Press review: Mining in the South Pacific Vol. 3, No. 2, March – April 2011, 93 pages compilation: Dr. Roland Seib, Hobrechtstr. 28, 64285 Darmstadt, Germany http://www.roland-seib.de/mining.html Copyright: The material is copyrighted by the media and authors quoted. Abbreviations in common use: BCL: Bougainville Copper Limited LNG: Liquid Natural Gas PIR: Pacific Islands Report PNG: Papua New Guinea Websites: Pacific Islands Report: http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/graphics.shtml PNG Post-Courier: http://www.postcourier.com.pg PNG The National. http://www.thenational.com.pg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Moran feud claims more than 21 lives Post-Courier 29.4.2011 By ANDREW ALPHONSE A PROLONGED tribal dispute over the customary land ownership of North West Moran oil fields in Komo-Margarima electorate of Hela province has left more than 21 people killed since the con- flict erupted in May 2009. The conflict is between the Toma Peri and Toma Kondo clans that live in Homa-Paua and Beneria villages near the NW Moran oil project site. On Tuesday, Beneria commu- nity leader James Harape from the Tamita council ward, walked for three days and nights through thick jungles and across tough geographical terrains to raise the matter with the police and govern- ment authorities in Tari. Mr Harape who also lost his elder son in the conflict, blamed the State through the Department of Petroleum and Energy (DPE), NW Moran project developer Oil Search Limited (OSL) and PNG LNG project developer ExxonMobil for their failure in identifying the genuine and legitimate land- owners of NW Moran that resulted in the two clans going up in arms. Mr Harape said the fight started in May 2009 when DPE, OSL and ExxonMobil failed to carry out proper social mapping, landowner identification process and establish incorporated landowner groups (ILGs) for proper 2 and equal benefit sharing among the landowners. He said DPE, OSL and ExxonMobil only sided with the Toma Peri clan, including taking them for the umbrella benefit sharing agreement (BSA) for the PNG LNG project at Kokopo in May 2009. Mr Harape said DPE, OSL and ExxonMobil would not listen to the Toma Kondos which only infu- riated them. He said as a result, a young leader, the late Mack Muli from the Toma Kondo clan led the assault on the Toma Peris and both sides started attacking and killing each other, including men, women and even children. Mr Muli also met his fate when he was killed in retaliatory attack. Mr Harape said in the last three years, the conflict has not resolved while more than 21 lives have being lost from both sides. Mr Harape said the conflict flared up again on the March 27, 2011 and extended to places like Ben- eria, Honaka Yabakaru and others within the vicinity of NW Moran and Moran oil project sites. He said the more 500 homes belonging to Tamita ward at Beneria station and another 300 houses belonging to Hawa Tangi ward of Honaka-Yabakaru were burnt down while schools, a health cen- tre and aid-posts within the area were also destroyed. Mr Harape said more than 776 men, women and children are now displaced, homeless and taking refuge in the bushes without any food and shelter while they are also prone to malaria as the area is infested with mosquitoes. He said warriors from both sides armed with high-powered weapons were ambushing and attacking each other while mothers and children were not free to move around as they were targeted despite being innocent victims. Mr Harape said the area was also inaccessible by roads and while OSL has airlifted police mobile squad personnel to protect its Moran oil project sites, the general security and well-being of the local inhabitants are at stake. He said police in Tari told him that OSL and ExxonMobil needed to provide them with a helicopter, logistics and other support in order for them to go into the area and try to quell the fight. BARRICK BARS PNG ACTIVIST FROM ADDRESSING MEETING Activists want better policy on human abuse issues WELLINGTON, New Zealand (RNZI, April 29, 2011) - A Papua New Guinea member of the Porgera Alliance says he’s disappointed the Canadian mining giant, Barrick Gold Limited, wouldn’t allow him to address the company’s annual general meeting this week. Jethro Tulin was among 200 people barred from addressing the meeting to try and bring about policy change. He says the company has to do more to stop the abuse his people suffer at the hands of Barrick’s security forces, such as beatings, shootings and rapes. "Every year the number has grown in support of what we are struggling for around the globe and Im very happy to be here and I’ll do what I can to do and expose what has gone wrong with Barrick’s operations in Papua New Guinea." Meanwhile, Barrick has announced a 22 percent rise in first quarter earnings to just over three billion US