Fully revised edition of a book first published in 1990. Includes new prologue and author's note. An exploration of Papua New Guinea's past and present including analysis of the country's independence in 1975, the Bougainville crisis, and relations with Indonesia. Includes index. Author is an ABC correspondent who has reported on Papua New Guinea for more than a decade. He won a Walkley Award for his coverage of the Aitape tsunami disaster in 1998, and was awarded an AM in the 2000 Australia Day Honours list.