‘We want Ministers and a government that believe in a new development model. One that works for PNG and for local people. We want investment in local agriculture, local people, local skills. Not more of these big foreign owned activities that just steal our resources and leave us to suffer the costs.’
[via Papua New Guinea Mine Watch]
Communities along the coast of New Ireland are angry Mining Minister Byron Chan is supporting experimental seabed mining company Nautilus Minerals.
In October last year the Communities, represented by Zero Inc,. handed the Mining Minister a 24,000 signature petition opposing Nautilus’s mining plans.
“The Minister promised he would respond to our concerns within 2 weeks, but we have not heard anything from him and now nearly six months have passed”, says Eugene Schulze Jr. from Messi.
“Instead we hear the Minister and his cabinet colleagues have been holding secret meetings with Nautilus and the mining company is confident the mine will go ahead”.
“What about our rights as coastal people who will be impacted by the mining”.
“What about the environmental and social costs of the mining”
“The Minister well knows that here on New Ireland we have not benefited from decades of mining, logging and oil palm. Why will Nautilus will be any different?”
“The Minister is not thinking of his people, he is just sucking up to the foreign companies”
“We want Ministers and a government that believe in a new development model. One that works for PNG and for local people. We want investment in local agriculture, local people, local skills. Not more of these big foreign owned activities that just steal our resources and leave us to suffer the costs”.
“Byron Chan is showing by his actions that he does not deserve to be an MP or a Minister. He is not for the ordinary people”.
