Efforts to broaden Bougainville referendum roll

Efforts are being made to ensure Bougainvilleans who live outside of Bougainville get involve in next year's referendum.

In June 2019 Bougainville is to hold a vote on whether to stay within Papua New Guinea or become independent.

The Bougainville Department of Peace Agreement Implementation is touring PNG's main centres to make people aware of the upcoming vote and their right to have their say.

The department head, former Bougainville president James Tanis, said they wanted to encourage people to participate and to ensure they were enrolled in time.

"The Peace Agreement already says that they need to participate in the referendum, but what we are working on is a process through which we can confirm their eligibility. There are a lot of Bougainvilleans outside Bougainville. We are trying to establish contact with them."