By Papua New Guinea Mine Watch
Three leaders from the Union of Watut River Communities have been arrested in Bulolo this morning and charged with criminal damage, apparently in relation to an attack on a Hidden Valley mine vehicle.
The Union of Watut River Communities is leading a campaign against the Hidden Valley mine over its pollution of the Watut river with acid forming rocks which has disrupted the lives of thousands of people who rely on the river for food, transport and cash incomes.
The alleged damage to the mine vehicle occurred when mine employees, accompanied by local police who were acting as security guards, illegally entered community land to collect river water samples two weeks ago. In contrast, the mine owners has refused permission for scientists engaged by local people to enter the mine site to collect water samples for independent testing.
Two other Watut Union leaders, Reuben Mete and Phillip Yalamo, were released from prison this week after spending the long-weekend in jail for the non payment of fines relating to the damage of another Hidden Valley mine vehicle last year.
The Hidden Valley mine is jointly owned and operated by Newcrest Mining and Harmony Gold.
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Barrick Gold Facing more International Criticism.
Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold, owner of the controversial Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea and a major investor in the Solwara 1 deep-sea mine, is in the media again as more allegations of serious human rights abuses and collusion with a corrupt and brutal police force emerge at one of its African mines.
In an African mine, the lust for gold sparks a deadly clash
Geoffrey York*
The morning of May 16 began like many others. Carrying hammers and rucksacks, hundreds of Tanzanian villagers trudged to the mountain of waste rock at dawn expecting to make another illicit deal with the heavily armed police who protect it.
Two hours later, at least five villagers were dead and many others wounded – gunned down by police at the gold mine owned by a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation of Toronto.
The shooting, the latest in a series of deadly incidents at the mine over the past several years, raises troubling questions about Barrick’s security agreement with a notoriously corrupt police force that routinely extracts bribes from the villagers who enter the North Mara mine to scavenge for traces of gold.
It also provokes questions about Barrick’s decision to keep operating in the anarchic conditions around its mining site, where violent confrontations are common, allegations of police abuses are frequent and deaths are inevitable.
During a five-day visit to the North Mara Mine and the surrounding villages, The Globe and Mail witnessed an atmosphere of conflict and intimidation. Interviews with injured survivors of the May 16 shootings and other witnesses suggest that most of the villagers were unarmed or carrying only stones when they were shot. The witnesses, along with the local police commander, have contradicted the company’s assertion that hundreds of people attacked the police with machetes, hammers and rocks.
The interviews also documented the widespread corruption of police at the mine, which the company is now investigating. African Barrick Gold, which is 74-per-cent owned by Barrick Gold Corp., confirmed to The Globe and Mail that it is investigating “whether employees and police have participated in a fraudulent scheme of accepting money for access to the site by illegal miners.” It said it has “provided these allegations to the police.”
According to police, there were 800 to 1,200 villagers at the mine on May 16. The number of scavengers was larger than usual because of information that the waste rock on that day would include high-quality rocks – information that is routinely passed on to the scavengers by mine employees and by the police themselves, according to the villagers and the Tanzanian media.
Normally, villagers say, the police accept bribes of up to several dollars a person in exchange for allowing them onto the mine site, but the bribes can be paid only when the villagers enter in small groups – so on May 16 the police were trying to break the scavengers into small groups. When they refused, the police fired into the air, and then began shooting directly at the villagers, witnesses said.
The police are investigating whether their officers were justified in opening fire on May 16, and in a series of earlier shootings at the mine. Barrick is also asking the police to investigate allegations of sexual assault by about a dozen police and security guards at the mine.
In every case, however, the police will be investigating themselves – something that is unlikely to reassure the 68,000 people in the villages around the mine, who see the police as corrupt and dishonest.
The facts of the May 16 shootings – and even the casualty numbers – are still in dispute. The police say five people were killed and three injured. The company initially said seven were killed and 12 injured but now says only five were killed. The survivors say the numbers were much higher.
Regardless of the numbers, there is evidence that at least some of the victims were shot from behind as they were fleeing. Tundu Lissu, an opposition member of the Tanzanian Parliament and a longtime critic of Barrick, says the unofficial autopsies on four shooting victims show they were shot from behind.
