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Lihir landowners issue K75m claim
By SHEILA LASIBORI

RESUMPTION of mining operations at Lihir gold mine in New Ireland looks dim as landowners are demanding K75 million in housing projects and maintenance costs, among other demands.

Lihir Gold Limited had until 4pm yesterday to give an undertaking that it would settle the landowners’ demands by March this year.

The new houses demanded at a cost of K50 million must be completed by next month.

But LGL’s corporate affairs manager Joe Dowling said the “landowner issues” were all covered in the Integrated Benefits Package, which was agreed between the landowner association (Lihir Mining Area Landowner Association Inc) and LGL.

“If anyone has issues such as those in the list of claims, they need to go through the proper channels and raise them in the first instance with the landowner association. This did not occur on this occasion,” Mr Dowling said via email.

“We remain hopeful that the landowners will agree to a resumption of operations quickly and then the correct mechanisms can be used to resolve any issues,” he said.

The three disputing landowner groups from Putput Plant Site, Putput Relocation area and the Putput Community wanted LGL to agree by 4pm yesterday to meet all their demands by March this year.

A meeting between LMALA, three Putput landowner groups, Mineral Resources Authority, police and LGL was convened yesterday, where the 11 demands dated last Jan 21 addressed to LGL’s executive general manager (operations) Noel Foley were handed over, and the response was expected by 4pm.

The demands included:
1. Putput housing project – that LGL allocates K50 million for the construction of new houses:
2. Lay down area – that LGL allocates K25million for the maintenance of the 200 houses it built;
3. Community halls – that LGL commit to complete the halls including furnishing it and installing electrical wirings by end March this year;
4. Specific issue/community Vehicles – that LGL provides two 10-seater troopers and two trucks for the community;
5. Inconvenience payment – that LGL increase the current rate of inconvenience payment to K2,500 to be paid fortnightly; and
6. Environment impact issues – for other environmental issues not attended to by LGL they are demanding that LGL pays each individual K5,500 beginning this March.

The three Putput landowner groups which come under LMALA are arguing that since 1995 when the IBP was first drawn, their groups were allegedly denied some of the benefits.
Then came the revised IBP in 2007, but they claimed to be still missing out on the benefits, with their natural environment worsening.

The revised version provided that the stakeholders and the New Ireland provincial government would get K100 million annually.

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