dollars. Barrick’s AGM 2011 report says at Porgera, it has changed its security function, increased its support to women, strengthened grievances mechanisms and developed a training programme. Barrick did allow an investigation by Human Rights Watch into their security operations at Porgera, which resulted in five Barrick employees being dismissed, with eight former employees implicated in the abuse. Radio New Zealand International: http://www.rnzi.com/ CANADA PROTEST TARGETS PNG’S PORGERA GOLD MINE Barrick Gold accused of ignoring human rights WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, April 28, 2011) – About 200 people are in Canada to voice their opposition to the mining company Barrick Gold ignoring abuse 3 and human rights violations at the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea. This year marks the fourth year that opposing groups have gone to Barrick Gold’s AGM to raise their concerns, but they’ve been barred from attending the meeting. Barrick Gold, which is the largest gold miner in the world, has been mentioned in many studies on human rights abuses and environmental devastation in countries including the Philippines, Tanzania and Australia. Natalie Lowrey, from the Friends of the Earth Australia, is among those campaigning for a halt to Barrick Gold’s practices which she says destroy indigenous people’s land. "It’s destroying sacred areas and destroying their environment. And so coming to Canada to be able to let Barrick Gold know and shareholders know that there are communities who dont want them on their land. And really confronting Barrick. They are a huge corporation in many companies right around the world and there are many communities really suffering at the hands of Barrick Gold." Radio New Zealand International: www.rnzi.com BILATERAL ACCORD OPENS PNG RESOURCES TO JAPAN Pact to deepen bilateral economic ties By Patrick Talu PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, April 29, 2011) – In Japan, Trade, Immigration and Foreign Affairs Minister Don Polye has signed a bilateral accord on Tuesday that would remove obstacles to Japanese investment in the Pacific country rich in natural resources such as liquefied natural gas and copper ore. Japanese Foreign Minister, Takeaki Matsumoto and Polye endorsed the pact in Tokyo, with the two expressing hope that the accord would deepen bilateral economic ties. In a meeting with Polye following a signing ceremony of the investment treaty, Matsumoto said Tokyo would try to ratify the accord soon. The Japanese minister also expressed gratitude for donations of 10 million- kina [US$4 million] by Polye on behalf of the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to support Japanese victims of the March 11 9.0 quake and tsunami. The two countries launched negotiations on the investment pact last September after then Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama and his Papua New Guinean counterpart Sir Michael Somare reached an accord to start the talks in March last year. During the talks, Matsumoto told Polye that Japan, which faces energy shortages due chiefly to the ongoing nuclear crisis spawned by the twin disasters, hoped that Papua New Guinea would be a stable LNG supplier for Japan. Polye said from Tokyo that PNG would ensure that a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development project, in which JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp is involved, would run smoothly. About half of some 6.6 million tons of LNG to be produced annually from the project is scheduled to be exported to Japan. Meanwhile, a statement from the Japan embassy in Port Moresby said it hoped that the signing of the bilateral investment agreement would further boost the economic development of PNG and affirm the bilateral relationship of the two counties. "The agreement will contribute to enhancing legal stability for investment and promoting investment between the two counties as well as people-people exchange. It will also contribute to further strengthening the economic relationship with PNG which is being more important to Japan as a supplier of LNG," the statement said. Landowners stop mapping, ILG processes The National, April 28, 2011 By PATRICK TALU UPSTREAM resource owners of major petroleum development licence (PDL) areas for the LNG project have objected to the government’s planned social mapping and integrated landowner group 4 (ILG) formation. Wita clan chief Ekawi Tazanda, Arua chief Hengi Tandape, Wita Aru Holding chairman Hare Hengi from Hides PDL 1, Hengebe Aluya from Juha PDL9 and Chris Payabe, Hides 4 umbrella landowners association, PDL7 yesterday objected to Heritage Consultants being con- tracted by the Department of Petroleum and Energy to carry out the social mapping and ILG claim- ing outstanding issues with the government and ExxonMobil had to be resolved first.