Landowners give developer full support to start exploration

Post-Courier Online. 

LANDOWNERS of Mt Kare Gold Mine in Hela Province are giving developer Summit Development Limited of Indochine Mining 100 percent support to start exploration and drilling activities at the mine.
The landowners led by chief Johnson Nokope (Toma), Councillor Hogogo Minape (Pujoro), former Awi Lagayu Local Level Government (LLG) president James Huriawi, women’s representative Ipai Ikime (Eli) made this known last Thursday in Tari.
The group could not travel to Paijaka for the Mt Kare mine warden hearing meeting held there that day due to a prolonged tribal warfare and dispute between two tribes that live on the road to Paijaka.
 
They feared for their security and stayed back in Tari at the Summit lay-down and forward camp to make their position known.
Chief Nokope said the major clans Toma, Eli, Pujuro, Towanda and Kawi who were landowners of Mt Kare from the Huli side in Tari did not attend the warden hearing at Paijaka for their own security and safety. However, he said their non presence at the warden hearing did not mean that they were opposing the project.
“We give Summit and IndoChine Mining 100 percent support for the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) to extend their EL 1093 exploration licence to proceed,’’ Chief Nokope said.
“There should not be any threats to the project by minority groups and Summit IndoChine must not bow down to threats issued in the media by Port Moresby-based paper landowners and con-artists.
 
“We the real and genuine landowners are back home and Summit and IndoChine should deal with us for the project to go ahead without any further delay.’’
Councillor Mel Perapu of Pi Nagia ward in Tari also supported the call, adding that the 17 councillors in the Tagali LLG area in Tari District also want to see the Mt Kare project being developed for services and development to flow into their area. Mr Perapou said after nearly 30 years of gold discovery and since the alluvial gold-rush mining days at Mt Kare, the mine was not fully developed despite several attempts by various companies.
He said they had waited for far too long and many people had also died without benefitting from the project and as such the landowners were now united than ever before to give support to the developer to continue with the exploration and mine development.
The Paijaka warden hearing was attended by Porgera-Laigap MP and Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Mines Nixon Magape and senior executives of MRA and Summit IndoChine Limited.