Compensation demand for Lihir airport land use

The Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland Province. Photo: Supplied/ Newcrest Mining Limited

Radio New Zealand | 2 June 2017

Landowners on Lihir in Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland province are threatening to close the island’s airport if their demand for compensation is not met.

Operation of the Lihir gold mine, which is run by Australian company Newcrest, are dependent on the small Kunaye airport, known also as Londolovit.

Nimarmar Local Level Government Council Media Officer, Tony Sapan said that landowners were frustrated that the mine had operated for over twenty years without any formal compensation for use of their land.

He said the landowners wanted $US900 million or $K3 billion, in compensation.

“They’ve played around with their calculations and they think that’s what the compensation outstanding is worth. And then they can come up with a future for the continued use of that land where the Kunaye airport stands,” said Tony Sapan.

Despite the existence of memorandums of agreement between the provincial government and various local stakeholders for operation of the mine, there is no formal agreement between landowners for use of the airport.

“The airport physically supplies the mine. And there is no such agreement. That is what the landowners are up in arms about,” he said.

The landowners earlier gave notice of their demands in April and have been in discussions with the mine owners, the government and the Mineral Resources Authority.

According to Mr Sapan, the landowners were planning for a meeting next Wednesday, where it was hoped a representative of the mining company could be present for discusssions.

He said the landowners were trying to exhaust negotiation options before carrying out their threat.

“At the last resort, I’m sure, they would want to do that,” Mr Sapan explained.

“But they are talking to the mine, they are talking to the government, they are talking to the Mineral Resources Authority that handles mines in Papua New Guinea. So they are trying their best to do this under the law.”

Landowners shutdown Lihir airport

Gregory Moses | NBC News via PNGFacts | 29 May 2017

Landowners on Lihir, have threaten to shut down the Londolovit Airport today, over outstanding compensation demand of about K3bn, for more than 20 years.

Nimarmar Local Level Government Council Media Officer Tony Sapan, says the closure will affect the Lihir Mine’s Fly In Fly Out services, medicinal supply to the island, businesses, banks and emergencies if they occur during the closure.

“Ol papa giraun ting olsem company has used it long enough and they need to be compensated for it.

“Imas igat compensation agreement. The company has forgone meetings ol ibin plenim long toktok long dispela compensation.

“Na nau, failure blo ol ibai affectim mine, na the whole Lihir community.

“Ol (landowners) ibai planim gorgor long airport tomorrow.”(Monday 29.05)

Mr Sapan also says the landowners have set the April 15 as the deadline to talk about their compensation demand with the company, but this has lapsed and they now have opted to shut down the airport for an indefinite period.

New Ireland refuses to sign Simberi MOA approved by NEC

State Solicitor’s office accused of dishonesty 

Sharon Lowa | Post Courier | May 22, 2017

The New Ireland provincial government has refused to sign the Simberi Gold Mine memorandum of agreement recently approved by the National Executive Council (NEC) in April.

Deputy governor and chairman for natural resources in the provincial executive council Ambrose Silul said they are sick and tired of being misled by the state team negotiating the new MoA for both Simberi and Lihir Gold Mines.

Mr Silul insists that the state keep its word, and until it does, the New Ireland government will not sign any new MoA.

The New Ireland team had been renegotiating the Simberi MoA for over four years and a provisional MoA had been agreed in 2013, but that it was conditional on approval by the PEC.

“Our team wrote to the state team and Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) on October 6, 2013 that the draft MoA must include the provisions approved by the New Ireland PEC on May 21, 2013.

“That includes increasing the rate of royalties from two percent (FOB) annual revenues to 10 percent, as well as similar increases in the special support grant and tax credit scheme,” Mr Silul said.

Mr Silul further stated that the state solicitor’s office agreed that the changes the New Ireland government wanted made to the MoA would be included in the draft to go to the NEC.

He said that in a meeting in April 2015 in Kavieng, the state solicitor agreed they would include New Ireland’s provisions in both the Lihir and Simberi MoAs and allow the NEC to make a final decision.

“All we are asking is that NEC – and not the state bureaucrats – decide on the merits of our suggestions. Instead, we have a bunch of bureaucrats making decisions that should be made by NEC.”

“We will not accept this dishonesty on the part of the state team,” Mr Silul said.

Mr Silul is calling on the mining minister to conduct an immediate investigation into this affair.

