Locals walk by buildings left abandoned by a subsidiary of Rio Tinto at the Panguna mine site. Photo: OCCRP / Aubrey Belford
The president of the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville has made no secret of his desire to re-open the controversial Panguna mine.
And he is seeking United States backing for it.
Ishmael Toroama said a re-opened mine is needed to establish financial viability for his planned new independent state.
Journalist Patrick Winn, writing for The World website, reported that Toroama wants the support of Washington and has offered Bougainville as a site for an American military base.
Read more:
The article pointed out that Bougainville has one of the world's biggest veins of copper, a resource that will become even more valuable in the increasingly high-tech world.
Winn writes that Bougainville has more than five million tonnes of copper at a time when global stockpiles are dwindling, and he adds that Toroama wants a joint venture with a Western company to exploit this, athough he would also be happy going forward with offers coming from China.
Ishmael Toroama Photo: BenarNews / Stefan Armbruster
He said Toroama has let the White House know that he is interested in securing American government backing, especially since the only other nations to win independence in this century, East Timor, South Sudan and Montenegro, all had US support.
According to Winn, Toroama trying enthusiastic American support for Bougainville to an offer that the US could place a military base on Bougainville.