2 May 2013

Growing resentment around LNG project in PNG

3:51 pm on 2 May 2013

A former police commissioner in Papua New Guinea fears a growing resentment among people who live around the Liquefied Natural Gas site in Hela province, could lead to aggression.

Gari Baki now works with a private security company in the area.

The project was expected to bring wealth and employment opportunities to people living within the immediate vicinity but Mr Baki says he's seen no evidence of that.

He says people there no longer have any respect for law and order.

"If they don't get any positive response in wanting a job then the obvious thing that will happen is that they will get the resentment and their response basically would be aggression, that's the kind of situation that you will see, that the younger generations of the people around here will resort to."

Gari Baki says the government needs to intervene and provide police in the area with proper resources.

He also believes the project owners have a moral obligation to do more to bring positive changes to the livelihoods of the people around the site.