Production at Ok Tedi still suspended

Production at the giant Ok Tedi mine in the Western province is still suspended after four localised ruptures to its pyrite concentrate waste pipeline last month.

The ruptures occurred in a small section of the pipeline that runs from its tailings processing plant to underwater storage pits located at Bige.

The ruptures were mainly caused by the scouring of the pipe as the slurry travelled through the pipeline which is buried under the road. Investigations to determine the condition of the full length of the pipeline are still progressing.

As soon as the ruptures were reported, OTML took immediate steps to shut down the pipeline, however,  this did not prevent some of the pyrite concentrate that was still in the pipeline spilling into the environment.

It is estimated that between 100 and 200 cubic metres of pyrite concentrate was lost through the ruptures.

A team of officers from OTML’s environment and community relations departments are working with the local communities to clean up areas affected by the spill.

Due to the steep terrain,  the clean up may take several more weeks to complete.

Monitoring of these areas including the creeks and streams where the spill has entered is still ongoing.

Current results from the sampling and monitoring program has indicated that while the bulk of the pyrite remains close to the points of rupture,  some pyrite is visible in streams up to 2km downstream of the ruptures.

All efforts are being made to trap and remove pyrite concentrate in the affected streams.

Water monitoring to date shows that apart from an initial flush of process water during the rupture, the water quality of the impacted streams has not been affected.

Water samples collected downstream of the pyrite ruptures indicate that the water is safe to use.

Pyrite is a natural mineral containing both iron and sulphur and is commonly found in rocks, especially those that contain valuable metals like gold or copper.

Pyrite can be potentially harmful to the environment because on exposure to air and water it can slowly produce acid.

Results from monitoring of the impacted streams to date shows no evidence of acidification occurring, however,  monitoring will be ongoing both during and after the spill cleanup.

 OTML managing director, Nigel Parker has said that everything possible was being done to ensure the communities were not affected by the spill “and we will be communicating to the communities the results of the environmental assays for water quality”.

Parker added that OTML had had discussions with the impacted communities and the State on its plans to recommence production while the pipeline was being repaired but said the decision to recommence production must have approval from the communities and the state.

Meanwhile, the company refutes claims of local communities being affected by the spills.

Parker stated that officers from the OTML community relations and environment departments were monitoring the situation on a daily basis and there had been no such incidents reported.

OTML is a 100% PNG-owned company and in 2010 it contributed 18% to PNG’s gross domestic product and 32% in export earnings.

Aussie miner eyes PNG projects

PERTH-based gold and uranium developer Siburan Resources last Thursday told the market that it had initiated reviews and discussions with potential strategic partners in PNG, with the aim of acquiring mineral pro­jects in that country, The National reports.

According to Mining Weekly last week, Siburan said in a statement that the PNG move was consistent with its strategy of adding diverse opportunities, in prospective mineral regions to its current portfolio.

“PNG is famous for its large multi-million-ounce gold deposits such as Porgera, Lihir and also the OK Tedi copper mine,” managing director Noel Ong said.

He added that PNG had been ranked as the 11th  largest gold producer in the world over the past few years and was also emerging as a significant copper producer.

“PNG is enjoying its longest run of economic growth since independence.

“In 2009, despite the international recession, the PNG economy grew by 4.5% and the most recent budget is forecasting growth at 8%,” Ong said.

He said Siburan was “very excited” to be reviewing opportunities in PNG.

“I believe that by taking these initial steps, we can establish ourselves in a country that is prospective for a whole range of minerals.

“We are currently in discussions with potential strategic local partners that may lead to Siburan entering into joint-venture opportunities in PNG.”

Ong said with the experience of the Siburan team and a well-funded exploration budget, the company was confident of establishing a presence in PNG.

Siburan has a number of gold and uranium exploration projects in Australia, with its gold exploration projects located in the Kalgoorlie goldfields of Western Australia.

 

Polye, Duma sacked

Abal shows muscle over insubordination and LNG issues

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal has finally flexed some muscle, The National reports.

He is expected to announce today disciplinary actions he had taken against two ministers.

Government sources said last night that Abal last Friday signed instruments terminating ministers Don Polye (Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigrations) and William Duma (Petroleum and Energy).

Reasons for the tough disciplinary actions were yet unknown but sources claimed last night that Polye, who is deputy leader of the National Alliance highlands faction, was cited for insubordination.

A tussle over the leadership of the faction had been brewing between Abal and Polye since the former was named deputy prime minister.

Duma is parliamentary leader of the United Resources Party, the second largest party in the coalition government.

His sacking, it was understood, was in relation to concerns over his leadership of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project and licencing issues within his department.

