The Prime Minister and Members of Parliament fromthe Western Province have been given 48 hours to respond tothe demands ofthe mine affected villages orthe Ok Tedi gold mine will shut down.
Representttatives fromthe Community Mine Continuation Agreement held a conference yesterday in Port Moresby’sayingtheir cries have hit brick walls and it is high timethe people stand up and maketheir point clear.
They demand thatthe Sixty-three Point Four percent stripped ofPNGSDP bythe National Government be paid in full to CMCA and mine landowners.
They saidthe demands laid out represented over one hundred thousand people fromthe mine affected villages fromthe North, Middle and South Fly includingthe mine landowners.
They demandedthe Prime Minister andtheir local MP’sand Governor to providethemthe Sixty-three Point Four percent asthey claim is compensation money,the national government and investors owethe people of Western Province.
They saidthey have lost confidence inthe Provincial and National Government becausethey have not providedthe much needed services overthe years and throughthe mine life.
The 48 hours ultimatum will be effective as of next Monday.
Starting today,the lLeaderswill carry out awareness in Daru, Kiunga and intheir respective communities.
On Wednesday a meeting will be hosted to gainthe views ofthe allthe communities and an action plan on howthe mine will be shut down will be executed.
They have given an open invitation tothe Prime Minister,their three local MP’sand Western Province Governor, Ati Wabiro, to participate in this crucial meeting.
They will also hold talks withthe mine workers’ union.
Also inthe interim,they demanded an immediate transfer ofthe 2.5% shareholding plus any ther outstanding commitments of 2006 and 2007 CMCA reviews granted by NEC decision Number 272 of 2006.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=amui7f6smpc%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
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