An impressive 97.7 per cent of voters in the region voted for a referendum, which has held a special status as an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea since 2001.
World travellers may officially have another country to add to their travel bucket list. After an overwhelming majority voted in favour of independence during the December 11 election, the islands of Bougainville may be well on the path of becoming an independent country.
The small province consists of a cluster of islands in the Coral Sea, just to the west of the Solomon Islands and northwest of Queensland, Australia, the largest of which are Bougainville Island and Buka Island. However, the region still has obstacles to overcome before becoming independent. According to Ryan Griffiths, associate professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship, the contemporary hallmark of independent sovereign statehood requires an admissions process in which at least nine of the 15 Security Council members in United Nations General Assembly approved the application, without vetoes from the five permanent members (China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States).
According to Griffiths, the biggest obstacle is whether or not the home country favours the secession, as U.N. admittance typically abides by that decision. But according toPublic Radio International (PRI), the government of Papua New Guinea is expected to give its blessing.
Though largely unknown by most travellers, Bougainville is an incredibly beautiful place to visit, touting unspoiled beaches that are ripe with kayaking and swimming opportunities.
Accessible only by the nearby Solomon Islands or through Papua New Guinea, travellers must hire a local boat to get to the islands; as tourism is a relatively new industry and there are no official ferry companies. Most of Bougainville is not yet equipped with Wi-Fi either, so travellers must be prepared to disconnect for their time spent on the islands.