Army - The Soldiers' Newspaper

Sgt Bob Kennedy and Cpl Shannon Crompton fold the Australian Flag after lowering it for the last time before Op Bel Isi ceases.

ASM PMG, Sgt Deta Kuerschat, lowers the PMG flag for the last time in Bougainville.

Cpl Leah Kite, PMG, farewells Andrew Baka,
Basika Clan Chief, as the PMG prepares to leave the once-troubled province.

A women and her child from the village of Iri Iri, Bougainville, smiles as former Bougainville Revolutionary Army Commander Ishmael Toroama and Lt-Col John Mara (Fiji Defence Force) display some weapons handed in for containment by the Australian-led PMG.

Pte Fraser Durie, PMG, looks out over Kokoda Beach towards the horizon and home.

Bandmaster AAB – Brisbane, Maj Patrick Pickett, sheds water from the roof of a tent sheltering the band as they support the farewell ceremony for the PMG in Bougainville.

An MP provides security in torrential conditions during the PMG Cessation ceremony.

A local child proudly dons the PMG’s famous gold cap.

Our Job is Done
PMG ends with rain dance

By Cpl Belinda Mepham
MURPHY’S Law won again giving Op Bel Isi a fitting farewell as torrential rain bucketed down on the PMG Cessation Ceremony on June 30.

Puddles you could do laps in and umbrellas at every turn, ready to poke eyes out, were the only hazards as thousands of Bougainvilleans celebrated soaked to the bone.

Australian, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu servicemen and women took pride in being the final members of the PMG and worked tirelessly for three days to ensure the ceremony came off without a hitch.

Seven flags, standing equally together, represented what has been considered one of the most successful peace operations, without weapons, in Australian history.

The Australian flag was lowered during the ceremony with the PNG, PMG, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Fiji flags.

Commander of PMG Brig Ian Lilley presented the flag to Defence Minister Robert Hill to carry back to home soil later that day.

The rain added to the excitement among the personnel and the crowd as the ceremony came to a close. The finalisation and closure was brought to fruition by the ceremony and the final countdown to coming home commenced.

By Capt Matt Grant and
Cpl Belinda Mepham
AFTER more than five years and 4000 personnel involved in monitoring the peace process in Bougainville, the multi-national Peace Monitoring Group (PMG) has ceased operations.

Operation Bel Isi II members stood in the soaking rain with thousands of Bougainvilleans on June 30, 2003, at Independence Park in Arawa to celebrate the cessation of the PMG.

The Wakunai Cultural Group danced and made an offering of food as recognition for the part the PMG had played during its five-year term.

Under a leaky tent AAB – Brisbane played for the local children's school group choir who sung the PNG National Anthem and North Solomons Provincial Anthem in a downpour.

After the formal ceremony finished a lunch for visitors, representatives and PMG members was held at Loloho Warf while the band rocked on in town for the locals until mid afternoon.

The PMG comprised of unarmed military and civilian personnel from four contributing nations – Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu – which maintained neutrality in all dealings with the people of Bougainville.

The ultimate goal of all the parties involved in the Bougainville peace process has been to create the conditions in which peace will be self-sustaining.

This work has involved a number of strategies aimed at weapons containment and assisting in the establishment of a framework that will provide a secure and peaceful future for all Bougainvilleans.

One of the prime objectives has been to provide support during the transition to the establishment of the autonomous Bougainville Government under the terms of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.

PMG Commander, Brig Ian Lillie, said the value of the work carried out by the PMG was not only in weapons containment and furthering the peace process on Bougainville, but also in establishing a model of cooperation that set a new standard in the promotion of peace in a post conflict situation.

“The wish of the people of Bougainville is to live in peace and the mandate of the PMG is to facilitate that desire,” he said.

“It has not been a simple process but it has been rewarding. It has also been a valuable experience for the four nations contributing to the PMG and has established a new benchmark that will stand as a reference point for the future of peace in the region.

“For more than five years the men and women who make up the PMG have worked to form strong and lasting bonds with the Bougainvilleans.

“There are many amongst us who will return home with fond memories of Bougainville in our hearts. Our hope is that we will leave the legacy of peace and friendship in the hearts of the Bougainvilleans.”

Brig Lillie said that while the Bougainville Transitional Team will continue to facilitate the peace process, it is the Bougainvilleans themselves who will continue to drive the process further and undertake the vital initiatives of nation building.