Two injured survivors say the same. Nelson Charles, a 22-year-old who has scavenged rocks from North Mara for the past three years, is hiding from the police because of rumours that they will arrest anyone who was injured in the May 16 shooting. But when he is tracked down for a long interview, he lifts his arm to reveal his gunshot wound. The bullet entered the back of his arm and exited through the front, supporting his story that he was shot by police as he ran for his life. On that morning, he says, he was carrying only the tools of his trade: a hammer and a bottle of water to wash the waste rocks as he searched for traces of gold.
Maulidi Issa, who has made a living from the waste rocks for the past 11 years, was shot in the hand in the same incident. He says he was unarmed and fleeing when the bullet hit him. Two other witnesses agree that they saw no weapons among the intruders.
Barrick will not comment on details of the shooting, except to say that the police were under fierce attack when they opened fire. “We are aware that the police have highly unimpeachable evidence establishing that masses of intruders invaded the area from many directions, that the police attempted to repel them using gas while coming under sustained attack, that police attempted to retreat from oncoming invaders, and again used gas to attempt to halt the attack, before they were overwhelmed and forced to defend themselves with live ammunition,” the company said in a statement to The Globe and Mail.
The company continues to insist that machetes and other weapons were used against the police. But it would not give any estimate of the number.
Constantine Massawe, the regional police commander in Tarime, the region where the mine is located, gave a different account. Nobody attacked the police with machetes, and the seven injuries among the police were all caused by stones, he said.
Mr. Massawe said the police opened fire on the villagers because they were throwing stones at police vehicles when the police tried to disperse them. In the past, he said, the police would retreat when stones were thrown, but this time they decided to shoot. He said the police are now investigating “whether there was a necessity for shooting or not.”
Mr. Lissu, one of several politicians and journalists arrested by police in Tarime in the days after the shooting, said that while in jail he met more than 20 villagers who had also been arrested. They were charged only with theft of waste rocks, and none was charged with any weapons offences, he said.
Mr. Charles, the injured survivor, said he personally saw two people shot dead near him on May 16. One of them was a bystander who wasn’t even involved in rock scavenging, he said. “He was just wondering what was going on.”
He said he had been running away for several minutes when he was hit by the police bullet. “Everyone was running and shouting and trying to save their lives. It was a massacre. I was shocked – normally the police only shoot in the air.”
Figures provided by Barrick show that an average of about 800 people trespass on the mine site every day, and 70 stoning incidents were recorded in the first five months of this year alone. The company notes that it has signed an agreement with the Tanzanian police requiring its officers to use “only the minimum force necessary to control any violent situation” and requiring them to follow international human-rights standards.
In the past, the company erected a fence to keep out trespassers, but it was torn down by the villagers. Now it is planning to spend $14-million to build a three-metre-high concrete wall for 12 kilometres around all of the mine pits and waste heaps – topped by electrified razor wire.
The villagers predict that the concrete wall, too, will soon be breached. In this impoverished and remote region of East Africa, they believe that Barrick’s massive mountain of waste rocks is their only hope of economic survival – and they will do anything to keep it open.
* Globe and Mai
In an African mine, the lust for gold sparks a deadly clash
Geoffrey York*
The morning of May 16 began like many others. Carrying hammers and rucksacks, hundreds of Tanzanian villagers trudged to the mountain of waste rock at dawn expecting to make another illicit deal with the heavily armed police who protect it.
Two hours later, at least five villagers were dead and many others wounded – gunned down by police at the gold mine owned by a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation of Toronto.
The shooting, the latest in a series of deadly incidents at the mine over the past several years, raises troubling questions about Barrick’s security agreement with a notoriously corrupt police force that routinely extracts bribes from the villagers who enter the North Mara mine to scavenge for traces of gold.
It also provokes questions about Barrick’s decision to keep operating in the anarchic conditions around its mining site, where violent confrontations are common, allegations of police abuses are frequent and deaths are inevitable.
