and the central. boug. winner is ...

JIMMY MIRINGTORO People’s National Congress Party (O`Neill`s Party)4205/8166 18/07/2012 11:20 Declared

His opinion about the reopening of the Pangunamine

Panguna Mine issue vital

By PETERSON TSERAHA

CENTRAL Bougainville MP and Minister for Communications in the National Government, Jimmy Miringtoro says Panguna Mine issues are still important and landowners must be prepared to take negotiations to the next level.
Panguna Mine issues has always become a topic of interest for the international community, the media, and the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Bougainville have been encouraged and assured by the MP, that negotiations have to change tactics now so that, Bougainvilleans would benefit from the mines spin-offs .
“The Panguna Mine alone contributed a lot in the development of PNG as a whole, and the revenue from the mine built bridges schools airports and roads.” Mr Miringtoro said.
“It even contributed in building the parliament house in Waigani.” he said.
He said leaders in that time were quite ignorant of the mining impacts to the environment, and if they were cautious enough the Bougainville crisis could not have eventuated.
“PNG is on a brink of coming to a standstill, because we have a lot of mines now but we are not feeling an impact, and no major development is taking place, to prove that these mines are making profit and revenue they are not even improving the standard of living for us Papua New Guineans. Mr Miringtoro said.
“Panguna was forced to close because leaders that time and the company (BCL) were not able to listen to peoples grievances and that are a lesson to us all both leaders and people that we need to listen to each other.” Mr Miringtoro said.
Mr Miringtoro said Panguna land owners and National Government must critically talk and consider everyone’s opinion if they are thinking of reopening the mine.

“People in Panguna were not given good water supply housing and health facilities but their land was taken out forcefully from them.” Mr Miringtoro said.
“When the NEC comes to Arawa next month for the meeting that will be an opportunity for landowners to talk face to face with the National government.” he said.