panguna landowners to visit mines

http://www.bougainville-copper.eu/pageID_8755205.html

13.08.2010

Source: Post-Courier



Panguna Landowners to visit mines

By ERIC TAPAKAU



PLANS are underway for the Panguna mine affected landowners to visit operating mines in the country to see how the mining industry has developed from the experiences of the once world class mine.
The mines planned to be visited include Lihir in the New Ireland Province, Porgera in the Enga Province and Ok Tedi in the Western Province.
These trips follow the endorsement of the Joint Supervisory Body meeting who agreed that landowners affected by the Panguna mine from upper tailing and lower tailings should be taken on study tours to operating mine sites to see how mining operations improved over the last 20 years, especially in the areas of waste management and benefits to landowners.
This also comes at a time when the National Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government increase momentum to review the Bougainville Copper Agreement.
The agreement was not reviewed over many years since Bougainville Copper Limited started operations at Panguna.
Director of the National Coordination office of Bougainville Affairs (NCOBA) Ellison Towallom said in Madang this week that the BCA review was the third agenda of the 15 step process to draw down functions and powers to the ABG.
He said the review had to take place sooner rather than later after some delay had been experienced as outcomes of the review would pave the way for the reopening of the Panguna mine if all the parties agreed to it.
?We need proper awareness and the right information must be given to the landowners (regarding the future of the mine),? Mr Towallom said.
?The mining regime has improved a lot since the Panguna problem. We will take landowners to Lihir to see what the landowners there are getting now and workshops will be conducted in Panguna and Arawa to create awareness among the landowners.