Landowners place hopes on Mangope

webmaster Highlands, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday July 1st, 2012

LANDOWNERS of the Porgera mine are hopeful of progress in their talks with the mine owners now that one of their own, Nixon Koeaka Mangope, is a member of parliament.
Mangope, who won the Lagaip-Porgera open seat as an independent, is the chairman of the Porgera Development Authority.
A spokesman for the Akaili Tange Association in Porgera, Karath Mal, claimed that the Porgera gold mine created a lot of social issues since it started in 1989 but did not have a strong leader in parliament to talk on their behalf.
“As a result, landow­ners of Porgera have suffered badly from the mining impacts inclu­ding displacement of villagers, contaminated ri­vers, lost hunting grounds and land for growing food crops.
He said their livelihood
had been badly affected because of the impacts from the mine.
Mal said the association had been working closely with the mine management at Por­gera and its parent company, Australia Pacific in Canada, to review the mining agreement in a peaceful way.