The MRA mining coordinators and the state solicitor’s office deliberately and willfully misled the NEC by submitting an MoA that did not include the provisions they promised would be included.

Newcrest begins exploration on Tatau island

The National aka The Loggers Times | May 2, 2017

THE Newcrest Mining Limited is conducting exploration on Tatau Island in New Ireland for copper and gold deposits.
In its recently released quarterly report, it said exploration had begun on Tatau Island as part of Newcrest’s option and farm-in agreement with St Barbara Limited to look for copper-gold porphyry-related deposits.
Tatau is an island in the Tabar Group to the east of New Ireland and about a mile south of Simberi Island.
According to Newcrest, target generation exploration is presently being conducted over several priority porphyry target areas to define future drill targets.
In a recent interview, New Ireland Provincial Government Mining, Lands and Commerce director Brian Hosea told The National that the provincial government was in consultation with Mineral Resources Authority regarding the project.
“We are in consultation with MRA. That is still on the drawing board,” Hosea said.
“We need to have things in place like briefing the Governor (to see) where we want to go. We also need to have all agreements signed – landowner agreements, memorandum of agreements, integrated benefit packages to do with the project.”
The province has Newcrest’s Lihir gold mining project and St Barbara’s Simberi operation. Nautilus Minerals is also developing the first seabed mining project in the province.
Hosea had previously said NIPG had been working closely with local landowners as the province will now play host to three mining projects.
He said the provincial government is aware of the importance of local participation in the mining projects.

Newcrest refutes Fiji pit claim

A drill pad site. Photo: Namosi Joint Venture

Luke Rawalai | The Fiji Times | March 2, 2017

NEWCREST Exploration Fiji Ltd says it has no plans for a third mine pit for the Namosi Joint Venture.

This is after claims by the Tikina Namosi Landowners Committee (TNLC) that it had evidence to indicate that the NJV had plans for a third mine pit at Waivaka West in Namosi.

Committee chairperson Josefa Tauleka said they were hoping to sit with government officials to discuss the effects of extensive mining on the fragile ecosystem in the Namosi highlands.

Mr Tauleka said they had been studying the company’s exploration developments in the highlands for the past eight years and gathered evidence that the company intended to have a third mining pit at Waivaka West, which is a major water source on Viti Levu.

“In a letter to Natural Resources Standing Committee chairman Joeli Cawaki, the TNLC expressed its concerns on the effect of spillage to the neighbouring provinces of Serua, Naitasiri, Rewa and Tailevu,” he said.

Newcrest Exploration Fiji Ltd country manager Greg Morris said the company had no intention of mining a third pit.

He said they had continuously updated landowners on the progress of the project and “listen to their issues and concerns”.

“NJV has not yet applied for a mining licence. Neither does it have plans for a third pit as suggested by the TNLC.”

Newcrest Ltd has 71 per cent shares in the venture.

Row Flares Again Over Namosi Exploration

TNCL chairman Josefa Tauleka with children of Namosi village who were also part of the meeting yesterday. Photo: Lusiana Tuimaisala

Maika Bolatiki and Lusiana Tuimaisala | Fiji Sun | February 26, 2017

The Tikina Namosi Landowners Committee (TNLC) will seek a meeting with  Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to discuss its concerns about the mineral explorations in Namosi.

At a TNLC meeting at Namosi village yesterday, members unanimously opposed exploration currently carried out by the Namosi Joint Venture (NJV) on environmental grounds.

TNLC chairperson Josefa Tauleka said that they were against exploration since it started in Namosi because they felt it would destroy their natural resources.

He said that no one seemed to listen to them and that was why they wanted to meet with Mr Bainimarama.

“We have a caring Prime Minister and we know he will listen to us,” he said.

“We already had made a presentation to the Prime Minister in 2012  but we really want to meet him again to brief him of the current developments.”

Mr Tauleka said they fully supported the Prime Minister’s green economy policy because it was in line with what TNLC believed.

“We also support him as chair of COP 23.”

NJV is currently exploring minerals in the province and has been granted a licence, SPL 1420 till 2020.

Mr Tauleka claimed mining would be next.

He alleged that according to the company’s Mining Plan there would be two mining pits but from information they had gathered there would be a third pit at Waivaka West. The company, he alleged, had opted for open pit and not underground mining.

The NJV has strongly refuted claims by the TNLC of its plan to have a third pit.

