Watut River communities want answers about Hidden Valley mine pollution

By MALUM NALU

Minister for Environment and Conservation Benny Allan and his secretary Dr Wari Iamo have been asked to explain to mining-affected communities along the Watut River of Morobe province to explain how the environment audit of Hidden Valley Mine will be conducted.

The Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) said the river people had patiently waited for the minister’s commitment to fufil but nothing had eventuated.

“The UoWRC has also blamed the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA), Department of Mining and the Health Department for ignoring the suffering of the silent majority by allowing the foreign-owned Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining to regulate their own action in the Hidden Valley Mining,” said UoWRC president Reuben Mete.

“The UoWRC has now served a 14-day notice starting Friday, Sept 24 to Friday, Oct 8, for the authorities to respond favorably to their request of having an initial collaborative dialogue as soon as possible or they would refrain from working with the government and will address the issues their own way.”

In a letter to Allan dated Sept 20, 2010, Mete said their disappointments were well-echoed by Harmony chief executive Graham Briggs on Oct 26, 2009, admitting that “higher-than-expected sediment impacts in the Watut River had affected the Watut River communities”.

“The Hidden Valley Gold Mining Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) approved by your department, which predicted that sediment load in the Watut River during construction will be of minimum, is now of great concern for the riverine communities who entirely rely on the Watut River,” he said.

“This now leads us to question the credibility of the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the manner in which they have taken in the issuing of the environmental permit to the Hidden Valley Gold Mine for construction and operation.

“The issuing of the environmental permit by the DEC and mining license (ML) 151 by the Department of Mining granted in March 2005, eight months before the actual approval of the environmental management plan (EMP) by the DEC in Nov 2005 indicated that the DEC has issued the riverine communities with a ‘death warrant’.”

Mete told Allan that a letter to UoWRC by his department dated Oct 1, 2009, assured the Watut River communities that a state team comprising DEC and MRA would review all their claims as per their petition dated Sept 11, 2009.

He said DEC and MRA said they would advise on ways which the government could address their concerns both currently and into the future “which has now been a completely-misleading assurance to us as to this date, nothing constructive by your department nor the MRA or the so called ‘state team’ have materialised”.

“Also, lack of detailed response provided to the Watut river communities within the available 12-month period timeframe, lack of reviews and/or investigation of all of our allegations as per the initial petition last September, reflect how your department and the other relevant government agencies have turned a blind eye on us, the rural people at the bottom in this matter, to amicably address it,” Mete said.

“In addition to this, an environmental audit commission by your department to review the environmental performance of Hidden Valley Mine and investigate those concerns raised on the effects of mine-derived sediment awarded to the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) on Watut River systems is now a wonder to us as we are now into six months past the set date of Feb 22, 2010.

“We would therefore appreciate if your department and other relevant government agencies such as the Department of Mining and MRA could hold an initial collaborative dialogue with us, the UoWRC executives, as soon as possible to find a common way to resolve our concerns within 14 days given period.

“A joint attention through dialogue and understanding is needed as the Watut River communities cannot be patient and be cooperative after the given date.”

VComms secures contract with Papua New Guinea's National Fisheries Authority

Major Milestone Reached For Provision of integrated VMS and Inmarsat services
  

27th September 2010 – VComms, a subsidiary of SatComms, a leading provider of integrated satellite communication solutions based in Australia, has been selected by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) of Papua New Guinea to provide a specialist turn-key integrated Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for fisheries management under a multi-year agreement.

 The VMS includes the provision of Inmarsat airtime via the Inmarsat C platform. Phase one implementation will include approximately 500 fisheries vessels, with considerable expansion and system evolution planned for 2011.

 This announcement could not be more timely as priority monitoring, control and surveillance are all key issues for this year's technical and compliance committee being held by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in Pohnpei, the Federated States of Micronesia on 30th September to 5th October.

 Sylvester Pokajam, managing director of the National Fisheries Authority said: "This is a major landmark for both the NFA and Papua New Guinea.  We have invested in world-class technical and operational infrastructure to take fisheries management to new heights in the Pacific, with a company that has a proven commitment to the local and regional fisheries sector. We also feel that the benefits of the system could be utilised by other Pacific countries who may be watching our implementation"

 The implementation marks a number of 'firsts' for PNG and the Pacific VMS community, particularly integration of vessel monitoring data with the NFA's own vessel licensing database. The NFA will now be able to monitor and control commercial fishing operations from one platform which will improve stock sustainability within PNG waters and beyond. As the heart of the control infrastructure is based in PNG, this fully-scalable system is ideally placed to assist other Pacific-based fisheries to implement an enhanced VMS system.

