h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ooh, my parents lived there for a few years!

Have you been back recently? I've heard its not the most stable of places these days...

I haven't been there since I left (obvious I know). I left in 1988 and about six months later rebels took over the island of Bougainville where I had been living and as far as I'm aware still have hold of it and wish to become independent of PNG. This would make sense if they opened the copper mine again as they would very rich as most the money wouldn't go to the mainland as it did before. However, the copper mine was the reason there was trouble in the first place as the rebels - the Bougainvillian Republican Army, or BRA for short - took the island over on environmental issues.

The thing is, I never remember there being any trouble. Admittedly I was ten at the time and my memories are different. But a lot of the trouble in the South Pacific seems to have occured during the '90s.

Do you happen to know where and when your parents were in PNG?

Just following the thread from your reply to my Haggis thingy...

I don't know if you saw a programme on Channel 4 about Bougainville about six months ago - it was on quite late, and I only caught the tail end of it. But it was incredible how the rebels were surviving on the island - PNG had deliberately turned off the power supply, so the island had no electricity, yet the islanders had constructed their own hydro-electricity supply, and were also distilling petrol from coconuts to power the burnt out cars that had been left about the island. I'm sure there were lots more examples of how resourceful the Bougainville-ers were, but I've since forgotten them. It was fascinating though...

Sorry, just had to chip that in!

Port Morsby (sp?), I think. Late 70's.

I missed the programme. I didn't even know that it was on. Shame really. My father used to be an engineer at the power station though.

Not really been to Port Moresby other than to change planes.