LOOK BACK: Pay our People Before Killers, says Mission

THE Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul has challenged the Government to sort out the banking dilemma faced by Bougainvilleans before it pays one toea to Sandline International.

Archdiocese spokesman Lawrence Stephens said in Vunapope at the weekend that the crisis of

Bougainvilleans who had money tied up in the banking system needed to be confronted. He claimed the stalled accounts could run into millions of kina.

For the past 24 months, following the peace pact signed in Arawa in 1997, thousands of Bougainvilleans have been emerging from the bush. Since then, hundreds have been knocking on the doors of commercial banks, seeking to withdraw their savings from accounts they operated before the crisis began in 1989.

While the commercial banks have been helping, the major hurdle is the fact that all money from their accounts has been transferred to the Department of Finance. To date, it appears that the Government is not co-operating in trying to repay the money to the account owners. As a result, hundreds of Bougainvilleans have spent months in Rabaul trying to get their money. Many have fronted up at the Catholic archdiocese headquarters at Vunapope to seek help.

The church has been vocal and is also helping the Bougainvilleans as much as possible.

Mr Stephen said: "Bougainvilleans entrusted the banks with millions of kina before the crisis. We are aware that hundreds of thousands of this money are still tied up in the banking system and we guess this figure runs into millions. Now we hear that Sandline will receive a settlement of many millions in compensation for the cancellation of a contract planned to involve killing Bougainvilleans and other Papua New Guineans."

Mr Stephens said the people needed a sign that they and their interests came before those of hired killers and their political cronies. "The banks tell us the money is being held by the Department of Finance and that it takes six to 10 months to retrieve it," he said. "Bougainvilleans have waited 10 years to get access to their funds."

He said in spite of continued calls by non-Bougainvilleans for the Government to settle the matter, nothing had been settled. "Bougainvillean funds are still tied up in the same Department of Finance now preparing to pay Sandline," he said. Mr Stephens said the people of East New Britain were trying to help the people from Bougainville, who had been stranded for months.

 "In East New Britain, people are showing their concerns for their fellow citizens," he said. "What we all need is evidence that the National Government is prepared to do its duty by its citizens and release their funds."

Mr Stephens said our international credibility as a nation was worth nothing if our people could not see evidence that the State was working in their interests. "Before one toea is paid out to Sandline, our servants in the Parliament and the Finance Department must return Bougainvillean bank account funds to the rightful owners," he said.

Last week, a group of Bougainvilleans who have spent over half a year in Rabaul, trying to get their money, called on the Government to look into this issue urgently.

Source: Post courier - 5 May 1999