Francis Ona

Bougainvillean politician

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Francis Ona (15 February 1953 – 24 July 2005) was the Supreme Commander of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) during the 1988–1998 Bougainville conflict. The war began when Ona "went bush" and began organising acts of industrial sabotage against the Panguna mine, which he felt was causing environmental devastation and was not fairly compensating the traditional landowners, himself included. His followers' motives varied. The war killed thousands of Bougainvilleans.

The BRA, which Ona founded in 1989, escalated into a guerrilla movement fighting for Bougainville's secession from Papua New Guinea. Despite peace agreements in 1998, Ona refused to disarm or recognize the interim government. He insisted that Bougainville, a nation he called Me'ekamui, was already separate, based on an unrecognized unilateral declaration of independence issued by the rebels in 1990. He declared himself the president, then the king, of Me'ekamui. Ona died in 2005 within the rebel-controlled "no-go zone", leading the remaining rebels to splinter into various factions.

Early life

Francis Ona was born on 15 February 1953 on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea. In his village, Guava, on the area which would be leased for the future Panguna mine, Ona inherited secondary land rights from his father. It is not known if he acquired primary ownership from his mother.

Ona was trained in mine surveying at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology in Lae. He had practical studies in Madang in 1974, where he met his cousin's sister-in-law Elizabeth. The following year, Elizabeth came to Bougainville. Ona took her to Guava and they married, despite his parents' initial objections to his wife being a "redskin", from the mainland. They would have five children before 1988. Ona briefly returned to his studies in 1976, before his mother's death in October brought him home permanently.

Ona got employed as a pit surveyor for Bougainville Copper (BCL), who operated the Panguna mine, in November 1976. After a decade in the position, Ona applied to work as a haul truck driver instead. BCL records indicate that, because he was performing poorly, Ona's supervisor "counselled" him to transfer. They add that Ona "reluctantly" accepted the downgraded company housing of his new role.

Secessionist leader

Ona was at one time employed by Bougainville Copper at the mine, but he became increasingly critical of its operations' adverse effect on the environment and what he claimed was the low level of royalties paid to the landowners. Most of the profits left Bougainville Island, but its society was disrupted by thousands of workers from Papua New Guinea, as well as Australians. From the mid-1980s, Ona and others challenged the leadership of the Panguna Landowners Association (PLA), claiming they were not representing the interests of all the traditional landowners.

By early 1988, Ona and his associates, including his cousin Pepetua Serero, had formed the New PLA, supported by both mineworkers and the traditional opponents of the Panguna mine, Damien Dameng's Me'ekamui Pontuku Onoring. The New PLA made a number of demands, including monetary compensation for the impacts of the mine, a 50 per cent share of mine revenue to the landholders, and a transfer of ownership to Bougainville. The PNG Government set up an independent inquiry which dismissed the claims about the environmental impact but was critical of other parts of the mine's operation. In response, Ona established the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA), which conducted numerous acts of sabotage against the mine including the destruction of the mine's power supply. The mine was closed by Bougainville Copper in May 1989. Ona rejected an initial compromise deal by Bougainville Copper and the Papuan government.

Ona became the acknowledged leader of the BRA after the death of Serero in 1989; Sam Kauona, a former soldier in the army, led military operations. The Papuan government sent in the police and then the army under Jerry Singirok to quell the uprising, but they were unable to do so. The island was placed under a State of Emergency under the control of the PNG Police Commissioner. The number of complaints increased about human rights abuses by PNG forces, which initially strengthened support for the BRA.

In January 1990, Bougainville Copper announced they were suspending operations at the mine. The PNG Government announced that they would withdraw troops and for international observers to verify the disarmament of the BRA. The police fled fearing for their lives in the absence of the army, and there was an attempted coup in Port Moresby over the deal.

In response to a blockade imposed by the PNG Government later in 1990, Ona said he was the head of the Bougainville Interim Government and declared independence for the island. The island descended into anarchy, as several armed factions and clans struggled for power with the PNG Government supporting these militias. The BRA leaders fell out with Joseph Kabui, the Premier of Bougainville, who had previously been a supporter.