During a five-day visit to the North Mara Mine and the surrounding villages, The Globe and Mail witnessed an atmosphere of conflict and intimidation. Interviews with injured survivors of the May 16 shootings and other witnesses suggest that most of the villagers were unarmed or carrying only stones when they were shot. The witnesses, along with the local police commander, have contradicted the company’s assertion that hundreds of people attacked the police with machetes, hammers and rocks.
The interviews also documented the widespread corruption of police at the mine, which the company is now investigating. African Barrick Gold, which is 74-per-cent owned by Barrick Gold Corp., confirmed to The Globe and Mail that it is investigating “whether employees and police have participated in a fraudulent scheme of accepting money for access to the site by illegal miners.” It said it has “provided these allegations to the police.”
According to police, there were 800 to 1,200 villagers at the mine on May 16. The number of scavengers was larger than usual because of information that the waste rock on that day would include high-quality rocks – information that is routinely passed on to the scavengers by mine employees and by the police themselves, according to the villagers and the Tanzanian media.
Normally, villagers say, the police accept bribes of up to several dollars a person in exchange for allowing them onto the mine site, but the bribes can be paid only when the villagers enter in small groups – so on May 16 the police were trying to break the scavengers into small groups. When they refused, the police fired into the air, and then began shooting directly at the villagers, witnesses said.
The police are investigating whether their officers were justified in opening fire on May 16, and in a series of earlier shootings at the mine. Barrick is also asking the police to investigate allegations of sexual assault by about a dozen police and security guards at the mine.
In every case, however, the police will be investigating themselves – something that is unlikely to reassure the 68,000 people in the villages around the mine, who see the police as corrupt and dishonest.
The facts of the May 16 shootings – and even the casualty numbers – are still in dispute. The police say five people were killed and three injured. The company initially said seven were killed and 12 injured but now says only five were killed. The survivors say the numbers were much higher.
Regardless of the numbers, there is evidence that at least some of the victims were shot from behind as they were fleeing. Tundu Lissu, an opposition member of the Tanzanian Parliament and a longtime critic of Barrick, says the unofficial autopsies on four shooting victims show they were shot from behind.
Two injured survivors say the same. Nelson Charles, a 22-year-old who has scavenged rocks from North Mara for the past three years, is hiding from the police because of rumours that they will arrest anyone who was injured in the May 16 shooting. But when he is tracked down for a long interview, he lifts his arm to reveal his gunshot wound. The bullet entered the back of his arm and exited through the front, supporting his story that he was shot by police as he ran for his life. On that morning, he says, he was carrying only the tools of his trade: a hammer and a bottle of water to wash the waste rocks as he searched for traces of gold.
Maulidi Issa, who has made a living from the waste rocks for the past 11 years, was shot in the hand in the same incident. He says he was unarmed and fleeing when the bullet hit him. Two other witnesses agree that they saw no weapons among the intruders.
Barrick will not comment on details of the shooting, except to say that the police were under fierce attack when they opened fire. “We are aware that the police have highly unimpeachable evidence establishing that masses of intruders invaded the area from many directions, that the police attempted to repel them using gas while coming under sustained attack, that police attempted to retreat from oncoming invaders, and again used gas to attempt to halt the attack, before they were overwhelmed and forced to defend themselves with live ammunition,” the company said in a statement to The Globe and Mail.
The company continues to insist that machetes and other weapons were used against the police. But it would not give any estimate of the number.
Constantine Massawe, the regional police commander in Tarime, the region where the mine is located, gave a different account. Nobody attacked the police with machetes, and the seven injuries among the police were all caused by stones, he said.
Mr. Massawe said the police opened fire on the villagers because they were throwing stones at police vehicles when the police tried to disperse them. In the past, he said, the police would retreat when stones were thrown, but this time they decided to shoot. He said the police are now investigating “whether there was a necessity for shooting or not.”
Mr. Lissu, one of several politicians and journalists arrested by police in Tarime in the days after the shooting, said that while in jail he met more than 20 villagers who had also been arrested. They were charged only with theft of waste rocks, and none was charged with any weapons offences, he said.
Mr. Charles, the injured survivor, said he personally saw two people shot dead near him on May 16. One of them was a bystander who wasn’t even involved in rock scavenging, he said. “He was just wondering what was going on.”
