an overwhelming majority of the community voted for independence. Although Rio Tinto divested from the mine in 2016 and never returned to the island, in September last year, more than 150 residents of local communities filed a formal complaints alleging catastrophic environmental damage and harm to their lives and livelihoods caused by more than one billion tonnes of mine waste that was dumped into the Kawerong-Jaba river delta by the multinational mining corporation.
Therefore, landowners in the Bougainville island have welcomed Rio Tinto’s recent decision to launch an independent assessment into the environmental damage caused by its operations in the copper mine several decades ago. The announcement followed prolonged discussions that were held between the company and the communities, who were represented by Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Centre, since December.
According to Bougainville MP Theonila Matbob, an independent assessment is…
