While almost all of the Pacific’s leaders traveled to Aitutaki, Cook Islands, for the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting from November 6-10, one regional leader traveled in a different direction. President Ishmael Toroama, who represents the Autonomous Region of Bougainville within Papua New Guinea, traveled to Washington, D.C. As Pacific leaders tackled numerous high-stakes issues in Aitutaki, one of …
After meeting with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby in mid-October, Australia’s deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, created an unintentional storm over Bougainville’s path toward independence. Marles’s comment was interpreted by Boungainville President Ishmael Toroama as support for PNG denying independence – a decision the parliament has yet to make. Toroama’s outburst prompted Marles to issue …
