According to media reports, the Papua New Guinea government is offering landowners who are opposed to plans to dump tailings from the Ramu nickel mine into their seas the opportunity of an overseas trip to see marine dumping in action at an existing mine site.
The offer was made by Madang Governor, Arnold Amet, during a meeting with landowners. He told them the proposed trip has ben approved by Mining Minister, John Pundari, and would be organised by the government through the Minieral Resources Authority.
No dates for the trip or the destination have yet been announced, but Amet has also suggested that NGOs should be part of the delegation ‘with no strings attached’.
Landowners are now eagerly awaiting more details from Amet and the Mining Minister about the awareness tour.
semri na amet wantaim gavman blong ol i long long pinis.
just because DSTP can work elsewhere doesn’t automatically mean it will work at the specific locality which is Basamuk Bay. ron blong solwara na win na ol narapla samting long Basamuk Bay ino wankain olsem ol narapla ples.
stop comparing apples with oranges and get on with addressing the specific issues that arise out of Basamuk. and semri has the Ramu River system to contend with as well. isn’t he the elected represetative of the Middle Ramu people whose entire lifestyle is dependent on the Ramu river?
Complete waste of taxpayers’ money in my view. The govt should use the money to carry out (through independent experts nominated by the landowners) a comprehensive analysis of the full spectrum of risks associated with DSTP. The report should come complete with a set of detailed recommendations on each risk and should identify the areas where the evidence is lacking or inconclusive. DEC officers could be invited to participate in the exercise from start to finish, so that they learn and know how to carry out the type of proper merit-based review that should underpin the regulatory process. The report could be a good benchmark study for other DSTP projects in PNG. Rather than waste money on things like falcon jets and plasma tv’s, the govt should consider investing in initiatives that benefit the whole community.
Hey – doesn’t PNG have a DSTP site called Lihir? Why bother with the overseas trip?