Haiveta vows to back Gulf people resolve land issues

GULF Governor Chris Haiveta has promised to support his people in resolving their landowner issues quickly so that they can be paid royalties due to them.
The Mineral Resource Development Company handed out the first PNG LNG royalty payments to the 14 clans of Boera village yesterday.
Haiveta said it was no coincidence that the people of Boera were the first to receive their royalty payments among the landowners along the PNG LNG project impacted areas.
“This occasion is historic in many sense because the Hiri tradition binds Gulf which also included Southern Highlands and Hela a long time ago into one trade route that started at Boera village,” he said.
Haiveta said the first Lagatoi according to tradition set out on the very first trading voyage from Boera village, followed the trade link to Gulf and ended up in Southern Highlands and Hela.
“And it is appropriate that in this project, the Boera people have organised themselves ahead of every one of us,” Haiveta said.
Haiveta said he would assist his people to resolve their issues so they could receive their benefits too.
“Their Incorporated land groups are formed, their pipeline company will be formed and registered and that we will also start this process,” he said. “The main thing is to ensure that the process is fixed and set.”
Petroleum and Energy Minister Dr Fabian Pok said royalties for landowners from pipeline and upstream areas were still with the Central Bank awaiting the conclusion of the clan-vetting process.