Don’t stop InterOil LNG project, say clans

LANDOWNERS of the InterOil Gulf LNG pro­ject want Prime Minister Peter O'Neill to reconsider a cabinet decision to shelve it, The National reports.
They also want him to sack Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma for misleading the people, the government and the developer, after deliberately sitting on the issue since the signing of an agreement with developers InterOil in 2009.
The Ihu and Baimuru landowners are represented by Aitari Huaupe, Ken Ori, Bernard Nikura, Winston Kupea, Gada Govea, Joe Meve and Ivan Evara.
They also represent the Gulf provincial go­vernment.
In a joint statement, they said they would stage a protest if the go­vernment failed to allow the project to go ahead.
"Why is he (Duma) advising the government to stop the project when he was the minister who signed the agreement and was making good promotional presentation on the project?" they said.
The landowners also want all LNG facilities to be set up in Gulf ra­ther than piping oil all the way to Port Moresby.
They said the Gulf people had been denied development for a long time and now wanted to use benefits from the project to change their lives.
"If it is removed, then we will remain poor," they said.
They also want Duma to name the company to take over from InterOil.