four people disappeared, the parallel meeting of nongovernment numerous civilians were subject to organizations for it to be placed on the arbitrary arrest and detention, and Forum agenda. most of the victims experienced torture karin von strokirch at the hands of the security forces. These incidents all occurred in or near Freeport mine facilities. References

Considerable concern has been IB, Islands Business. Monthly. Suva. expressed in the region, particularly among nongovernment organizations Pacific Islands Monthly. Suva. and the media, over the plight of West Pacific Report. Fortnightly. Canberra. Papuans in the Freeport area. The Documents on Irian Jaya supplied by the Australian government responded Australian Council for Overseas Aid strongly at first, by sending a fourteen-