 Andrew Burdall, managing director of VComms & SatComms said: "The NFA has always been a VMS authority at the cutting edge of new technologies. Our solution, which includes software, software maintenance and an airtime package, will improve the detection of illegal fishing by speeding up the validation of vessel position data against licensing records.   For the first time, this VMS authority can see both the location and behaviour of the vessel. It can   establish immediately if the vessel has a licence and the details of that licence status in real time via Inmarsat, so the vessel is tracked with the specific fishery. The cost savings of a service that is designed to stop illegal fishing prospering in PNG waters are considerable."
Continues Burdall: "The VComms operation is our commitment to PNG and the Pacific community to deliver world-class solutions in co-operation with forward thinking authorities, such as NFA, and we are proud to be chosen as their ongoing supplier for VMS services."

 David Klaris, VMS manager for the National Fisheries Authority, said: "Operationally this is a much more-advanced platform than the one it replaces, as it now allows us to both monitor vessels within the fishery and automatically cross-reference this with their licensing status, therefore increasing efficiency substantially. We have also had the system designed with new levels of operational and data redundancy already built in."

 The VMS system is fully-scalable and operationally-redundant in terms of both communication and security functionality. It is designed to meet the highest demands of government-level regulatory control, with sophisticated automatic archiving technology to ensure data security and integrity at all times.

 Perry Melton, chief operating officer of Inmarsat, said: "Inmarsat C is utilised by the majority of the world's fishing organisations for the purpose of fishing management and protection. We are delighted to see how our partner, VComms, a subsidiary of SatComms Australia, is continuing to innovate with this technology to ensure the safety and security of fisheries in the Pacific.  VMS ensures that illegal fishing cannot prosper in PNG water."

 Piers Cunningham, commercial director of SatComms & VComms said:  "We are extremely pleased that our investment in establishing a solid operational and technical presence in Papua New Guinea has been recognised, and that we have been given an opportunity to deliver a cutting-edge integrated solution for NFA. The resilience of the Inmarsat network, combined with state-of-the–art technical infrastructure allows VComms to provide the NFA with a fisheries management system that is world-class."                   

Marengo Mining to build second international airport for Madang

By SINCLAIRE SOLOMON

 

MADANG will have a second international airport if Australian-based miner Marengo Mining has its way, The National reports.

The province will also boast a 70 megawatt hydro power station if its plans to develop the world-class Yandera copper-molybdenum-gold is approved by the government.

Marengo Mining Ltd managing director Les Emery told The National after a visit to the Yandera with a group of potential investors that the airport and hydro-power plans were  contained in the company’s two-year definite feasibility study (DFS) which would be completed at the end of this year and presented to the government.

Emery said they had looked at airports in Madang and none suited their purpose and they had identified a site in the Ramu Valley for an airstrip capable of taking Dash 8 aircraft.

He also said electricity provider PNG Power did not have the capacity or capability of providing the power the mine would need.

Emery said the DFS was looking at a number of development options, most importantly:

* An open-cut mining operation with an initial 20-year operating life;

* Ore processing starting at 25mtpa with the ability to increase throughput over the life of the operation;

* Proposed near and/or in-mine crushing of ore before being conveyed by ore slurry pipeline to a near coastal concentrator, encompassing separate copper and molybdenum flotation circuits to produce two concentrate streams;

* Transportation of the copper concentrate via a slurry pipeline to Madang for drying and storage prior to shipping;

* Road transport of molybdenum concentrates to Madang;

* Implementation of hydroelectric power, with a parallel heavy fuel oil backup facility;

* Alternative tailings management options identified, which are still under investigation; and

* Implementation of world-class environmental standards and community relations initiatives to ensure successful project development for all stakeholders.

 

 

Five Australians safe after plane ‘lands’ in Milne Bay waters

By STEPHANIE ELIZAH

 

Above and below: The doomed Cessna 210 aircraft that crash-landed into Lelegwagwa waters, about 50m offshore. All five Australians on board escaped unhurt but were shaken and happy to be alive. – Pictures by RANDAL GANISI

FIVE Australians escaped unhurt when the Cessna 210 light aircraft they were travelling in ditched 50m offshore on the coast of Lelegwagwa village, East Cape, Milne Bay, on Sunday morning, The National reports.

Alotau’s Chief Sgt Gowa Mang said yesterday three of the passengers were women while he named the pilot as Gregory Brown, 50, of Hamilton, Victoria, who was also the owner of the Australian-based UH Ltd aircraft.

“They were on the last part of their journey around the Pacific, visiting diving resorts, when the accident happened,” he said.

Brown told police he experienced problems with the engine and propeller so he had to a make a quick decision to ditch the plane in the sea.

“They crash-landed on shallow waters at Lelegwagwa with minimum damage to the plane. No one was hurt, but they were shaken by the experience,” Mang said.

He added that it was a first-time visit for the Australians to PNG after having been to Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.

“From Victoria, they travelled to the other two Pacific Islands before visiting Rabaul, Kavieng and Tufi. They were on their way to Australia via Gurney Airport.”

Brown, a former police sergeant, had remained in Alotau while his four passengers were transitting through Port Moresby yesterday on their way home.