He said he had been running away for several minutes when he was hit by the police bullet. “Everyone was running and shouting and trying to save their lives. It was a massacre. I was shocked – normally the police only shoot in the air.”
Figures provided by Barrick show that an average of about 800 people trespass on the mine site every day, and 70 stoning incidents were recorded in the first five months of this year alone. The company notes that it has signed an agreement with the Tanzanian police requiring its officers to use “only the minimum force necessary to control any violent situation” and requiring them to follow international human-rights standards.
In the past, the company erected a fence to keep out trespassers, but it was torn down by the villagers. Now it is planning to spend $14-million to build a three-metre-high concrete wall for 12 kilometres around all of the mine pits and waste heaps – topped by electrified razor wire.
The villagers predict that the concrete wall, too, will soon be breached. In this impoverished and remote region of East Africa, they believe that Barrick’s massive mountain of waste rocks is their only hope of economic survival – and they will do anything to keep it open.
* Globe and Mai
Newcrest Mining cuts Production in Lihir.
AAP
Gold miner Newcrest Mining has downgraded its full year gold production guidance due to a power malfunction at its Lihir operation in Papua New Guinea.
The company said it now expects production of around 2.7 million ounces (oz) of gold in calendar 2011, down from the previously advised 2.82 million oz.
Newcrest said there had been a high voltage switchgear failure in the power station at Lihir that had interrupted production.
The processing plant is currently operating at reduced capacity as a result.
Repair work on the power station had begun, and a phased return to full operating capacity was planned over the next three weeks, Newcrest said.
There also had been minor production delays at other sites, it said.
Copper production and cost forecasts remain unchanged.
Thursday’s production downgrade follows a downgrade in April due to abnormal weather in Australia and PNG and political unrest in West Africa’s Ivory Coast.
[Newcrest also owns a 50% stake in the Hidden Valley gold mine in Papua New Guinea]
Gold miner Newcrest Mining has downgraded its full year gold production guidance due to a power malfunction at its Lihir operation in Papua New Guinea.
The company said it now expects production of around 2.7 million ounces (oz) of gold in calendar 2011, down from the previously advised 2.82 million oz.
Newcrest said there had been a high voltage switchgear failure in the power station at Lihir that had interrupted production.
The processing plant is currently operating at reduced capacity as a result.
Repair work on the power station had begun, and a phased return to full operating capacity was planned over the next three weeks, Newcrest said.
There also had been minor production delays at other sites, it said.
Copper production and cost forecasts remain unchanged.
Thursday’s production downgrade follows a downgrade in April due to abnormal weather in Australia and PNG and political unrest in West Africa’s Ivory Coast.
[Newcrest also owns a 50% stake in the Hidden Valley gold mine in Papua New Guinea]
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Local PNG NGO making use of latest technology.
By Anthropologist John Burton.
From: Oceanic Anthropology Discussion Group.
We have been dealing with the Union of Watut River Communities, an
environmental NGO in Papua New Guinea. and at the same time Morobe Mining,
which operates the Hidden Valley mine, where I did a social impact
assessment ten years ago. These two are in dispute and our job is to try and
collect information that will throw light on the situation, in much the same
way that colleagues and I did at Ok Tedi 1991-94
http://www.crawford.anu.edu.au/rmap/archive/Ok-Fly_social_monitoring/
One of a new wave of NGOs in the country, UoWRC makes very clever use of
blogs and the internet, including mobile internet, to get its message
across. For example, we had our picture taken by Blackberry at our first
meeting with the NGO and they had us posted on facebook before we could say
Jack Robinson.
We were initially taken into the communities where the NGO is active by its
leader, but in the last two weeks the relationship between UoWRC and the
mining company has soured over issues between them, and his position has now
altered. Hence the following post earlier today:
http://ramumine.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/watut-communities-warn-australian-academics-to-stay-off-their-land/
From: Oceanic Anthropology Discussion Group.
