Office of the Missing Persons established in Bougainville
A significant event was witnessed today with the inaugural launch of the Office of the Missing Persons for Bougainville.
The establishment of this office is to act as the official body to address the issue of missing persons and create a strictly humanitarian mechanism to search for the missing persons, providing satisfactory answers to their families and supporting counselling that can bring solace to the affected communities.
ABG Attorney General and Minister for Bougainville Independence Mission Hon. Ezekiel Masatt officiated at the opening and described it as a historic milestone.
“It is indeed a historical day for Bougainville because office of the missing persons is the first in Papua New Guinea in terms of missing persons but today let us embrace the work that this office has the capability to do,” Minister Massatt stressed.
“As we walk towards independence, which is inevitable, it is important that we put to rest many of the issues that are problematic today and that is to realize that issue of missing persons is not only about retrieving of bones, but it is also about dealing with trauma that people live with.”
The establishment of the Office of the Missing was done in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the ABG Department of Bougainville Independence Mission Implementation.
ICRC Head of Mission in PNG Mr Georgios Georgantas was also present to witness the opening. He stressed that importance of understanding that this Office will be dealing with very serious humanitarian concerns and the fact that hundreds of people have gone missing some twenty years ago and their families still need answers.
“The inauguration of the office of the missing persons marks our determination to do something about addressing this issue and that is why we are here,” he said.
Speaking on the purpose of the Office, Minister Masatt clarified that the Office will not be dealing with any monetary compensation issues.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that this Office of the Missing is not about paying some compensation. The existing government policy on missing persons is that there is no compensation,” Minister Massatt said.
“While there are existing work that have already been done, if there is any suggestion that some of these outstanding work must be paid in terms of money, this office is not about those issues,” he stressed.
Furthermore, the Office of the Missing:
- will not be involved in any criminal prosecutions and
- cannot share any information related to accountability,
- cannot pay for information and cannot share confidential information,
- cannot provide compensation to families of the missing,
- cannot sponsor community events, customary activities or reconciliations and
- cannot undertake claiming entitlements
In the next months, the Office will be staffed and will set up a mechanism with the engagement and involvement of all stakeholders. A Data & Information Management System will be established to ensure that all data is secured and managed properly. By January 2024 the Office will be fully operational to initiate the searches.
To facilitate this process, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed today which outlines the scope of the support and responsibilities of the ABG and the ICRC in the establishment and set up of the Office of the Missing for Bougainville.
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