Resource Extraction and Contentious States

157 Pages·2018·1.882 MB·English

by  Matthew G. Allen

RESOURCE
EXTRACTION AND
CONTENTIOUS
STATES
Mining and the Politics of
Scale in the Pacifi c Islands
Matthew G. Allen
Resource Extraction and Contentious States
Matthew G. Allen
Resource Extraction
and Contentious
States
Mining and the Politics of Scale
in the Pacific Islands
Matthew G. Allen
University of the South Pacific
Suva, Fiji
ISBN 978-981-10-8119-4 ISBN 978-981-10-8120-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8120-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018931928
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To Sophie Mackinnon
A
cknowledgements
This research would not have been possible without the assistance of many
people and organisations. I am grateful to the Australian Research Council
for providing funding under a three-year research fellowship
(DE140100206) and to the Australian National University for providing
an institutional home for the project. I am also grateful to the govern-
ments of Papua New Guinea, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville
and Solomon Islands for permitting me to undertake field research in their
respective jurisdictions. In the case of Solomons, further permissions were
granted by the provincial governments of Guadalcanal, Isabel, Choiseul
and Renbel, and by the Isabel Council of Chiefs.
I extend my gratitude to the following people for assisting me with my
field research on Bougainville: Felicity Rutana, James Rutana Jr., James
Rutana Sr., Albert and Denise Nukuitu, Normal Tola, Patrick Itta, Michael
Deemax, Chris Dendai, Simon Jaintong, Ezekiel Burain, Anthony Regan,
Paul Kibori, and the staff at the Arawa Women’s Training Centre. Above
all I would like to thank Rose Moses for her kindness, patience, compan-
ionship and wise counsel.
I acknowledge the following people for their assistance during my field
research in Solomon Islands: Franco and Patricia Rodie, James Habu,
Jackson Kiloe, Chris Vehe and Ali Tuhanuku. My greatest debts are to
David Tuhanuku, Joshua Kera and Alan Tavake for their assistance with
my fieldwork on Rennell, Guadalcanal and Isabel, respectively, and to
Daniel Evans and Melanie Phillips for their advice and feedback on a draft
chapter. I am also grateful to all those who assisted with my earlier period
of field research in Solomons (acknowledged in Allen 2013b).
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The ideas and arguments presented in this book have been developed
over a period of several years and have benefited from my discussions with
innumerable colleagues including Michael Watts, Doug Porter, Shahar
Hameiri, Colin Filer, Sango Mahanty, Tim Sharp, Siobhan McDonnell,
Rebecca Monson and Keith Barney. I am especially grateful to my friend,
colleague and collaborator Sinclair Dinnen for his very active intellectual
role in the genesis of this book.
Material from sections of this book has appeared elsewhere, with per-
mission. Material in Chaps. 1, 3, 5 and 6 appeared in Political Geography
under the title “Islands, extraction and violence: Mining and the politics
of scale in Island Melanesia.” Material in Chap. 4 appeared in Australian
Geographer under the title “Land, migration and conflict on Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands”, by M.G. Allen, copyright © Geographical Society of
New South Wales Inc., reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis Ltd.
(http://www.tandfonline.com) on behalf of Geographical Society of New
South Wales Inc.
My deepest gratitude goes to my family for enduring my long periods
of absence from home, especially to my long-suffering wife Sophie
Mackinnon who was pregnant with our daughter Josephine during my
longest absence and had to wrangle with both an infant and a teenager, my
son Marlow, during my subsequent trips. Sophie’s parents, Jan and Ken,
and my parents, John and Sandy, extended much help during my absences.
This project would not have been possible without Sophie’s unflinching
love, support and optimism. I dedicate this book to her.
c
ontents
1 Introduction 1
Overview of the Argument 7
A Note on Methods 9
The Solomons Group 11
Island Studies and Human Geography: A Nascent Conversation 14
Socio-Spatial Relations 15
Governable Spaces 19
The Historical Production of Melanesian Islands 21
Chapter Overviews 23
Bibliography 25
2 Panguna and the Bougainville Crisis 29
Introduction 30
The Mine and the Crisis 35
Spatialising the ‘Causes’ of the Crisis 41
Conclusion 48
Bibliography 49
3 Reopening Panguna 51
Introduction 51
Post-Crisis Mining Policy 53
Islandness and the Contentious Politics of Large- Scale Mining
on Bougainville 58
Conclusion 76
Bibliography 78
ix
x CONTENTS
4 The Solomon Islands “Tension” 81
Introduction 81
The Tension 86
Spatialising the Causes of the Tension 90
Conclusion 101
Bibliography 102
5 Mining in Contemporary Solomon Islands 105
Introduction 105
Gold Ridge 111
Proposed Nickel Mining on Isabel and Choiseul 118
Rennell: The Great Bauxite Heist 121
Conclusion 124
Bibliography 126
6 Conclusion 127
Bibliography 133
Bibliography 135
Index 143
l A
ist of cronyms
ABG Autonomous Bougainville Government
APID Asia Pacific Investment Development Ltd.
BCL Bougainville Copper Limited
BPA Bougainville Peace Agreement
BRA Bougainville Revolutionary Army
BRF Bougainville Resistance Force
CNF Central Neutral Force
COE Council of Elders
DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
EITI Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative
GCIL Gold Ridge Community Investment Ltd.
GCW Guadalcanal Council of Women
GLF Guadalcanal Liberation Front
GPPOL Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Ltd.
GRCLC Gold Ridge Community Landowner Council
IFM Isatabu Freedom Movement
MDF Me’ekamui Defence Force
MEF Malaita Eagle Force
MGU Me’ekamui Government of Unity
MPs Members of Parliament
NEC National Executive Council
NMP National Minerals Policy
OPN Office for Panguna Negotiations
PLA Panguna Landowners Association
xi