Bougainvilleans marching during the Independence day celebrations earlier this month. President Toroama says the Infrastructure Agreement is a "momentous step" for the government to "building a prosperous future for Bougainville through substantial advancements in critical infrastructure development". Photo: Autonomous Bougainville Government
This week the Papua New Guinea Minister of Bougainville Affairs, Manasseh Makiba, stressed in a parliamentary statement that the Bougainville referendum results are non-binding, and it's for national parliament to determine the region's future political status.
In 2019 Bougainvilleans voted resoundingly in a referendum for independence.
The Bougainville Minister heading the Independence Implementation Mission, Ezekiel Massatt, is disputing that the referendum was a non-binding exercise.
He spoke with RNZ Pacific's Don Wiseman.