“NJV has no plans for a third pit as suggested by the TNLC, “ Greg Morris the Newcrest Mining Limited Country Manager Fiji said.

He said they had not applied for a mining licence.

The company, he said, had been given an exploration licence only and that was what they were doing.

NJV made a presentation to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mineral Resources chaired by Joeli Cawaki on the progress of their exploration.

Meanwhile, Mr Morris said the company provided a briefing to the Parliamentary Natural Resources Standing Committee on the progress of the NJV Waisoi project Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

The ESIA is yet to be completed but it will discuss the potential impact and the proposed management measures in accordance with the term of Reference issued by the Department of Environment.

He said the NJV had been continuously meeting with the landowners over the past to update them on the  project and listen to their issues and concern.

See also: Tikina Namosi Landowners respond to NJV mining claims

Tikina Namosi Landowners respond to NJV mining claims

Namosi Joint Venture exploration drill site

Tikina Namosi Landowners respond to the Chairman of the Fijian Parliamentary Select Committee on Natural Resource in relation to Namosi Joint Venture Director Mr Greg Morris’ claims on his presentation to the Standing Committee…

“Warm Greetings Mr Cawaki,

“At the outset, I wish to congratulate you on the tremendous work you are doing in assisting the Fijian People in these times.

“Vinaka saka vakalevu.

“I read with dismay the presentation given by Mr. Greg Morris yesterday as part of their presentation to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Natural Resources

“I write as Chairman of the Tikina Namosi Landowners Committee TNLC, wishing to highlight some of the issues needed also to be raised by Namosi Joint Venture NJV on but failed to do so. These are most important to us Fijian as we live in a very small island state called Fiji and wishing to commence with a massive open cut copper and Gold Mine very similar to OK Tedi in PNG. NJV has been smiling when it is explaining the economic benefit to the Country and not the Shareholders who will get more and the employing of 2000 people as part of its workforce, although I wish to highlight some of the issues from the Landowners perspectives and these are:

1. Has NJV highlighted the environmental damages it has caused to our land the last 10 years of exploration in Namosi?
2. Has NJV mentioned the vast area covered which if you look at the mine plan, anyone would be quick to establish that to have the first pit with a size of 180 rugby field and with 2 pits you will know that there will be migration of people;
3. Has NJV mentioned of a third pit which is not mentioned in the Mine plan although we understand its where its gold deposit are concentrated,
4. Has NJV mentioned that to show the third Pit, Government will automatically disallow the Mine License,
5. Has NJV mentioned of a cost benefit analysis after mining has finished.
6. Who pays for these costs?
7. Is it sustainable to have a massive copper/gold mine in the smallest province in Fiji;
8. In terms of migration, where will our people settled,,,,,,, Serua?
9. What happen to the Heritage Act, the Museum Act, the Archeological and Paleontologist Act.- How can they identify with us?
10. What’s the use of the Baseline Studies and where is the report now?
11. What happens to provinces such as Serua, Naitasiri, Rewa and Tailevu if spillages does occur?
12. Who will pay for the social implication after mining?
13. What is the use of taking the lead in Climate Change stance as part of the COP 21, 22 and our taking Chairmanship in COP 23?
14. When our ecosystem is damaged, who will feed us when all living organism are dead through chemical use,
15. Has NJV mentioned that the Suva/Nausori populations are drinking from the Waimanu River that flows from Wainivalelevu from Namosi?
16. How does the LOU benefit from this mine?
17. How sustainable is the waste storage DAM or Tailing Dam. Who pays for the spillage downstream if an Earthquake or any disastrous weather phenomenon does occur?

“Sir the list goes on and on. The money is good for the Country on a short term benefit but the damage caused cannot be put the pristine environment back again. It will whisper to your ear and say…..moce qi sa la.

“As members of the Fiji First Party and government, we understand that we are following government road map to sustainable development and to have a project that is unsustainable will be against your road map.

“We need fresh air, fresh water, fresh crops and vegetation for our survival, so to mine Namosi is taking away what the almighty has given us to enjoy.

“I hope the TNLC’s humble plea will be taken on board and that serious and honest consideration in that Namosi should not be mined as it will cause more to the people and government after mining has taken place.

“What we do in our lives will determined our destiny to the next life whether it be good or bad, we will answer to the almighty or how justifiable we are.

“Vinaka saka vakalevu.

Josefa Rauto Waqavatu Tauleka

Chairman TNLC