Benny Geteng | Post Courier | January 10, 2019
PEOPLE in the Labuta local level government area of Morobe Province are adamant that the proposed deep sea tailing placement (DSTP) into the Huon Gulf must be stopped.
Tikeleng village youth leader Jerry Sakiang said he is scared their sea will be destroyed along with marine vegetation.
Mr Sakiang said he is concerned that if the tailings destroy the marine environment, the people’s daily livelihood will be destroyed forever.
Tony Keakop, traditional landowner sharing a boundary with Ahi – Yanga located along Kamgalo river, echoed similar sentiments and said a total ban must take place.
“Mi tok no long dispela deep sea tailing long solwara (I say no to the deep sea tailing placement into the sea),” he said.
“Ol Ahi hangere man laikim moni long kaikai olsem na ol wok long pasim maus na sapotim stap ya (The Ahi are hungry for money that is why they shut their mouth and continue to support).”
On behalf of his people at Apo village, representing Poaluc Kehuc clan, he said: “I say a total no to the proposed tailings pipeline into the Huon Gulf Sea.”
Mr Keakop said Wafi- Golpu Joint Venture should bring their waste and dump it somewhere else, but not the sea.
“Karim waste bilong ol go dumpim long sampela hap na I no solwara bilong mipela. (Take their waste and dump it somewhere else and not into our waters),” he said.
“We’ve never been informed or there’s never been any awareness carried out!”
Several villagers at Aluki and Wagang are also very vocal on the same matter and it is understood a consensus forum will be held this month to debate the proposed idea.
Papua New Guinea Mine Watch 
Where do you get these diagrams? Amazing to see that theres an ice layer off the Morobe coast!
People have every reason to be concerned about the proposed marine dumping of spoil from this mine. Niugini needs to stand up to this mining company and demand that it implement best practice mining technologies for the management of waste rather than this simplistic let’s put it out of sight where no one can see until it is too late approach.
People also need to be aware that this mining company is selectively engaging advocates for the mining company in the villages that will be affected by the waste disposal proposal. This is being done in the name of community consultation but it is really just a strategy to try and silence opposition. The company is similarly investing in the provision of community infrastructure as compensation for impacts, investments that have a short term life expectancy rather than investing in minimising the harm that tailings disposal will have if carried out as planned.
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