From another direction, a court decision on Public Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare’s long-running case has now paved the way for the appointment of a leadership tribunal.

Were this to happen, the ruling party would be rocked with the absence of the prime minister and the displacement of key ministers.

The highlands region has the biggest number of NA parliamentary members but sources said members from the region had been split with some showing support for Polye while others were behind the acting prime minister.

The sacking was an indication that a bulk of the highlands faction had finally shifted its allegiance towards Abal.

Over the past few months, the National Alliance was also split over the interim party leadership after a vacancy existed when party leader Sir Michael Somare underwent surgery in Singapore.

Sir Michael had undergone two operations in Singapore and had taken almost two months off from work, creating a vacancy in the party leadership which NA members had tried to elect a party leader but that did not eventuate as there was a split within the party.

Sir Michael is still in intensive care at the hospital.

Sources said Polye was also vying for the interim party leadership while Abal was said to be backed by other members of the party for the same post.

NA Momase deputy party leader Patrick Pruiatch is also vying for the party leadership and it is understood the southern and NGI factions may be supporting his candidacy.

However, sources said the leadership issue had not been resolved but the sacking of Polye was likely to create more disunity within the party with less than a year before the general election.

Duma and Polye could not be contacted last night.

 

Somare to face tribunal

By JULIA DAIA BORE

 

ANGORAM MP and Minister of Public Enterprises Arthur Somare will face the leadership tribunal, The National reports.

The Waigani National Court has dismissed all the grounds of bias the minister had claimed in seeking a judicial review against the Ombudsman Commission in his last-ditch attempt to stop his referral.  

The ruling effectively meant that the leadership tribunal, set up on Sept 15, 2006, by the chief justice to deal with Somare’s alleged official misconduct relating to the disbursement and acquittals of the district support grants, would now resume.

However, Somare would not step down automatically as a leader, as per a recent three-judge Supreme Court decision on March 31.

Then justices Bernard Sakora, Salatiel Lenalia and George Manuhu ruled on the Patrick Pruaitch matter which set a precedent that the “question of a leader’s suspension takes place when the tribunal, hearing the leader’s case, convenes and seizes jurisdiction to decide whether to suspend the leader”.

Lawyers dealing with the matter last Friday said the matter was now in the chief justice’s jurisdiction.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia had appointed the tribunal members but, with the retirement of chairman Sir Kululan Los, a replacement was needed.

Other tribunal members included district magistrates Orim Karapo and Noreen Kanasa.

In his decision handed down last Friday, Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika said: “The decision to refer, in my respectful opinion, is not unreasonable and capricious in the circumstances and, as such, the OC did not act in excess of its jurisdiction to refer.

“In the end result, all the grounds for judicial review are dismissed as having no merit,” Salika said, and ordered Somare to pay the costs of the judicial review bid.

He also asked: “Was the referral unreasonable?

“Again, taking into account all that happened from May 27, 2005, up to Feb 28, 2006, the evidence did not support an unreasonable referral. I reject this contention as well.”

On the issue of whether the decision to refer Somare was capricious; Salika ruled: “Capricious is an adjective and comes from the noun caprice, which means – sudden change in attitude or behaviour with no obvious cause (taken from Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary).

“Was the decision to refer the applicant to the public prosecutor capricious?

“Again, from all of the evidence, with respect, I do not think the decision to refer (by OC to public prosecutor) was capricious.”

Salika said: “It was obvious the OC was going to have to make a decision sooner and it did.

“In that regard, I do not consider the decision to refer to be capricious. The commission received the relevant acquittal documents and, therefore, made the decision to refer.

“The decision to refer was not unreasonable and capricious in the circumstances and, as such, the OC did not act in excess of its jurisdiction to refer,” Salika said.

The OC, on its own initiative, conducted investigations into the accessibility and application of the 2002 district support grants by all 109 members of parliament.

As 2002 was a general election year, and there was much concern raised over the misappropriation of the 2002 DSG funds before the general election, the OC decided that it would put out a stop to the payment of the DSG if it sent out a directive.

Following this, notices were publicised in the media of its intentions and follow-up of investigations established with the relevant leaders; Somare was listed number 16 on the directives sent out to the leaders.

In February 2005, the OC served on Somare, his right to be heard notice dated Feb 11, 2005, with allowance of 21 days for Somare to respond.

