NZ gets flak over soldiers

By Mathew Dearnaley

Bougainvillean military leaders are against New Zealand's allowing Papua New Guinean soldiers to join reconstruction projects in their war-torn villages.

New Zealand Army engineers are completing reconnaissance before beginning any building work, but have drawn flak for suggestions that several PNG soldiers will help to build schoolrooms.

Although the plan is understood to involve only about four unarmed PNG soldiers, several Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) leaders have issued a statement warning of a "possible complication of the peace process."

Glenn Biaras, a BRA commander from the coastal settlement of Wakunai, where the building is planned, said women who had been abused by PNG soldiers were particularly opposed to their return in any form.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade would not comment on the impasse yesterday other than to say that the director of its South Pacific division, John Hayes, was on Bougainville listening to local people's concerns.

The Army's new land commander, Brigadier Lou Gardiner, is on the island, but the Defence Force said last night that it was purely a familiarisation visit unconnected with any other mission.

The BRA leaders said they had urged him to tell the Government to withdraw from the joint project. Mr Hayes is set to hear the same thing at a meeting with Australian and PNG representatives tomorrow.

A Defence Force spokesman, Wing Commander John Seward, said nothing had been decided about the reconstruction work while final reconnaissance was under way and locals were being consulted.

New Zealand still has 30 peace monitors on Bougainville as part of a larger Australian-led force, and Wing Commander Seward said nothing would be decided about future contributions until elections were held there.

Auckland clergyman Bill Griffiths, who revisited Bougainville last month, said the local people appreciated much of what New Zealand had done but were dismayed that it was considering collaborating with the PNG soldiers.

He said it went against a term of the peace agreement calling for a phased withdrawal of PNG troops.