🇵🇬 The people of the province of North Solomons - otherwise known as Bougainville - have today begun to vote in a 2 week-long referendum on the future status of the territory within Papua New Guinea and whether or not the province should become an independent state.
The island of Bougainville was visited by the French explorer, Louis de Bourgainville, in 1768 who, with an absence of modesty, named the island after himself. The island was subsequently visited by American whaling ships and in 1899 it was claimed by the Germans and incorporated in German New Guinea.
The Australians occupied Bougainville during the First World War and incorporated it in the mandated territory of New Guinea in 1920.
After World War 2, in 1949, New Guinea was combined with the territory of Papua to form the United Nations Trust Territory of Papua and New Guinea under Australian administration.
Bougainville became part of the newly independent Papua New Guinea in September 1975 but the inhabitants of the island declared the territory to be an independent state on 11 September 1975 as The Republic Of The North Solomons but subsequent negotiations reached a settlement resulting in the full absorption of the territory in Papua New Guinea. This led to a civil war between 1988 and 1998 with an eventual peace settlement resulting in the territory being given an autonomous status.
If the present referendum results in the local people choosing Independence then the decision must still be agreed by the Papua New Guinea Parliament but if that occurs then we may have a new independent nation in the foreseeable future with the resultant emergence of a new philatelic entity which may well become a member of The Commonwealth.
🇺🇸 Upcoming new products from the US-based agency, IGPC, with the names of Commonwealth philatelic entities printed on them will be:-
🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda - The American crocodile - 1 miniature sheet contains 4 different stamps.
Farm animals - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
The Flamingo - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
The Turkey vulture - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp.
🇬🇲 The Gambia - The Mantis - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
The pangolin - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
Reptiles - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp.
🇬🇩 Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique - Lizards - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
Saltwater fish - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp.
🇬🇾 Guyana - 27 September 2019 - HH Dorje Chang Buddha - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 stamps.
1 October 2019 - 150th anniversary of the Birth of Mahatma Gandhi - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps.
6 November 2019 - Mega-moths - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
🇲🇸 Montserrat - 15 August 2019 - The Caribbean flamingo - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
10 October 2019 - 150th anniversary of the Birth of Mahatma Gandhi - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp.
🇰🇳 Nevis - Angelfish - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other a single stamp.
🇻🇨 St Vincent And The Grenadines - the Black vulture - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps.
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