31 Mar 2006

Call on BCL to clarify environment issues at PNG's Panguna mine

9:05 am on 31 March 2006

The Autonomous Bougainville Government in Papua New Guinea wants three issues sorted out with Bougainville Copper Ltd, which owns the long disused copper mine.

The PNG Government says it is to review with the stakeholders whether the mine can be re-opened.

The Bougainville president, Joseph Kabui, says they are supportive of the move, though before mining could resume the people of Bougainville would have to give their approval through a plebiscite.

Mr Kabui also says his governnment would want a number of long standing issues to be sorted, including Bougainville's claim on the BCL infrastructure assets still in place on the island.

"That would need negotiations with BCL to sort it out. Another issue we would like to take up with BCL is paying some sort of compensation for environmental damages caused during the operation of the mine, and Bougainville is still suffering from all the aftermath of it.."

Mr Kabui says in addition they believe the national government's 19 percent shareholding in BCL rightly belongs to Bougainville.