Possibly the shabbiest thing I have heard since yesterday:
to Vikki
5 hours agoDetails
PNG Exposed, 4 April 2014Australian academics paid $500,000 over two years for mining work on Bougainville
April 3, 2014
Two Australian academics have been paid almost $500,000 by the Australian government for two years work towards reopening the Panguna mine in Bougainville.
The figures have been revealed by the Australian Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee.
Bougainville has twice rejected Regan’s controversial new Mining Law paid for by Australia
Controversial ABG advisor Anthony Regan has been paid over $270,000 – K680,000 – for his work drafting a controversial new Mining Law and other legislation.
Regan’s draft law has twice been rejected by the people pf Bougainville as being too biased in favor of foreign mining companies including Rio Tinto.
The figure revealed by the Committee as paid to Regan includes reimbursable travel costs and covers the period from June 2011 to November 2013.
A second Australian academic Ciaron O’Faircheallaigh has been paid $215,000 over two years for his work on negotiation “of a mining agreement to govern the Panguna mine”.
In total Australia is funding 22 ‘advisor’ positions in Bougainville – at an annual cost of $2.9 million in 2012/13. Some of the positions are full-time, some part-time and some are currently vacant according to the Committee.
Trinketization 
http://pngexposed.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/when-will-rio-tinto-face-justice-for-its-crimes-on-bougainville/
When will Rio Tinto Face Justice for its Crimes on Bougainville?
April 7, 2014
The Bougainville Truth Initiative
Its that time of year again, where Rio Tinto subsidiary Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) celebrates its impunity from prosecution by declaring its resolve to re-enter Bougainville and scoop up what’s left of the mineral deposit they were forced to leave, when landowners closed their environmentally catastrophic operation.
In BCL’s 2013 annual report, published last week, the company’s Chairman gloats about escaping civil liability in the US courts on jurisdictional grounds.
“The action”, the Chairman argues, “which sought to invite a foreign court to decide on local PNG matters, in the company’s view sent a negative message about PNG and Bougainville and has not been helpful in attracting investors”.
If investors are deterred by the prospect of being found liable for gross human rights abuses they have helped author, perhaps these are not the type of investors PNG should be courting!
BCL has also been given moral support from the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s Australian legal advisor – recently revealed to have been paid $270,000 – K680,000 in Bougainville aid money – who went on the record to claim “credible evidence is yet to emerge” proving the allegations against Rio Tinto made in the United States.
Despite sophisticated efforts to deny and deceive landowning communities for a second time, the gravity of BCL’s actions are well known on the ground.
Below are some examples of why communities are fighting BCL’s return.
HEre for links to the docs: http://pngexposed.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/when-will-rio-tinto-face-justice-for-its-crimes-on-bougainville/
Anyone as disgusted as we are by this evidence can join the international campaign to bring Rio Tinto to justice for its deplorable actions on Bougainville:
http://www.jubileeaustralia.org/2013/campaigns/notonmywatch/bougainville
BCL’s Managing Director Declares Support for PNGDF Offensives
In this meeting with PNG Prime Minister, RJC – Robert Cornelius, BCL’s Managing Director – applauds security force offensive operations, and even identifies civilian targets to ‘apprehend’. Not involved in military operations?
BCL Supports Military Operations
BCL Provides Logistic Support for Military Operations
PNGDF officer, and acclaimed author, Yauka Liria, recounts the wide-ranging support BCL lent the security forces.
Declaration of Yauka Aluambo Liria p3Declaration of Yauka Aluambo Liria p4Declaration of Yauka Aluambo Liria p5Declaration of Yauka Aluambo Liria p6Declaration of Yauka Aluambo Liria p7Source: ‘Declaration of Yauka Aluambo Liria’, Alexis Holyweek Sarei, et el.,v Rio Tinto, plc. et al., Case No. 00-11695 MMM AIJx, United States District Court – Central District of California, Western Division, 2001.
http://pngexposed.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/when-will-rio-tinto-face-justice-for-its-crimes-on-bougainville/
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http://www.jubileeaustralia.org/latest-news/jubilee-australia-and-accr-lodge-resolutions-at-bougainville-copper-agm
Recent Freedom of Information Act responses from the UK Government [*] show that the UKG and the Australian government have persistently lobbied on behalf of Rio Tinto the US courts dealing with litigation over their complicity in PNG’s bloody suppression of an independence movement in Bougainville that developed from opposition the gross environmental harm caused by their Panguna copper mine. UKG interventions were made in 2007, 2009 and 2011 against a class action being brought against Rio Tinto.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/06/shell-rio-tinto-human-rights-nigeria-kiobel
http://corporate-responsibility.org/kiobel-fois-show-business-interests-trumped-human-rights/
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/blogs/yes-minister-it-human-rights-issue/uk-government-shell-rio-tinto-human-rights-niger-delta
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The Rio Tinto – Voices of Resistance LMN event is happening tonight in London and we need your help to get people in the room.
Its at 6.30pm at the Amnesty Human Rights Centre
Please pass the info on to anyone in your org who might be interested, and please have a share on social media.
The page on the LMN website is: http://londonminingnetwork.org/2014/04/free-event-rio-tinto-voices-of-resistance/
The facebook event page is: https://www.facebook.com/events/1433361376903633/
Here is a sample tweet
Rio Tinto – Voices of Resistance featuring international communities resisting the mining giant Tonight London http://londonminingnetwork.org/2014/04/free-event-rio-tinto-voices-of-resistance/
thank you
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