During Prime Minister Paias Wingti's term, the PNG Government renewed military efforts and their troops captured Arawa, the provincial capital, in 1993 and recaptured the Panguna mine. Sir Julius Chan, Wingti's successor, tried to broker a deal, but neither Ona, the BRA, nor Kabui would sign a deal. Frustrated, Chan ordered a full-scale invasion in 1996 but neither Australia nor New Zealand showed willingness to support it. Chan hired Sandline International mercenaries, but the military threatened to arrest them on their arrival. Chan resigned to forestall a coup.

Bougainville ceasefire

A ceasefire was arranged later in 1997 between new Prime Minister Bill Skate and Joseph Kabui, with a multi-national Peace Monitoring Group commencing operations on the island. Though Ona and the BRA controlled 90% of the island, his break with Kabui meant that the BRA representatives were not involved in the talks. Ona believed that the New Zealand-brokered peace talks were unwarranted outside interference with Bougainville governance, and did not participate.

During this period, Australian film maker Wayne Coles Janess made an acclaimed documentary film about the Bougainville Civil War.

When he interviewed Ona, the leader declared :

We have already had other forms of autonomy. The provincial government system in 1975 we were promised. Bougainvillians were promised that after 5 years or after a few years, the provincial government will be replaced by the independent nation of Bougainville. So with this in mind, with this past history, we don't trust Papua New Guinea any more....

.... 90% of Bougainvillians are supporting me. And I want to summon Prime Minister of PNG and PNG government, if 90% is not supporting me, let them carry out a referendum and we'll see.

Ona was subsequently ignored in the creation of the Autonomous Bougainville Government. At this time Ona agreed with Noah Musingku to establish a funding source for Bougainville that would allow true sovereignty. This system was developed as the U-Vistract system, which sought to use the untapped natural resources of Bougainville to finance reconstruction. Ona remained isolated in the Panguna region, which BRA controlled for the next 16 years.

The Bougainville conflict is estimated to have cost between 10,000 and 15,000 lives, mainly due to disease and starvation among the civilian residents. A tribal reconciliation process started in 2000 appears to have been successful. The PNG government promised in 2001 to hold a referendum on independence within the next ten to fifteen years. The referendum was held in 2019, and voters voted overwhelmingly (98.31%) for independence.

Ona was never captured and refused to participate in the peace process. His forces still controlled over a quarter of the island.

Kingship

On 17 May 2004, Ona declared himself "King of Bougainville" or Mekamui. He was crowned "King Francis Dominic Dateransy Domanaa, head of state of the Royal Kingdom of Me'ekamui". "Me'ekamui", meaning "holy" or "Holy Land", is an old tribal name for Bougainville. During elections for the Autonomous government in 2005, which he opposed, Ona came out of his safe haven into the public eye for the first time in 16 years. He declared that Bougainville was already independent and capable of running its own affairs.

Ona died on 24 July 2005 of malaria in his village.

Honours

Ona was given a state funeral in the provincial capital of Buka.

Notes

This ABC Radio Australia The World Today report () states that he was 52 at the time of his death and that he died on Sunday 24 July 2005.

References

"Bougainville – The Man Who Would Be King". Foreign Correspondent. 17 May 2005.

"Secessionist Papua New Guinea Leader Dies (obituary)". Associated Press. 24 July 2005.

"Bougainville rebel leader Ona dies". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 July 2005.

"Bougainville mourns rebel leader Ona". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 July 2005.

"Francis Ona dies of malaria". ABC Local Radio. 25 July 2005.

"Ona's death paves way for mining to resume". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 July 2005.

^ Oliver 1991, p. 209.
Casper, Calvin (17 May 2021). "Meet the 'Iron Lady' behind Bougainville's revolutionary leader". PNG Bulletin Online. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
Oliver 1991, p. 210.
^ http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s400627.htm
Bougainville – Our Island Our Fight
"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Papala Chronicles Issue 7 p 10
"Bougainville referendum: PNG region votes overwhelmingly for independence". BBC. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Papala Chronicle Issue 3 pp 7,9.
Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine (National, 23 May 2004)]
Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Papala Chronicles Issue 5 p 7
Obit: "Francis Ona", The Telegraph, 28 July 2005; accessed 11 January 2007

Bibliography

Oliver, Douglas L. (1991). Black Islanders: A Personal Perspective of Bougainville, 1937–1991. University of Hawaiʻi Press. ISBN 9780824814342.

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