Declaration
Bougainville declaration of independence, 1975
· Bougainville
Bougainville’s Interim Provincial Government declared independence unilaterally shortly before Papua New Guinea became independent; the national parliament suspended it.
What happened
Negotiations in 1974 had produced an Interim Provincial Government for Bougainville. In September 1975 that body declared independence unilaterally, and the PNG National Parliament suspended it the next month.[1] In 1976 Michael Somare’s government settled the dispute by agreeing to a permanent provincial government; promised further devolution was mostly not delivered.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: After 1974 negotiations with Michael Somare’s government produced an Interim Provincial Government, that body declared Bougainville independent unilaterally in September 1975; the PNG National Parliament suspended it the following month.
- Braithwaite, John; Charlesworth, Hilary; Reddy, Peter and Dunn, Leah, Reconciliation and Architectures of Commitment (ANU E Press, 2010), ISBN 9781921666681 link, p. 13. Source record
- Braithwaite, John; Charlesworth, Hilary; Reddy, Peter and Dunn, Leah, Reconciliation and Architectures of Commitment (ANU E Press, 2010), ISBN 9781921666681 link, p. 16. Source record Full name of Michael Somare.
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2.
Claim: In 1976 Somare settled the dispute by agreeing to a permanent provincial government with some credible powers and resources; promises of further devolution were mostly not honoured. Attributed to Braithwaite, Charlesworth, Reddy and Dunn (2010)
- Braithwaite, John; Charlesworth, Hilary; Reddy, Peter and Dunn, Leah, Reconciliation and Architectures of Commitment (ANU E Press, 2010), ISBN 9781921666681 link, p. 13. Source record