Call made for release of funds

By JEFFERY ELAPA
THE Bougainville Referendum Commission says the national government needs to release the two tranches of funding of K10 million each if a successful referendum is to be conducted.
Chief referendum commission officer Mauricio Claudio said that during his presentation to the Bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Bougainville at Parliament yesterday.
He said the first tranche of funding of K8.7 million had been released.
The second tranche, he said, was due by Thursday and the final trench by May 11 if the referendum was to achieve its intended result.
He said as agreed at the Joint Supervisory Board meeting recently, it was the understanding of the Bougainville Referendum Commission (BRC) that the national government would provide to the commission its own referendum operational trust account with a total of K30 million in three tranches of K10 million apiece is to be received no later than the 11 day of March, April and May.
The BRC recommended that funding should be given to the Bougainville police for referendum security.
Claudio said the BRC budget did not contemplate funding for the referendum security.