Notorious illegal logger and human rights abuser, Rimbunan Hijau, is moving into the mining sector in Papua New Guinea and has announced a new joint venture with Australian company Siburan Resources (see below).
Earlier this year RH invested AUD1.5 million in Siburan to take a 12% stake in the company. Together, RH and Siburan are courting Chinese mining companies to join their cozy collaboration.
RH also owns The National newspaper in PNG which it uses as a propaganda vehicle for its logging operations. The National is a keen supporter of the Chinese owned Ramu nickel mine.
RH has an appalling human rights record in PNG, as exposed in numerous reports and television documentaries, and many of its logging operations have been exposed as illegal. Here are just a few examples:
The Untouchables: Rimbunan Hijau’s world of forest crime
Siburan Resources (ASX: SBU) has turned up the heat, entering a joint venture with RH Resources Limited to seek and acquire mineral exploration and mining tenements in Papua New Guinea.
The association with RH Resources is paying dividends as in November, the company took a placement of 10 million shares in Siburan as part of a capital raising becoming a substantial holder in Siburan.
RH Resources is associated with Malaysia’s Rimbunan Hijau Group, one of Malaysia’s largest multi-industry companies.
Under the agreement, Sibruan will hold a 30% share of the joint venture and RH will hold the balance of the joint venture. Funding of the JV will be on a pro-rata basis in proportion to holdings.
PNG is the one of the world’s most prospective regions for mineral wealth and currently has several world class operating mines including Porgera and Mt Kare.
Siburan Resources’ managing director, Mr Noel Ong said, “We are very excited to be working with RH Resources as we intend to be a significant mineral exploration player in PNG. PNG is a world class resources area, rich in precious and base metals such as gold, copper and nickel.
“Papua New Guinea is famous for its large multi-million ounce gold deposits such as Porgera and Mt Kare. In addition, the recent development of the Hidden Valley and Wafi deposits highlights that there are still large deposits undiscovered or undeveloped.
“We firmly believe that partnering with the RH Resources will allow us to establish ourselves as a major player in a very prospective yet challenging area. We are confident our exploration activities will be well funded and managed given the significant experience of our partner in PNG.”
Siburan will have an active management role in the sourcing and management of the exploration projects.
RH Resources Limited is a Malaysian registered company (under the Labuan Company Act 1990) in which the sole director and shareholder is Mr David Chiong Ong Tiong. Mr David Tiong is also the executive director of the Rimbunan Hijau Group (“RH Group”).
The RH Group is one of Malaysia’s largest multi-industry companies operating in many countries around the world. It has established a successful presence in PNG for 22 years. The group was established in 1975 and has an estimated annual turnover of more than 1 billion US dollars, according to the Malaysia-China Business Council
China’s Hunan Province Zhonghe Mining Industry Development Co.
Also in November, Siburan Resources has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China’s Hunan Province Zhonghe Mining Industry Development Co. (HPZ), which could lead to HPZ acquiring a major stake in the company.
HPZ is a wholly owned company of the Nuclear Industry Bureau of Hunan Province, a China State Government enterprise.
Papua New Guinea Mine Watch 
Thats True.
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chinese [expletive deleted]
Look north, look north………..Chinese velly good, Australia velly bad.