We have been dealing with the Union of Watut River Communities, an
environmental NGO in Papua New Guinea. and at the same time Morobe Mining,
which operates the Hidden Valley mine, where I did a social impact
assessment ten years ago. These two are in dispute and our job is to try and
collect information that will throw light on the situation, in much the same
way that colleagues and I did at Ok Tedi 1991-94
http://www.crawford.anu.edu.au/rmap/archive/Ok-Fly_social_monitoring/
One of a new wave of NGOs in the country, UoWRC makes very clever use of
blogs and the internet, including mobile internet, to get its message
across. For example, we had our picture taken by Blackberry at our first
meeting with the NGO and they had us posted on facebook before we could say
Jack Robinson.
We were initially taken into the communities where the NGO is active by its
leader, but in the last two weeks the relationship between UoWRC and the
mining company has soured over issues between them, and his position has now
altered. Hence the following post earlier today:
http://ramumine.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/watut-communities-warn-australian-academics-to-stay-off-their-land/
Monday, May 2, 2011
Mining Minister to invites Watut Union for talks.
By Watut Reporter
Members of the campaign group the Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) have been invited by the Mining Minister Hon John Pundari to a dialogue meeting with other Governments Departmental heads including the Department of Environment and Conservation, Mineral Resources Authorities and Mining Department in Port Moresby on the 11th May, 2011. The Minister make this known yesterday at the recent launching of the new bulldozer for Mumeng LLG yesterday. President of the UoWRC Mr Reuben Mete in confirming this today says the issues that will be discussed will only includes those many outstanding issues made by the Papua New Guinea National Government Departments and nothing on the current litigation court case as UoWRC is looking forward to sue the developer of the Hidden Valley Mining the Australia based Newcrest Mining and South Africa's Harmony Gold on its nuisance sedimentation and chemical with toxic pollution on the Watut River causing serious environmental damages that affects thousands of communities downstream with their ecosystem.
The outstanding Government commitments including the appointment of a state team and an environmental audit into Watut River.
Members of the campaign group the Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) have been invited by the Mining Minister Hon John Pundari to a dialogue meeting with other Governments Departmental heads including the Department of Environment and Conservation, Mineral Resources Authorities and Mining Department in Port Moresby on the 11th May, 2011. The Minister make this known yesterday at the recent launching of the new bulldozer for Mumeng LLG yesterday. President of the UoWRC Mr Reuben Mete in confirming this today says the issues that will be discussed will only includes those many outstanding issues made by the Papua New Guinea National Government Departments and nothing on the current litigation court case as UoWRC is looking forward to sue the developer of the Hidden Valley Mining the Australia based Newcrest Mining and South Africa's Harmony Gold on its nuisance sedimentation and chemical with toxic pollution on the Watut River causing serious environmental damages that affects thousands of communities downstream with their ecosystem.
The outstanding Government commitments including the appointment of a state team and an environmental audit into Watut River.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Watut River Forum Resolutions - the 21 day Ultumatum
The 21 day ultimatum to the Papua New Guinea National Government and the Morobe Provincial Government to act before the communities resolve as to their next cause of action which will come after May 11, 2011.
The demands include:
1. That the Morobe Governor meets all its outstanding commitments made to the concerned communities since 2009 which have never been fulfilled;
2. That Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), Mining Department and Mineral Resource Authority (MRA) come down to the communities and address their outstanding problems and explained to them fully their commitments in establishing a state team and their engagement of SMEC into the Watut River issue.
3. That the National Court action taken by the Union of Watut River Communities be continued and shall include the Huon Gulf mining impacted communities;
4. That Morobe Mining Joint Venture should not visit the impacted communities outside of the Hidden Valley MOA area;
5. Authorities, including Bulolo District JDBPPC and Government of PNG to look into the outstanding 471 garden compensation payments and respond ASAP.
We urge the National and provincial authorities to address these demands no later than 11 May, 2011.
Failure will result in further action by landowners.
Authorized by:
Reuben Mete
Union of Watut River Communities Association Inc.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Watut River Forum set to be stage in Lae.
By: Watut Reporter
A public forum is expected to be stage in the heart of Morobe Province - Lae City; to deal with issues related to the pollution of the Watut River System. The date set for the Forum is Friday the 15th April 2011 at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium. This was made known by the organization responsible for the Watut River fight the Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) today.
