Panguna landowners want to talk face to face with representatives of Bougainville Copper Limited.
This was the message they gave to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Ombudsman, Moses Maladina, last Thursday.
In a meeting with Mr Maladina at the Panguna district office, the interim chairman of the Panguna Landowners, Michael Pariu, called for a quick forum with BCL to air long-standing grievances.
Landowners want to meet BCL and are now willing to discuss their differences and allow BCL to resume operations.
The Panguna landowners used Mr Maladina’s visit to air their grievances on a number of outstanding issues that they have been living with in the last twenty years.
Michael Pariu and Wendelinus Bitanuma took Mr Maladina for a tour of the mine site and the tailing area to see for himself the damage and the problems and risks the people of Panguna continue to live with.
According to the Bougainville Constitution any opening of the mine or any other mine on Bougainville must be decided by a referendum in which the people of Bougainville must vote to support.
Photo: MP Moses Maladina near the Pangna mine last week [Aloysius Laukai]
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