Sam Akoitai, born 5 May 1961 in Bougainville,"Hon. Sam Akoitai MP"
, Asia Downunder Conference was a

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

n politician, a member of the

United Resources Party The United Resources Party is a political party in Papua New Guinea. Foundation, Agiru and Akoitai's leadership It was established in December 1997 by Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru, who became the inaugural leader. Its platform em ...

. Akoitai joined the Bougainville Copper Limited company in 1978, and worked there for eight years. In 1990, he became involved in the Bougainvillean civil war, leading a resistance movement against the

Bougainville Revolutionary Army The Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) was a secessionist group formed in 1988 by Bougainvilleans seeking independence from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The leader of the BRA was Francis Ona who led the BRA against the Papua New Guinea Defence Force ...

(BRA), and subsequently participated in the ensuing peace process. During the war, he was abducted by the BRA, and several members of his family were murdered. He initiated peace talks with the BRA in 1994. In 1997, Akoitai took part in the Papua New Guinean general election, and was elected Member of Parliament for Central Bougainville. He was appointed Minister for Bougainville Affairs in the government of Prime Minister

Bill Skate Sir William Jack Skate (26 September 1953 – 3 January 2006) was a prominent Papua New Guinea politician. He was the son of an Australian father and a Papua New Guinean mother. Though his career was turbulent and often marked by setbacks, he s ...

. In 1999, he was appointed to the State Ministry. He lost his position in government when Skate lost office to

Mekere Morauta The Right Honourable Sir Mekere Morauta (12 June 1946 – 19 December 2020) was a Papua New Guinean politician and economist who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1999 to 2002. Inheriting a depressed economy and a fra ...

later that year. In the 2002 general reelection, Akoitai retained his parliamentary seat, and was appointed Minister responsible for Mining, Environment, Conservation and Correctional Institution Services by Prime Minister

Michael Somare Sir Michael Thomas Somare (9 April 1936 – 26 February 2021) was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the "father of the nation" (), he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death, Somare was also the lo ...

. In 2008, no longer a member of the national government, he took part in the Bougainvillean presidential election, and finished second out of fourteen candidates, defeated by

James Tanis James Tanis (born 1965?"Un ancien sécessionniste élu ...

."New Bougainville president promises unity"
ABC Radio Australia, 29 December 2008 Akoitai died on December 17, 2021.

References

1961 births 2021 deaths People from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville Members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea United Resources Party politicians Bougainvillean activists 20th-century Papua New Guinean politicians 21st-century Papua New Guinean politicians {{PapuaNewGuinea-bio-stub