Mr Reuben Mete, the President of the UoWRC in confirming this says that his organization is very keen to see that all the communities along the Watut River within the two Electorate boundaries namely the Huon and Bulolo shall come, stand united to find amicable solutions to deal with the foreign mining companies operating the Hidden Valley Joint Venture - the Australia's Newcrest and the Harmony Gold of South Africa.
Communities in Labu, Markham Bridge and Wampar with villages in the Lower Watut, Middle Watut, Latukatop and Upper Watut are expected to turn out in numbers. Invitations have been sent to Bulolo MP, Huon Gulf MP and Morobe Governor Luther Wenge with other relevant Government Agencies to present to be answerable to their outstanding commitments. Hidden Valley Joint Venture will also be invited to present at the Forum. Preparations for the staging of the event are a all well in advance.
Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) Executives in Madang to Learn.
By: Watut Reporter
Common experiences in Morobe and Madang have drawn together members of the Morobeen bases Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) affected by large-scale mining operation in the Hidden Valley Mine and today they visited the studios of Radio Madang to air their grievances about the Hidden Valley and Ramu mines.
The Union has been campaigning against environmental damage by Australia’s Newcrest Mining and South Africa’s Harmony Gold, owners and operators of the Hidden Valley gold mine in the Bulolo District of Morobe Province. Reuben Mete, the President of the UoWRC is calling for government recognition of the pollution problems in the Watut river and for a proper scientific assessment and compensation package be done to benefits future generations of communities living along the Watut River.
The team also were given information on how Papua New Guinea government has been ignoring the rural communities in bringing in foreign developers who does not respect the rights of the rural communities hence, leads to problems such as in Panguna, Ok Tedi, Misima, Ramu Nickel and now Watut River. The purpose of our visit is about exposure and learning.
The team is expected to arriving in Lae to run the Watut River Forum to be stage this Month at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Video to Remind Newcrest Mining of Australia and Harmony Gold of South Africa.
Watut River Campaign Videos.
See what the foreign mining companies has done to thousands of communities along the Watut River. Are this things normal in their host countries?
If NO, than why are they allowing this to happen in Watut?
See what the foreign mining companies has done to thousands of communities along the Watut River. Are this things normal in their host countries?
If NO, than why are they allowing this to happen in Watut?
Basil to visit Middle Watut villages.
Bulolo MP Sam Basil will be taking a time out early next week to visit the communities in the Middle Watut, of Mumeng Local Level Government. Mr Basil is believe to walk the ten (10) Middle Watut villages to see for himself the struggles the riverine community have live and survive with minimal basic government services such as road, schools, clinics and also sees what the Impacts of Hidden Valley Mine has to the communities.
President of the Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) Mr Reuben Mete has welcome the Honorable Member's decisions and said this would be an historical visit has none of the sitting MPs of Bulolo Electorate have walked and spend time with the Middle Watut Villages in the past. Mr Basil will also present sawing machine to villages along his way.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
MRA TO visit Watut River Communities regarding HVJV Compo.
The Environmental Division of the Mineral Resource Authority (MRA) will be visiting the Watut River Communities to address issues related to the Hidden Valley Joint Venture garden Compensation payment.
The 50:50 joint venture company of Newcrest Mining of Australia and Harmony Gold of South African have been paying the villages some compensation for the garden due to Sediments wash down from its mining operation at the Hidden Valley which was situated in the headwaters of Watut River system, affecting its aquatic life, its ecosystem and the communities whose daily lives depends on it. Apart from toxic waist and sedimentation wash off, sediments are now being settle in communities along the Watut River which are situated well pass the Hidden Valley Mining Compliance Permit or mixing zone covered under the Hidden Valley Mining Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). These has now causeing the river beds to raise up affecting communities gardens, recreational sites, secret sites and causing vegetatin to dry dieback.
