Bougainville - The Land Down Under

The land of Crocodile Dundee and Bazza MacKenzie is spending 100 to 120 million to build Bougainville, rather an odd turnabout considering they were busy helping PNG kill Bougainvilleans before. The locals complain that most of the money is just being spent on Australian firms to build expensive-to-maintain hospitals, schools and other infrastructure that will require outsiders to run and maintain. Francis told DP that for the same $6,700,000 the Aussies are spending to build a hospital in the non-affected and government controlled northern town of Buka, they could hire teachers and buy textbooks for every affected village on the island.

The Australians have taken a page out of the American book and pretend that they are spearheading a multinational peacekeeping force, when in fact they only have token representation and investment from the islands of New Zealand, Fiji and others.

AidWatch

http://www.toysatellite.com.au/aidwatch/reports/bougain.htm

Ausaid

http://www.ausaid.gov.au/country/png/bougainville.html

http://www.unpo.org/member/bougain/bougain.html