Papua New Guinea: Anticipate Disruption During Independence Referendum in Bouganville

A non-binding referendum on independence is scheduled to take place in the Bougainville autonomous region on 23 November. The polling process will take place over two weeks and the subsequent counting is likely to take another week. New Zealand government has issued an advisory for its citizens to seek local advice before travelling to the region during this period.

Regular polling has been completed in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region’s non-binding referendum, with the vote count to begin from 7 December. The results will be announced in mid-December. UK has issued a travel advisory in this regard.

Advice

Travellers should be cautious and avoid all public and political demonstrations since they may become violent without warning. Unannounced travel disruption remains possible and travellers should liaise with local contacts before travelling to the region during the referendum.