HVJV, the registered name or the trade mark name Morobe Mining Joint Venture - MMJV; the company set up to manage the Hidden Valley Mine by the Newcrest and Harmony Gold has been paying the communities compensation since the end of last year to February 18 this year (2011). As HVJV process of payment, Statutory Declaration and Sworn Statements were also given to the individual claimants to sign or post a fingerprint in agree that what has been paid is of final satisfaction and of full value and a paid as one-off. The payments varies with minimum being K4.00 with maximum being K26 000.00. Although majority of the communities agrees for the payment, 80% of them receive payment range between K60.00 - K300. Majority of the Middle and Lower Watut fall under this cheating trend by the HVJV and have already sign the statement. In addition to that, certain community leaders assisting the HVJV Community Liaison officers have been given allowances and special consideration in their payment.
The way valuation have been carried out and payment done are of serious violation to the human rights of the communities as only individuals having close relationship with the HVJV liaison officers have been paid huge sums of money despite them having little or no garden at all as witness when the assessment was being carried out.
With this mismanagement practices of the HVJV Officers, the local campaign group - Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC); has been running awareness to communities urging them not to sign their rights away to these foreign money hungry company. With that, UoWRC has written to MRA and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) to looked into that matter and redress it. A total 471 claimants has to this date not signing the State Dec and have not yet receive any Compensation from the Mining Companies.
A team of MRA Officers haded by Mr John Mosoro will be headed to Watut River Communities next week to see that these matter is resolve as soon as possible to allow mining development in Hidden Valley to go ahead without any disturbance. The office of MRA in Wau has been task to facilitate the visit and UoWRC are gearing to face the Mining Regulators.
HVJV garden compensation payment skipped UoWRC members.
More than 400 individual claims of Watut river communities along Watut river have been left out as villages decided not to sign the Statutory Declaration and making Sworn Statements that were being bulldozed by Hidden Valley Joint Venture (HVJV) Community liaison officers. This has cause them to miss out in the current Newcrest and Harmony HVJV garden compensation payment. The community have demanded an explanation of these two documents eversince however, HVJV offices have refused to explained this to them hence they strongly believe the documents might taken away their birth rights and jeopardies their future lawsuit.
Tiffany Nonggorr, a Lawyer engaged by the Bulolo District JDBPC to assist the Watut River Communities in their bid to sue Newcrest and Harmony for the Environmental Damage and Watut River Rehabilitation have last week informing the communities that the Newcrest and Harmony Lawyers have mention the statutory declaration and the sworn statement in as their defense file. This contradicts earlier comments made by the HVJV General Manage Mr David Wissink that the State Decs has nothing to do with the future legal claims and communities should sign them without having doubt.
The Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) have already written a latter to the Minister for Mining Hon John Pundari MP, Environment and Conservation Minister Hon Benny Allan and Managing Director for Mineral Resource Authority Mr Kepas Walli urging them to look into how HVJV has been doing in terms of Compensation and Environment and Mining Regulations Plan. The also demanded that these respictive Regulatory bodies should intervene instruct HVJV to rearrange the payments for those that have been missing out.
Bulolo MP Hon Sam Basil has also send an email to the Community Affairs Manager of HVJV Mr Stanley Komunt to revisit those outstanding payments and address them. He also suggest that in case were HVJV refuse to made payments in relation to the signing of the State Decs, than the HVJV should send copies of the valuation calculated as per the Valua General Rate so his District should pay these claims.
Postponing of the Watut River Forum in Lae.
The Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) has postponed its initial decision to stage the Watut River Forum in Lae on Friday, 25th March, 2011.
This decision was done after Morobe political leaders including Governor Luther Wenge and Minister for Health and HIV AIDS Hon Sasa Zibe had sattle there differences with the Bulolo MP Hon Sam Basil during the last Tutumang. In that meeting, Hon Sasa Zibe had mention that he has instructed Wampar LLG President Mr. Peter Namus to withdrew all Wampar Councilors out of the court battle against Hidden Valley Joint Venture (HVJV) for environmental damage. In respond, Mr Basil agrees to remove all Lower Watut plaintiffs out of the court proceedings and advice them to seek their political leaders for assistance. However, Mr Basil says the current court proceedings was the mine to be more responsible and to compensate the villages along watut river who have been impacted due to its mine waist being dumped since construction and site casting practices from 2005 till late 2009.
UoWRC executives have agree to stage the forum early next month to get views and responds from its members within the Huon Gulf Electorate and also to will invite M.P, Government officials and company executives to attend and listen to their concerns.
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