Bautama blocked

Caption: Calling for action ... Residents and villagers along the Magi Highway, including Koiaris and Motuans armed with bush knives, in Central last Friday blocked off the Bautama junction in protest over the lack of action into a double murder two weeks ago. Road users from the Motuan coastline, including Rigo and Abau districts, were restricted from getting into the capital city from as early as 4am. The protesters also petitioned for the eviction of the 6-Mile settlement and for justice to be served on those responsible for the killings. A four-day ultimatum, which expires today, was issued.– Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

 

By ANGELINE KARIUS

 

TENSION is on a knife’s edge after bush-knife wielding Koiaris and Motuans blocked the Bautama junction last Friday in protest over the lack of action into a double murder there two weeks ago, The National reports,

All road users along the highway from the Motuan coastline, including Rigo and Abau districts, were restricted from getting into the capital city from 4am last Friday.

At the scene, agitated and armed youths guarded part of the road for 5km leading to a gathering of Koiaris waiting to hand over a petition to government officials.

The Koiaris gave a four-day ultimatum which would expire today for the provincial and national governments. They wanted:

·         Both Goilala politicians, Governor Alphonse Moroi and Goilala MP Matthew Poiya to meet all funeral expenses for the two deaths;

·         Payment of K2 million as compensation;

·         Increase in police personnel at Bautama to be stationed at Koiari and Motuan villages along the Magi Highway;

·         Reintroducing the Vagrancy Act and death penalty; and

·         Creation of a Koiari open electorate to ensure sustainable socio-economic activities in the area, including transport, electricity and water supply.

The action was sparked by a double murder in the area two weekends ago when a Grade 10 student from Mt Diamond Secondary School was murdered at his Madowate village. 

Koiari committee chairman Rev Baru Gou said failure by the government to address the petition would result in “further actions”.  

He did not say what those actions would be, only that they would be revealed when the deadline expired.

He said locals had been living in fear and “enough was enough”.

After the handover of the petition, several houses belonging to the Goilalas at the 6-Mile dump settlement known as ‘Dark Street’ were burnt to the ground. 

Police yesterday confirmed the flare-up, saying more than 40 makeshift homes were completely burnt to the ground.

However, quick response by the police, led by NCD metropolitan commander Supt Joseph Tondop, stopped further destruction in the area.

It was unclear how many Goilala families had been affected.

 

Micah: It's now or never!

By MALUM NALU

Former Kavieng MP Ben Micah says the need for good leadership in Papua New Guinea has never been greater than now.

He said this when officiating at a two-day workshop for intending candidates for the 2012 elections titled ‘Winning strategies for a successful political election campaign’ at Aku Lodge in Boroko, which is also being attended by officials of various political parties and non-government organisations.

“The demand for good leadership is greater than ever before,” Micah said.

“Papua New Guinea has a lot of leadership potential, but there is no leadership.

“The 109 people chosen from the six million people is very critical in the 2012 elections.

“It is critical that they elect men and women who know how to lead.

“Papua New Guinea is looking for transformational leaders.

“We are not focusing on transformational leaders, that’s why the country is entering a serious case of leadership crisis.”

Micah said the current level of leadership was very depressing to him.

“I’m afraid, I’m scared,” he said.

“In the next elections, if the people don’t elect transformational leaders, the country will disintegrate.

“I don’t see a clear future for this country.

“I’m not a prophet of doom, but a realist.

“The Electoral Commission must run a fair and transparent election in 2012.”

The workshop, which has attracted intending candidates, political parties and non government organizations, continues today.

Topics discussed today included election strategy development process, pre-election preparation, assessing readiness to contest for public office, analysis of voting trends, and networking.

Tomorrow’s topics include maximising the power of words, communication methods, designing a winning strategy and implementation plan, and running a successful election campaign, before closure by NCD Governor Powes Parkop.

It is being facilitated by former Institute of National Affairs and Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council staffer John Varey.

New political group formed

By MALUM NALU

Former Kavieng MP Ben Micah today (Sunday, June 05, 2011) announced the formation of a new political movement in the build-up to next year’s election.

To be known as Movement For Change, the movement will be across party lines, and will be looking at making a change from the last 35 years of independence.

Micah made the announcement at a two-day workshop for intending candidates for the 2012 elections titled ‘Winning strategies for a successful election campaign’ at Aku Lodge in Boroko.

It will be officially launched in Goroka next month.

“This is going to be across party lines,” he said.

“We are setting up a movement independent of political parties.

“I believe that if we work together, we can mobilise the people.

“We want to talk now about fundamental change.”

The movement will be officially launched in Goroka next month.

Opposition advisor Reg Renagi said people wanted a complete paradigm shift from the last 35 years.

“We need this grassroots movement,” he said.

“Thirty-five years is a long time.

“Right now the ruling regime has lost the plot.

“We need the support of both sides of parliament.”