The Bougainville referendum vote is on course and set for this time next year but the future of the abandoned Panguna Copper Mine is still untenable.
Just this month, Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), former operator of Panguna Copper Mine on Bougainville, was again accused of failing to acknowledge its role in the province’s tragic past related to the bloody conflict over the mine.
In a statement, chairman of the Special Mining Lease Osikaiyang Landowners Association (SMLOLA) Mr Philip Miriori accused the miner on several fronts, citing that;
• BCl has achieved no reconciliation with the customary landowners for 30 years;
• BCl has not attempted discussions with the current Court sanctioned SMlOLA
chairman and executive even once;
• BCl has failed to acknowledge its role in Bougainville’s tragic history;
• BCl has offered no compensation for the environmental and social impact of BCl’s massive profit taking operations at the Panguna Mine;
• BCl has offered no assistance to rebuild Bougainville post resolution of the conflict;
• BCl has undertaken no remedial action to address the massive environmental
damage from its past operations; and
• BCl has made no attempt to identify the needs of the customary landowners and engage with the community.
Instead Mr Miriori stated that BCl “continues to insult and disrespect Bougainville and the Panguna customary landowners by recent statements made by BCl’s chairman, Mr Mel Togolo, and the ABG by their treatment at their Annual General Meeting blocking their vote”.
“Why did BCl not work with the ABG in advance to ensure they could have their say at the meeting if they are genuinely trying to mend fences with Bougainville and lose their mantle of being a PNG controlled company?” Mr Miriori was quoted to have asked.
Miriori added that the new BCl chairman (Togolo) was the same person who sat on the Rio controlled BCl board in the bad old days for 6 or 7 years and the PNG country manager for the environmentally controversial deep sea mining startup of Nautilus Minerals.
“Why would we want any of that?” he asked.
“Then there is the false attempt to blame third parties for the opposition by the Panguna Customary landowners: this reflects the continuing failure on the part of BCl to even acknowledge the historic environmental havoc wreaked on the Panguna land by BCl and the role of BCl in the devastating conflict in Bougainville.
Mr Miriori said; “The willful blindness of BCl, its failure to admit its role in causing the environmental devastation to our land and its failure to rehabilitate or provide compensation for the damage, condemns BCl from ever obtaining SMLOLA’s approval or support.
“Trying to blame third parties for this is both dishonest and arrogant,” says Mr Miriori.
Miriori accused BCl of having one of the worst environmental and social impact records in the world and has not been welcome to return to Panguna in 30 years – yet they claim strong landowner support.
A prominent SMLOLA member Mr Lawrence Daveona supported Mr Miriori’s comments saying “BCl’s operations at the Panguna Mine were the cause of the devastating conflict on Bougainville.
Mr Daveona said that is why they have been unwelcome in Bougainville for the last 30 years.
“It was the height of arrogance to think they could win community support without any reconciliation. They have ignored us and tried to go around the impediments,” Mr Daveona said.
Mr Daveona also added;”Our President (John) Momis summed it up perfectly when he said BCl did not deserve the renewal because their attitudes to landowners had not changed from the past”.
Daveona said he supported the ABG’s decision saying “BCl had an El for two years from 2014 to 2016 and even had a further 15 months after the expiry of the El and still they could not win landowner support.
The refusal of that application has been very positive for the landowners and allowed us to bring an end to the social disharmony their false claims caused and build an even stronger opposition to their return.
President Dr John Momis of the ABG stated on 8 January 2018 in a public interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), that the BCl application had been denied by the ABG because of the Panguna legacy Issues and consequently the inability of BCl to gain a social licence.
Dr Momis observed that BCl’s attitude towards customary landowners had not changed and therefore BCL did not deserve an extension. It was noted that at the Warden’s Hearing
in December 2017 almost all those who spoke referred to these significant and continuing legacy issues and the need for BCL to pay compensation.
Mr Miriori agreed saying “BCL was the tenement holder during the time which systemic damage to the environment and river systems occurred.
These events are of global significance and to this day are fundamental to the vast majority of the Panguna Customary Landowners and Bougainvilleans opposing BCL’s return.
However, BCL continues to assert that a majority of the customary landowners of Panguna stand with it to recommence operating the world class mine. Recently, BCl stated that 367 authorised customary heads of the 510 blocks of land within the special mining lease area of Panguna do not recognise Mr Miriori as the Osikaiang chair, and back BCL’s exploration licence. And BCL company secretary Mark Hitchcock said until recently, the Bougainville Government had been expressing qualified support for BCL, in which it has a 36 per cent stake.
The company also holds the resource data for the Panguna site and has been engaging with landowners in recent years, paying compensation outstanding from 1990.
Mr Hitchcock said BCL would continue discussions with the Bougainville Government and wouldn’t abandon plans to restart the mine. “It’s up to the landowners, who have the final and ultimate say on whether they go mining and who they go mining with,” he said.
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