Landowners Tell Explorer To 'back Off'

Landowners tell explorer to 'back off'

Postcourier

12th October 2006

LANDOWNERS of gold-rich Mount Tere, Mount Bee, and Mount Tini in the Southern Highlands province are calling on Canadian mining companies, Madison PNG Ltd and Buffalo Ltd, to "back off". This follows the companies' application for exploration licences for their land. There are gold deposits on these three mountains and currently the customary landowners are conducting alluvial mining around these mountains. The customary landowners made the call yesterday through their association, the Hanaku Association, which represents nine tribes that claim ownership of the three mountains.

Association secretary and spokesman Hayaku Andiki and former Tari Local Level Government president and landowner Palabe Aku said initially the Mining Department gave the land area around the three mountains Exploration Lease (EL) No.1124 and at that time Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) was trying to conduct exploration without the approval of the landowners so there was a confrontation and the PJV exploration team was driven out of the EL area. PJV's exploration licence expired and an advertisement was made for new applicants to conduct the exploration over these mountains.

The department then changed the EL number from 1124 to 1427 without the landowner's knowledge until there was a warden's hearing which surprised the landowners. "There was a warden's hearing in some places in Tari and a good sum of money was spent to lure people to sign their support for Madison PNG Ltd and Buffalo Ltd. All members of the nine tribes represented by Hanaku Association refused to pledge their support and said if there is any developer who wants to explore land the tribes represented, it must be another company," Mr Andiki said. He said this was because they did not want what was being experienced in Mount Kare to happen in their land. Mr Aku said all the landowners were adamant that the Mining Department should be impartial and should not take sides with any foreign developer.