Establish land court in Porgera

FOLLOWING the Ipara Study in 1994, my land was divided into blocks 1, 6,7,8,9 and 10.
Since Placer Dome (PNG) Ltd operated Porgera gold mine, all the tailings from the mine were dumped into the Porgera River.
The flow of Porgera River carried tailings through my land covering an area of 23 kilometres.
The river system through my land has been polluted and unfit for use.
As compensation, the mine operators have paid K30,000to K40,000 royalties per year for each block.
My people and I were entitled to royalties for all the blocks 1, 6,7,8,9 and 10.
However, we have never received any royalties from all the blocks.
The royalty payments have been stopped due to the expiry of mining lease.
For more than twenty years, my people and I have missed out on royalties for blocks 1, 6,7,8,9 and 10.
I have raised this issue with Placer Dome when it operated Porgera gold mine.
Later when Barrick Niugini Ltd came in, I raised the same issue but nothing has been done.
I have taken the matter to the National & Supreme Courts but the courts said it was a dispute of customary land ownership and the appropriate court to hear the matter was the local land court and the provincial land court.
I do not want tribal fights over these issues.
I have always maintained peace throughout these years.
I want to settle these issues in court but unfortunately I couldn’t because there is no local land court and provincial land court in Porgera.
Because of this, people are illegally receiving royalties from my land.
I have written a number of letters to the mining minister and provincial and local level affairs raising these same issues but they have all fallen on deaf ears.
I am now raising this concern at this time when the Government is looking forward to re-opening the mine, that such issues should be addressed first.
The Government should make it a priority to set up local land court and provincial land court in Porgera.
The land ownership dispute such as this should be addressed first before entering into any benefit sharing agreements with the landowners.

Kopi Lapara
Takopa Association chairman
Paiala, PorgeraEnga