He was expected to assist with Civil Aviation Authority investigations underway at the scene of the accident.

On Aug 31, three Australians and a New Zealander died when their charter plane skidded off the runway in poor conditions on Misima Island, Milne Bay.

They included the pilot-owner of the airline which chartered the jet aircraft, Les Wright.

The New Zealand co-pilot was the only survivor.

Potape: Gazette a fraud

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

MINISTER for Climate Change and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on LNG matters Francis Potape has disputed the withdrawal of his cabinet portfolios.

He said National Gazette number G208, effecting his removal last Tuesday, was defective and that he was still a minister, The National reports.

Surprised at the front-page report in The National yesterday, Potape said he was not aware of any such changes since he had only met with Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare last week. The action had left Potape as minister without portfolio.

“During our meeting then, the prime minister did not mention anything about stripping me of my job as a state minister,” Potape told a media conference yesterday.

The member for Komo-Margarima was adamant that National Gazette No.G188, appointing him as minister assisting the prime minister on LNG matters, had not been revoked.

He said he was not aware of any so-called gazette number G208 informing him of the changes.

He claimed that the gazettal stripping him of the ministry was done to create disunity in government, and by someone who did not want to see the LNG project proceed.

Sir Michael is in New York and could not confirm the changes.

With the minister at the media conference yesterday were Komo local level government president Thomas Potape and Hulia LLG president Eric Yawas.

Showing copies of the National Gazette and amendment of determination of titles and responsibilities of minister, Potape said the dates and gazette number were contradicting and did not correspond to the original gazette number and appointment dates.

He said he had consulted with other senior ministers in government and they were not aware of any such moves to strip him of his ministerial portfolios.

“This is the work of people trying to destabilise the government.

“I am still the minister for climate change and minister assisting the prime minister on LNG matters,” Potape said.

Several attempts to get comments from the acting prime minister and the prime minister’s office were in vain.

 

 

Bona: MPs not in URP

By PEARSON KOLO

 

THE registry of political parties does not recognise the five opposition MPs who defected as members of the United Resources Party, The National reports.

In a statement issued on Sunday, registrar of political parties Sir Kina Bona said the five members were not United Resource Party (URP) members until all requirements were met, including provisions of the Organic Law on Political Parties and Candidates.

“Only two members of parliament, Kagua-Erave MP James Lagea and Dei MP Puri Ruing have fully satisfied all requirements to join URP,” Sir Kina stated.

He said all the others were non-members of URP until the party had satisfied the requirements under the organic law.

Sir Kina said the recent Supreme Court decision, nullifying certain provisions of the organic law, had an effect on the movement of members of parliament, especially on the resignation provisions.

“However, the main organic law provisions are still intact,” Sir Kina emphasised.

“Registrations by members of parliament dealing with the penalty provisions have been removed, but the normal registration provisions within the party constitutions and the organic law must still be applied.”

The registrar of political parties and candidates said political party executives and the members must work together to avoid fractions within party ranks.

Sir Kina said the registry did not have documents relating to parliamentary leadership of URP, therefore, Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma was still the parliamentary leader of URP with Malcolm Kela-Smith as his deputy.

He urged the parliamentary staff to convene an urgent meeting to clarify these matters for the good of the political parties and their members.

 

 

LNG base camp attacked

By PATRICK TALU

 

VILLAGERS from the LNG project impacted areas in Gulf have attacked construction workers of Curtain Clough Joint Ventures (CCJV) and burnt heavy machineries and trucks, The National reports.

The destruction happened last Friday night at a quarry site near Kaiam Ferry in Kikori.

It could not be confirmed by police but it was understood that high-powered weapons were used in the surprise attack.

No man or woman was at the site during the raid.

Machines or equipment destroyed included a 740 dump truck and a service truck, a source, who was made aware of the incident, said.

The reason for the attack could not be substantiated but pictures made available to The National last night showed holes of pellets penetration on big trucks and the burnt machineries.

The National understood that the landowners’ unrest was part of an ongoing disagreement by various landowners along the entire PNG LNG project footprint – from Juha in Western to Hides, Angore, Moran and Kutubu in the Southern Highlands, to Gulf and portion 152 west of Port Moresby.

The landowners have openly expressed frustration about the lack of participation in the early works.

Landowners in the Gobe area yesterday presented a petition to Esso Highlands highlighting some demands about the project. But, this was not related to the attack at the camp site.

Police could not confirm details of what transpired last Friday but PNG LNG project operator Esso Highlands Ltd stated that the matter was under police investigation.

The National was informed late yesterday that the villagers struck last Friday – at Kaiam, near the Omati River and Kopi LNG facility or base camp, between the Gulf-Southern Highlands provincial boundaries.

CCJV workers and its machineries were working on the early works component and building infrastructure needed to provide logistics for subsequent engineering procurement construction.

Several attempts last night to get independent and official confirmation of the attack from provincial police commanders of Gulf, Western and Southern Highlands failed.