www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/...a-postponed/1137338
Updated 28 May 2013, 16:38 AEST
The Autonomous Government of Bougainville has postponed the first consultation with landowners over re-opening of the Rio Tinto-owned Panguna copper mine to make sure all parties are ready and able to attend.
Bougainville consultations over Panguna postponed (Credit: ABC)
The talks - the first since a civil war shut the mine more than 20 years ago - were due to have started this week in Arawa but will now be held now be held over three consecutive weeks starting in the third week of June.
Venues for these Mining Forums include the east coast town of Kieta, the western centre of Bana and the Panguna mine site.
Community Development Minister, Melchior Dare, says better preparation is needed to make sure these crucial Forums are all-inclusive.
Presenter: Jemima Garrett
Speaker: Melchior Dare, Community Development Minister, Autonomous Government of Bougainville
DARE: There need to be proper awareness in preparation for these three, last very important ABG Mining Forums because the other Forums in North Bougainville and South Bougainville have been done, conducted already, so we are now focussed on the very core area of the future of Panguna mine.
GARRETT: And how are people feeling about the meetings?
DARE: They are very looking forward to those three last Forums in these very core areas in Kieta, Bana and in Panguna itself. ABG would like to see more representation at these three last Forums by those who would like to attend and there need to be proper date and proper awareness and proper logistics by the ABG Mining department, which have been facilitating the ABG Mining Forum.
GARRETT: What are you hoping to hear from landowners when you attend those Forums?
DARE: Landowners have been affiliated by ABG. This is unlike other areas. In other provinces or in Papua New Guinea, landowners are alone but on Bougainville because of the post-conflict situation ABG has done everything possible for establishing the landowners, especially for Panguna mine. So what they are really looking forward is how is ABG going to further prepare them for the negotiation and also in areas of their capacity building, in terms of, they will also need their own experts, like lawyers, some very technical people that need to assist them in preparations before the negotiations. These are areas where they will need support through ABG, and other development partners like AusAID and even Papua New Guinea government, whoever is interested to be our development partners in the future of the Panguna mine.
GARRETT: How many people do you expect to attend these last 3 crucial meetings and who will they represent?
DARE: In the first three Mining Forums we had about six hundred people who had been attending. In these last 3 ABG Mining forums we are expecting more than that because we are also expecting the other interested people. And then I understand what the ABG Mining division has been doing, is that they have been inviting all the representatives of our leaders from the lower government. I am also expecting all the ABG Ministers and members the ABG Ministers and members from North, South and Central, we should be there together, in this central Bougainville, Kieta, Bana and Panguna Mining Forum and then we will also be expecting second tier governments, and the village assemblies, the very last core part of the clan governments, the village assemblies. Then apart from that there will be other factional representatives like the Mekamui and also the women and youths, the veterans of those areas and also they are obviously invited. And apart from that those who would like to come and attend and church leaders. Cross sector and factional representation are very crucial. It is also open for other stakeholders like NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, even the students of our education institutions and their teachers.
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