Bougainville: Crown of Shells

Nick Squires takes us through a bizarre series of events on the South Pacific island of Bougainville, whose people are literally sitting on a gold mine. The mine, which sparked off a ten-year war in the 1990s, has recently attracted a procession of opportunists, including a South Pacific Walter Mitty and a fake British Lord who claims to represent the Queen. Locals have been left wondering whether this gaping hole in the jungle has been a curse or a blessing for their island paradise.