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

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]

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/

Intending candidates for Watut and Wampar LLG President warned to back off from Watut River issues.

By Watut Reporter

President of the Union of Watut River Communities(UoWRC) Association 

Incorporated Mr Reuben Mete has brushed aside criticism made against his 

organization (UoWRC) and warned recycle politicians intending to contest the 

Watut and Wampar LLG President seat not to used Watut River Issues as a campaign 

platform to lure peoples support for the next years Local Level Government 

Council Election.      

Mr Mete made this known today when addressing the members of the UoWRC in Middle 

Watut Region, The President of UoWRC was responding Mr Gewisa Tukwund of Leklu 

village and Markham Bridge Councilor Douglas Gedisa statement published on the 

National Newspaper earlier this week. Mr Mete has claimed that both Tukwund and 

Gedisa have recently formed and are heading two new organization duplicating the 

work of the Union of Watut River Communities Association Inc and 

warned communities of Watut and Wampar to be careful of other political 

leaders establishing organizations after organization and should study well the 

person they are following. Mr Tukwund is the Chairman of the recent launched 

Upper Watut Impact Association and Mr Gedisa is the Chairman of the newly formed 

Wampar Union. 

"The Middle Watut communities are very much affected by these mining operations 

in Hidden Valley and I invite Mr Tukwund and Mr Gedisa to visit the place 

themselves before making unsubstantial statement to the media.  The UoWRC has 

initially trying to work hand in hand to assist the Wampar Union faction to see 

its establishment however this shall no continue anymore" Mete said. 

In addition to that, Mr Mete has thank Hon Pundari in trying to address mining 

related issues around the country including the Watut River Pollution  and 

assures the representative to the recent meeting were Executive Members of the 

UoWRC organization and not for any family affairs. He also thank 

the Mineral Resources Authorities and the print media to publicize the meeting 

resolutions so that transparency and honesty will prevail and that self centered 

leaders cannot have rooms for misleading the people.

Poor call by Wenge

By Studor, Lae

Why is Morobe Governor Luther Wenge wasting time and people's money by suing a fellow politician? He should start serving the people of Morobe as a true songan. The people of Morobe are tired of his empty promises. I salute Bulolo MP Sam Basil for showing good leadership.

Monday May 09, 2011 - The National

Bad Taste, Governor Wenge.

By The Drum.

Have to assume the good Morobe Governor gave his PR staff the weekend off? His agitated performance bouncing around in front of the camera on last night news didn't look good. Sit down next time, Governor. That performance just raised all the poor stereotypes we have come to expect of pollies. And the subject of the story, the Watut River Pollution, would only harden the affected people attitude when they saw the belligerence with which he addressed them rather than the conciliation they Probably expected from their leader.

Post Courier April 27, 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.