https://ramumine.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/arawa-forum-rejects-controversial-new-mining-law-for-bougainville/
The Bills were introduced by ABG at the request of Caballus MiningChris Baria | February 4, 2019
A forum was held on Sunday afternoon, 3rd February, at Arawa Town Market by ABG Parliamentary Committee Comprising of all-male committee namely, RODNEY OSIOCO and member for Kokoda, Chairman. JOHN VIANNE KEPAS and member for Makis, member, CHRISTOPHER KENA and member for Lato, member, THOMAS KERIRI and member for Rau, member, and EZEKIEL MASSAT and member for Tonsu and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
The bills in question which have already gone through the first reading are the Bougainville Advance Mining Holdings Trust Authorization Bill, Bougainville Advance Mining Holdings Limited Authorization Bill, and a Bill to amend the Bougainville Mining Act 2015. All bills were introduced by the Autonomous Bougainville Government at the request of Jeffery McGlinn of Caballus Mining who is has also proposed to ABG to grant him and his company the authority over all mining interests on the island.
According to New Dawn FM, The legislation committee in the Bougainville House of Representatives took ownership of the three government bills after they were referred to it by the House on Wednesday 30th January 2019.
Speaking earlier on New Dawn FM, Chairman OSIOCO said, the Legislation Committee shall exercise its functions and powers to ensure that the parliamentary procedures and practices are exercised independently which will also provide an opportunity to citizens and public and private organizations to have a say on the proposed laws being proposed by the Executive Government.
He said, the two weeks, work plan for the legislation committee will be published once endorsed by the legislation committee.This will include dates and venues where the committee will visit and make it-self available for people to submit their views on the proposed laws sponsored by the executive Government several ABG Ministers and Members of the Members of the ABG House of Representatives namely led by the Chairman and Member for Kokoda Constituency Rodney Osioko.
This is the first of the series of to gauge the views of the general public on the passing of three controversial bills by the Autonomous Government.
The forum at Arawa drew a very strong opposition from members of the civil society to the 3 mining bills that have already gone through the first reading at the ABG Parliament. All community governments, women and youth and those opposed to large scale mining on Bougainville requested that the bills not be entertain and be thrown away. The reaction from the crowd who attended the meeting was one of disbelief and anger and some of them could be heard shouting in support of calls to stop the bills by the speakers at the forum.
Former banker and ABG Member Mathias Salas told the forum to be wary of the situation because if they were not careful, under expropriation laws the government and the President can steal the land from land and resources owners. He said that the introduction of the bills was an example of what can happen.
Lawrence Daveona of Special Mining Lease OsiKaiyang Landowners Association drew forum’s attention to the how much of the ABG Bougainville Mining Law had been affected by draft the amendment done by lawyers in Australia already for Jeffery McGlinn of ‘Caballus Mining’ on whose request ABG had introduced the bills.
Chairman of the Bougainville Hardliners Group which is opposed to any form of large scale mining call on the ABG and general public to fund the referendum from own pockets by donating twenty kina each meet referendum expenses.
“Lets show Papua New Guinea that we are independent by funding our referendum”, he said.
His call was supported by CLC Pastor Munau who said that those who are oppose to Bougainville’s independence are trying to cause confusion so the right thing to do is put any amount of money from heart towards referendum.
A the end of the meeting a resolution was passed to block the bills from being passed in by ABG.
